Since Time Began
by F.E. McConvey
Published: 11 November 1987
From an early age people have been maintaining family lineages. There are 77 generations shown by Luke (Chapter 3) in his genealogy of Jesus. He portrays the line from Jesus, the son of Joseph to Adam, son of God. Without an intensive study into the realms of the Old Testament, it would be very difficult to determine how many years this chronicle spanned.
In this day, a generation is accepted as the space of 33 years. Therefore, by our reckoning, 77 generations would take us to the year 554 B.C. The absence of written records would render it impossible for a person living now to extend his research back to that era.
The preserving of ancestral lines began long ago in both China and Japan, as well. Confucianism, an Eastern religion taught by Confucius (551? - 478 ? B.C.) emphasized ancestor worship and loyalty to family and friends. Some of these lineages are the most ancient and longest to be found, along with genealogies which have been discovered in Africa and Polynesia. It is also worthy to note that those complied by the Raiputs of India covered more than ten centuries.
From the pages of Aku, Aku, the Secret of Easter Island , Thor Heyerdahl relates how the mayor, Pedro Atan recited the names of 10 generations preceding him, as easily as we can count our fingers.
On this tiny Pacific island, families called Hanau eepe (long-ears) possessed caves in which were stored sacred family stones and artifacts. The entrances to these caverns were closely guarded secrets passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next. (The long-ears erected the mysterious statues on Easter Island).
The mayor, at the age of five had begun to learn the family traditions from his elders. His cave had been inherited at the death of his father, completing a direct line of eleven generations.
In this particular cave were locks of hair clipped from the head of each guardian. Every sample was rolled in care in a banana leaf and tied with string. The number of knots in the string indicated to which generation the hair belonged.
A modern religion in which genealogy plays a major role is that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly referred to as the Mormons. Thanks to the massive collections house and freely shared by this church, genealogists are able to find information from nearly every portion of the globe without necessity of world travel.
Royal families firmly adhere to the strict rules that have been established for succession to the throne. Battles have been waged over these rights as witnessed in England during the savage struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster known in history as "The War of the Roses." Nobility also follow rigid, fixed guidelines for the inheritance of titles and ancestral holdings.
In Mesopotamia, the seat of civilization, archaeologists have discovered a document known as the Sumerian King List. They believe it was drawn up during the second millennium but relies on older sources of information. this list records the royal dynasties and the names of the kings from the city-states of the time.
Some scientists feel it is valueless for chronological purposes because the earlier reigns are unrealistically long. In addition, the writers show some dynasties succeeding one another; whereas, they were actually contemporary.
Five of these dynasties are separated from the others by the occurrence of the Flood. These give stretched backward into the ages for 250,000 years, but it is felt that these kings are, in all probability, legendary.
After the Flood, the reigns still continue to be very lengthy. Around 2700 B.C. appears the name of Mbaragesi. The date on this Sumerian king have been proved historically by research. From this point, the information related is more acceptable to modern science.
But, for the most part, those interested in genealogy are not of royal descent, nor protectors of secret caves. Occasionally, one finds an ancestor who held a title or was a famous personage; however this is the exception rather than the rule.
Some optimists trace their family lineages in hopes of collecting an unclaimed pot at the end of the ancestral rainbow. Success in this pursuit is even more rare than finding buried treasure in your backyard.
The majority become involved in genealogy simply because they wish to have a greater insight about the origins and lives of their predecessors and to learn more about the conditions that abounded at those times.
To those researchers, it is a treat to discover the family home still standing and an opportunity to talk to the present inhabitants. In Charlotte County, it is not unusual to find descendants still inhabiting the old homestead. Fire or the elements may have ravished the original dwelling, but the land remains.
Recently a new dimension has been added to genealogy, the result of modern technology and the ability of surgeons to transplant organs and tissue. Naturally, the success of these operations depends upon compatibility between donor and recipient. Genealogy can also be beneficial to future generations in determining the occurrence of genetic defects, disorders and diseases. More on this subject at a later date.
Friendship lasts a day, kinship endures forever
- Ancient Sumerian Proverb
Queries:
5. ROLAND HIGGINS (mom penciled in HUGGINS) b. ca 1819. mar. SOPHIA LANE, dau. of WILLIAMS LANE AND MARY (POLLY RYAN (from St. A.) who lived in Bog Brook near Calais. (The Lanes rowed across the river to attend the First St. Stephen Baptist Church at the Ledge.) CH: MINERVA, AMELIA, ELLEN, THEODORE, Other? 1851 lived in St. Andrews Par. Before 1861 moved to Calais area. Shipbuilder. Seek info on parents, siblings, shipbuilding activities, etc.
6. ISAAC BRYANT b. ca. 1796, Arr. in NB from US ca 1826. 1851 lived in St. A. Par. and was lame. Mar. ELIZABETH BOLES, arr. from Ireland ca. 1830. Poss. from Scotch or Whittier Ridge before her marr. CH: STEVADORE THOMAS (?), ELIZABETH EMMA ?, JANE SARAH ANN ?, ISAAC (IKE), WILLIAM JAMES FAIRFIELD, MARY, JOHN C., DAVID, JOSEPH, NANCY DANFORD. Seek ingo on these families - parents, siblings, origins, etc.
Note: In-Laws, Outlaws and Kinfolk articles have been published on this site with the permission of the St. Croix Courier. Special thanks goes to the Courier for allowing me to reprint my mother's articles.