When we think about family, we might want to think longer term.

For many of us, the idea of thinking long term for our families might be getting through the weekend and the myriad of sports activities, clubs, dance, birthday parties, etc.

But there truly are some families who have demonstrated longevity.[1] Here’s just a few examples:

House of Grimaldi – aka the Royal Family of Monaco was founded in 1160 AD by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa, Italy. The House of Grimaldi has ruled in Monaco since the 12^th century.

House of Oldenburg — The family tree begins with Elimar, the Count of Oldenburg, in 1101 AD in Northern Germany.  As was common for the day, the Oldenburg family married into other noble families. As such, they have members in Denmark, Norway, Green, Russia, Wales and England.

  House of Habsburg-Lorraine — This family was founded in 11^th Century AD by Radbot, the Count of Habsburg in modern day Southwestern Germany. This family still holds key leadership positions in Austrian society.

British Royal Family — They’ve made the news with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. But the family was founded in 9^th century AD by Alfred the Great in England. Despite having no official political power or operating business, have the respect of millions around the world.

Kong Family —This family was founded by Confucius in 551 AD in China.  This family is reported to have the oldest written and documented family tree of any in the world. Because of that documentation, there are an estimate 3 million members registered with the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee. They are in their 83^rd generation!

Imperial House of Japan — Emperor Jimmu established the family in 660 BC in Japan. They are the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy.

Admittedly, some of these old historical families don’t always have written records for every step of the way. Nonetheless, they demonstrate a generational mindset.

Equally important, we know that families that think and practice a generational mindset find themselves more at ease, more at peace because they belong to something bigger than themselves.

How is your generational mindset?

[1] Oldest Family Trees Ever, Oldest.org

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published November 21, 2022

Topics: Family Legacy

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