h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Helen, what I meant was that by English standards, 160 years isn't long enough to be considered 'deep rooted'. Deep roots....shallow roots.

Americans - at least some of us - are conscious of being a young country. I am very envious of the layers upon layers of history in Europe and the UK.

On the other hand, when you go back a few generations, my ancestors wind up living next door to yours. So I sort of feel like English history belongs to me, too.

this is where we need the 'phone!

it's really deep what you said Hyp - moves me -- (once we've sorted out the other bit --- hope you're OK with me)

I have never been able to truly figure out roots -- part of me always feels in exile ---yes, my family have been settled on the land for generations, but I had to go -- they all live close to each other -- I had to go -- I live in Devon now, though I am not Devonian, and although my people live in Sussex I am no more Sussex than I am from Jupiter.

Roots for me are where the open minds are. The people who understand. Roots for me are coffee shops with artists and thinkers and people congregating to think about things and talk about things --Roots for me is where the light is --- the light of new horizons ---

In my family's eyes I am a complete outsider -- I even chose not to have children, which in this country up until about 1960 was virtually a criminal offence ---

My husband is from the Scottish Highlands -- a very harsh environment --he is the son of a fisherman and crofter -- he had to leave, for although he loves his roots to a certain extent, he was someone else -- someone so different to his father's expectations --he just couldn't do it, and had to endure a breakdown before he could free himself from the grip of pressure ---

so he and I had to come to South Devon to make a new culture -- a more free and easy culture --- but we are both exiles somewhere --

its all so weird -- in this country we still have these ludicrous 'class' divides -- all kinds of weird stuff -- who cares, eh? I'm the same as you -- I believe in individual freedom --

big stuff. you have courage to come out with it.

H

Oh I see!!! that's OK then!

Phew ---

Where in Sussex do your relatives come from?

H

I apologize for the misunderstanding, Helen. I'll try to explain myself better in the future. I am totally OK with you.

I'm not sure where in Sussex. I only have actually addresses for the parts of the family that were born in London. The Sussex ones just say Sussex County, England.

PS - It was strange though, after I did my life story here, going on about the South Downs, etc. I realised I did feel some kind of Sussex landscape roots. If we moved back to Sussex, we would have to live in Brighton, which combines the free and easy culture, but has the land and the history around it --

the global village! I want to live in cool coffee shops all over the world!

H

it was me misreading, not you not expressing yourself well --- I'm so nervy sensitive about upsetting my friends!

here's one for you

see you on the global highway

H

Not a problem. Have a great time in Sussex. I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

I don't want any of this to detract from your original posting, which I am now going back to read -- and I am looking forward to the others reading --- it makes me inspired, and proud of you ---

Hey

H

Backpeddling a few posts...

Xantief, does that mean that your sibs are off doing warrior-ish things?

Where would you go, Hypatia, if you were 'unbound'?

Interesting enniagram, Phred. A friend's friend who claimed to analyze noses pronounced me a 4 with 5-ish tendencies. Her crowning proof was that I enjoy making faces at the mirror.

I'm amused by the deep and shallow roots business. Everything is relative. I'm practically a Mayflower pilgrim among Jews because my ancestors were here before WWII. And that's nowhere near as long as Hyp's been in the Ozarks.
Speaking of, Hypatia, was it before or after you dragged the library into the 21st century that you acquired your distaste for databases and such modern stuff?

I should have woke up earlier!
*yawn* G'mornin' all...

Sorry about the raw nerve. But I empathise, and thank you for your empathy.

My half-brother B. spent two tours in 'Nam, in the infantry. He was approached by a recruiter for a third tour, while convalescing from a bullet strike, and he gave the recruiter the finger. He's ten years older, and I never really knew him until later.

My other brother R., three years older, did a brilliant job in fulfilling expectations. Airborne Ranger Captain. His oldest son C. is in the Marines, and the last I heard he was teaching air navigation at one of the East Coast bases. C.'s younger brother G. seems to be a square peg, kinda like myself...

My dad was an infantry officer, too. His baptism of fire occurred on Guadalcanal.

Roots: My great-grandpappy was a Danish draft-dodger. He lived on one of the coastal islands that the Danes and Germans fought over...it's now German territory. Both sides tried to draft him, and he gave everyone the finger. Emigrated to Brazil, and my branch of the family drifted north...

I gave my own family the finger. And got a big one in return.

Such is life, I guess...

Xantief, are you Danish on both side of your family?

I'm sorry you had a split with your family. Sounds like your brothers conformity made it harder for you. Sometimes we have to stand up for ourselves, even if we don't like the ultimate outcome.

I don't know why family is so important to us culturally.I understand the economic reasons of generations past. And why people banded together for protection. But times have changed and the notion that there is a lifetime blood obligation of some sort imposed on us to become a certain thing or be responsible for people who give us nothing but grief is ridiculous. Family members should have to earn our love, respect and loyalty just like our friends do.

