2001-07-14 - 20:46 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Lost In Time

I guess these things happened "back east," too but it was hard to change a name when the danger of meeting someone who knew you by your real name existed. In western stories and gold rush stories, geographic and nomenclature changes were not challenged. A man was who he said he was. The real tag of a man then was his integrity and fair mindedness. When the six-shooter was the law a man had to watch his actions and words.

My self, being born during or just after the days of the wild, wild west, when the cattle corrals and loading chutes were alongside the rail tracks in southern Wyoming and the Indians from the reservations who were passing through Denver stood in groups on the street corners near the Depot in their black hats with blankets over their shoulders. It was just a normal thing to me that politesse indicated that one should not be nosy about ancestors and names. Western stories and goldrush stories indicated that asking a man's real name could give one a sudden case of lead poisoning.

There were probably as many reasons for geographic solutions and changes of names as there were people who did so. Among them were some who were criminals, but not all. Some came to escape the scar of bastardy, or to escape from an untenable family situation, to flee from the notoriety of a family member. Probably some were totally bored with life on the east coast and wanted to get out west from under the prying eyes of relatives.

Okay - - - on the flip side. It would be nice if I could trace my lineage back all the way to Adam and Eve. It would not bother me to find a few horse thieves and womanizers amongst them. It would be an ego boost to know the noble lineage of ones ancestors. What King, what Lord did I descend from ?

Heather's family has so far been traced back into the 1700's. There has just been sensible, decent citizenry among them, hardworking, kind, civil people on all sides. A matter of pride for them all and rightly so. It would be nice to know what came down the pike for my people too. But not to the point of obsession.

I started tonight to talk of my Grandmother, maybe tomorrow night I will get around to it. She was my Grandmother, I didn't care where or who she came from, but did care that she came for me through my beloved Mother and I was loved by both.

The history of both sides of my family are not available to us as most of those in the know died long ago. They were my family, Queens or Kings or lowly serfs behind them -- I didn't care as I knew them for what they truly were. Of course the same could be said of families who could trace their ancestry to ancient times, and I am glad that knowledge is theirs.

Regardless it looks to me that history is behind, in the fore front the mark of a man is who HE is.

I am proud of our progeny, for what they are and what they have done for themselves. I care not that the past history of my family is Lost In Time . . . . .

Blog