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From: "J. Hugh Sullivan" <>
Subject: Genealogy?Documentation?Claptrap
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 1996 13:08:39 GMT


Even without looking at a dictionary, I note the first 4 letters of our
interest are "gene"; thus genealogy must be a study of genes - a tracking of
bloodlines, as it were. But, to confer any level of distinction on those who
"hew to the line" without granting the same respect to "family historians" is
claptrap. There is little, if any, point of departure other than interest.

Documentation - so what (sorta). Families had secrets, census takers had severe
limitations, precise, consistent spelling of names and locations was rare,
events were not recorded, "facts" conflict, etc., ad infinitum (on into the
night). Accepting the printed word as final, incontrovertible proof, without
possibility of error is claptrap. Documentation is like the farmer who
preferred small boll weevils to large in his cotton - he preferred the lesser
of twoweevils.

Attaching too much importance to either of the above, regardless of your
persuasion, may even be claptrappier. Now I'm going to look up the word
"perspective" so I can put this into it - will you join me?

Hugh (just a family historian, I guess - but unbowed and unbloody)

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