We have a genealogy department at the library. It is extremely popular and people from all over the country come here to hunt dead relatives. I'm always astonished at the amount of money they spend on this hobby/obsession. It's like a compulsion of some sort to reach into the past - like the blood ties are calling to them. Personally, I blame all of those begats in the Bible.

What I don't understand is what purpose they think it all serves. (Aside from the Mormons who believe they're rescuing people from hell or something.)How does finding the name and date of birth or date of death of an ancestor who lived generations before you were born change anything? How does that change who you are? Genealogists apparently feel a connection to these ancestors that I don't feel. Once you get past the great grandparent generation, I lose interest. I don't think people who lived hundreds of years ago have any bearing on how I live my life.

And they branch out. If they only traced a direct line of decent it would make more sense to me. I was asked by a relative to supply information about my husband's first wife for a family chart. What the fenoble does she have to do with my family? What do my stepchildren have to do with it? Shouldn't a family chart only include actual family? It just all becomes too far flung.

My first "real" job after college was in the state archives. One extremely enthusiastic woman came in and informed me she had traced one side of her family back to Adam, but she had lost he other side somewhere in Taney County. The sad thing is that she was serious.

We have people come into the library who insist on telling us the names of all of their relatives and when they were born and where they died, etc. I want to tell them to go get stuffed, that I'm not interested in my own ancestors, let alone theirs. I know quite a bit about my ancestors because I have relatives who are/were heavily into genealogy. Left to me, I wouldn't have looked any of it up. I wonder why some people are so drawn to it and others aren't? Wonder if it has anything to do with genetic memory?

Well, that's two rants today. I guess I'll go soak my head now.

Leo, I'm not going to tell you where I want to spend the rest of my life because I may not be able to arrange it. The last thing I want is for people to know what I'm thinking and then spend the next few years telling me I'm crazy and it's impossible anyway. I don't need the negativity right now. Let's just say it's a far piece from the Ozarks.

It's splendid when the biological family is a 'fit' for all involved. But, of course, it doesn't always happen that way.

My family now consists of my sons and their friends. We all still need the connection, and that need can be filled in more ways than tradition accounts for.

Geneaology? Bragging rights, imho. And a good racket for some.

"...The last thing I want is for people to know what I'm thinking and then spend the next few years telling me I'm crazy and it's impossible anyway. I don't need the negativity right now..."

I can relate. My mother was a German war-bride. I fielded a lot of that nonsense from her. (I'm assuming that her bloodline is basically German. My dad's line consists of Danish, some English, and German as well.)

I've known some splendid good families, and spent a lot of time with them. My own was okay, but....

Hyp, you all right? I've been reading about the storms and twisters in your neck of the woods.

Yes, some of geneology is bragging rights, but I disagree that it's all a lot of nonsense. It's a form of record keeping. Maybe it's just because I like history.
I find it interesting to learn that Jefferson called Hamilton an ourangutang; I find it equally interesting to discover that my great great grandfather, a typical Jerusalem scholar, earned his living by spending 2 years out of every 8 riding around the American frontier with a gun, trading with the natives.

I know that it's pointless, but I've always wondered where my name came from. I know I got it from my great grandmother, but due to its nature, I rather suspect she got it from her great grandmother, and am exeedingly upset at the forebears for not keeping the records.

Equally curious about my last name. It's a Western European name, but it came through Eastern European ancestors, and nobody except the UPS man has been able to give me a clue as to how that came about. Didn't anyone think it was worthwhile noting how a tag for Scottish nobility ended up in Lithuania?

Finally, in defense of family trees, even extensive ones...
When I was in Israel I stayed by a lot of very distant relatives. Think, second cousins once removed. Granted, there is no love lost between me and my first cousins, but lots of these extended family members were far more likable.
There was one far-flung branch I called about coming over for a holiday.
Typical Israelis, they heard someone with an American accent claiming to be related and requesting a place to stay-- they said, "sure!" and after they hung up wondered, "Who on earth was that?" Luckily, someone had compiled an extensive family tree. They looked me up, found out all my stats, from date of birth on up. We were able to figure out exactly how distantly we were related, etc. It was kinda fun. Except that my name was spelled wrong.

Oh yeah, and good luck getting wherever you're going.

Hi yous guys!

There's not a single one of you that I would ever consider to be 'shallow'. In point of fact, you are all rather deep, profound and sophisticated!

On this site, we all know 'shallow' when we see it! And we all have!

Want some kindling for that fire? I don't think so, its burning very brightly at the moment. Push up a little while I roast this bratwurst to a turn. Plenty more in my backpack to go round!

Howdy.
Y'know, you scared me for a sec. I started wondering if I'd said anything bright or particularly deep at all-- though I'm still to be disregarded until the 19th.

D'ya want some ketchup with that? Or saurkraut?

I won't have that Helen!...reduce the intelligence levels indeed...utter nonsense! The kind of sensitivity you bring to your responses and in your and Chris's lifestyle and pastimes gives that the lie!

Hi LeoA!

Would you think me greedy if I take both!

I know you've just come on line, but I have to dash at the moment, dinner calls! Please don't think my sudden departure rude!

Your input is always profound!