CA>Hello Tom -

CA>TW>>> A Couple to Senior Citizens and the rest to a Genelogy
CA>TW>>> Library Group.

CA>->> I'm not clear about how 'genealogy' fits into our culture.
CA>->> I understand in Europe where 'bloodlines' etc. grant access
CA>->> but here in the USA at lower economic levels it does almost
CA>->> nothing? I have no idea how the wealthy/rich in the USA
CA>->> feel about these things but do know at one time the 'new
CA>->> rich' would buy an arranged marriage with a 'titled'
CA>->> European to gain status. Maybe they do now as before?

CA>TW> Well apparently you are not aware of the new Genelogy
CA>TW> Craze. It started with Fido Net but the Internet has caused
CA>TW> it to Explode.

CA>I've been aware of an interest in using computers for geneology
CA>data collection but I just don't 'get it'.

CA>TW> Just type genelogy into a search engine and see the Hits
CA>TW> you get.  And also for a Idea of what info the people are
CA>TW> soaking up go to www.ancestry.com and look arroind. they
CA>TW> let yupo peak at endless records but to get into the Nity
CA>TW> Grity it is a pay site. IT IS BIG Business so apparently
CA>TW> people care a great deal about their ancestors, Royality or
CA>TW> Not, then you realize.

CA>I think people continue to research until they find someone
CA>they feel is 'important' that they can document and then slow
CA>down or stop. It's an ego thing from what I can see.

CA>I don't really like it myself. I have a cousin who is doing
CA>this frantically and she just so happens to have recently
CA>become financially 'successful'. It's the old buy a European
CA>title thing at the yuppie level I think. :-\

There may be a few that fit that role; but as a practiceing
genealogist for more than 25 years,I can attest that most of
the increased interest (aside from some members of the Morman
faith were ancestry has a very importent facility) is motovated
more by the fact that our familiies are much more distributed
by distance and nationalities than previous to WWI, so many
progeny are reaching out to determine what their roots are.

Point of note: I have an English-French-German=Yankee heritage.
My children have that plus Italian DNA, and my grandchildren
have all of those plus Polish-Hungarian and Russian heritage.
I think of them as prime examples of todays American-Americans,
and no europeon nobility to speak of (except some DNA from a
"natural son" of the prolific King Joseph Bonaparte, that
few often brag about 8-(.

Not everything in our modern world has a negative influence

Ciao, Ack.

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 þ SLMR 2.1a þ Did our ancestors ever have a bad heir day?