fun fact: we still have His Bible which has been passed down (he had one in Spanish, and one in English), we have the English Prince James Version dating 1907, for any fellow history nerds! :)

Why controversial? Was he shoving Christianity down the throats of natives?

Edit: okay, I googled him and read the wiki page. He sounds like a POS to tell you the truth. At least three wives, numerous rapes and femicide???? I don’t think I’d be chomping at the bit to admit a relation to this guy.

That’s awesome. My wife’s great great aunt was devil anse Hatfield’s sister

that's sick!

Anderson is my #1 pick for potential son names because of Devil Anse, one hell of a leader.

>Pancho Villa

given his role in taking down Diaz and then Huerta depending on one's political views at the time, plus his (probably untrue) reputation as a robin hood alledgedly stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, cat and mouse game with Teddy Roosevelt, legendary ability to traverse the country undetected, and relationship with national icon Zapata, he's been made a household name in Mexico, some admire him, some disown him.

murders, progressive legislature, extortion, freedom fighting, political crimes, borderline terrorism etc...

Typically descendants of the rich (at the time) see him as a Bandit, and descendants of the poor (at the time) see him as a Hero, but that's me generalizing, there's nuances for sure.

As the title says, controversial
But no-one can argue, an absolute unit and menace to society lol.

"Pancho was a bandit boy His horse was fast as polished steel He wore his gun outside his pants For all the honest world to feel

Pancho met his match you know On the deserts down in Mexico Nobody heard his dying words Ah but that's the way it goes

All the Federales say They could have had him any day They only let him slip away Out of kindness, I suppose"

-"Pancho and Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt

“Pancho needs your prayers it’s true, but save a few for Lefty too

He only did what he had to do”

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My great grandfather lied about his age and joined the US cavalry at age 16, he was part general pershing's expeditionary force that chased after pancho villa in 1916-17. I dont think either side was "good" but it definitely is a fascinating period. After that he got sent to France for the first world war where he mostly supported artillery units hauling supplies but was briefly injured during a poison gas attack. He recovered and remained in France until after the end of the war. After a few unsavory episodes apparently he was seriously considering murdering one of his commanding officers and likely deserting but decided against as he had a battlefield conversion experience and decided to give up violence along with his alcoholism and whoring along with other vices he picked up as a cavalry man. He was discharged and returned home. I think he worked in a casket factory or something until the depression. At which time he got a job with a CCC project in colorado building a train trestle bridge. As part of the program he got a tax free property in the mountains of colorado somewhere near tabernash I believe. After the trestle project was done he built a cabin on his property and spent some time hunting and fishing there until he got a job in Englewood colorado where he stayed til he passed away on the early 90s. We still have a lot of his things, his cavalry uniform, spurs, photos, hunting equipment, I have his tools and revolver. For better or worse people seemed to be built different back then. Had fascinating lives.

Top comment does not disappoint, that is dope as hell

My controversial relative is Oliver Cromwell, you know the guy who got rid of the English monarchy for a bit.

My only claim to genealogical fame is a great-great grandmother who was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Denmark. Evidently she got knocked up by a royal and had to emigrate to the U.S. out of shame and disgrace.

Grandma was a rolling stone.

Richard III AND Marie Antoinette here according to 23andMe. Probably BS but I like to think being hateable is in my blood

Ooh! Send this over to r/colorization

Cool family history there!

Unfortunately I have very few of the family relics passed down from my parents on either side. Too many moves over the years.

I'm in my 50s now and more recently became interested in my family's history. Finally learned who my great grandparents were on my dad's side at least. My mom is a bit harder because she was adopted (technically my dad was too but he always knew his bio father and his bio mom remarried and my dad took his name) but we also had an opportunity to meet my mom's biological mom several years ago. My sister spent a lot more time getting to know that part of the family and I just met everyone (aunts and uncles, mostly) once. I think of the pictures my sister has there's pretty hardcore evidence they were all pretty much bona fide hillbillies on my mom's side (like bib overalls and jugs of moonshine level hillbillies).

Anyway it is always so interesting to learn something about where you came from, so to speak.

Wow thanks for sharing! Might send me down a little rabbit hole.

I saw this same photo used as the cover to John Reed's 'Insurgent Mexico' in another post on reddit today.

Cool coincidence.

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Awesome tune

Pancho and Lefty are also the names of Pamela Anderson’s tracts of land.