--------- Begin forwarded message ---------- From: George Durgin <durgin@nh.ultranet.com> To: Lorna R Dunklee <ldunklee@juno.com> Cc: HCPD-L@rootsweb.com, vermont@listserv.northwest.com Subject: Re: FWD: Ann Landers Column, April 5, critical of genealogical research Date: Sun, 05 Apr 1998 22:07:47 -0300 Message-ID: <35282AE3.D617DC7D@nh.ultranet.com> References: <19980405.181024.5255.0.ldunklee@juno.com> In regard to below. You can get to her here. I will for sure. George annlanders@creators.com http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/3369/annlanders.html Lorna R Dunklee wrote: > Thought our subscribers might be interested in this. > --Lorna > > --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- > From: Donna Pierce <dpierce@wyoming.com> > To: DARLING-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [DARLING-L] Ann Landers Column, April 5, critical of > genealogical research > Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 15:20:30 -0600 > Message-ID: <199804052120.PAA32239@horn.wyoming.com> > > >Return-Path: <PADUTCH-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com> > >Resent-Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 13:03:27 -0700 (PDT) > >From: JYoung6180 <JYoung6180@aol.com> > >Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 16:06:59 EDT > >To: PADUTCH-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com, PADUTCHgenONLY-L@rootsweb.com > >Subject: Ann Landers Column, April 5, critical of genealogical research > >Resent-Message-ID: <"RqKzk.A.k-C.KO-J1"@bl-30.rootsweb.com> > >Resent-From: PADUTCH-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com > >X-Mailing-List: <PADUTCH-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/482 > >X-Loop: PADUTCH-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com > >Resent-Sender: PADUTCH-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com > > > >Did anyone besides me read Ann Landers' column in today's paper? She > received > >a letter from "Louisville Mom" who wrote to complain about the fact that > her > >children who were adopted from Korea were being asked in school to do a > >project on family history. The Mom was expressing the opinion that > schools > >should keep out of such family information and should not be encouraging > >children to look into their family backgrounds. She went on to say that > some > >children (those in foster care or from troubling family situations) may > be > >embarassed by such a project. Ann Landers' response was as follows: > "I'm > >glad you wrote. Your letter gives me an opportunity to speak out about > family > >trees, lineage and other topics that should have no place in our > schools. It > >is nobody's business whether a child's family came over on a slave ship > or the > >Mayflower. Teachers should not be asking about family background. If I > had > >to draw a picture of my family tree it would look like a shrub. My > parents > >and grandparents immigrated from Russia, and beyond that, I don't have a > clue > >as to my lineage, and I have never given it a moment's thought." > > > >Well guys--I think we should all clobber Ann with letters!!!!!! She > obviously > >is looking at a person's interest in their lineage as something that > would > >connote snobbery. She is implying that society would think there is > something > >inferior about the child whose parents arrived on the slave ship > compared to > >those with Mayflower ancestors. I think those who do not have a natural > >curiosity about their family history (no matter what that history is) > have the > >misconception that those of us with an interest in genealogy do our > research > >out of some sort of desire to feel superior to others. (MY ancestors > arrived > >in 1727, just when did YOUR ancestors arrive--oh not until 1855--then I > MUST > >be superior to YOU!) I think we need to set Ann Landers straight as to > WHY > >we are interested in the pursuit of our family history--as well as the > history > >of the times our ancestors lived in in general. > > > >I can't remember when I have gotten this worked up about something I > read in > >an advice column in the newspaper but Ann Landers has clout--and is in a > >position to impact on the thinking of others. Therefore, it is our > >responsibility to correct this misstatement of fact. > > > >In the first place, schools should not, and DO not, mandate a family > history > >research project--at least they don't in New Jersey where I live. I > would > >assume a similar situation exists elsewhere. Students in New Jersey > schools > >are given a list of projects to chose from with family history research > being > >one of the choices (and even within this topic the children can chose to > study > >a famous person or anyone they choose--it does not have to be their own > >ancestry). Family history reseearch is a popular choice from the list > of > >topics as curiosity about one's history is a natural thing for most > people--no > >matter what that history is concerned with, and regardless of whether > that > >history takes us to Colonial America, Europe, Asia, or Africa. The > history is > >still there--no matter WHERE your people came from! We all studied > history in > >school with each of us prefering an emphasis on the history that we were > most > >interested in based on our family and ethnic backgrounds--that is also > natural > >and even desirable. Are we so shallow and rooted only in the present > day that > >we do not even give a thought as to the accomplishments and sacrifices > of our > >ancestors? How can any student be expected to have an interest in, and > >understanding of, history if they are not encouraged to associate those > events > >of long ago with thoughts of what it must have been like to have lived > through > >them--and with the knowledge of the fact that their own forbears did > just > >that. Whether it be the remarkable tribute to the strength of human > character > >that kept the slave families alive through the generations of our > American > >past, or the survival of the Jewish people in more recent times; or the > >sacrifices made by my own German ancestors who set sail into the unknown > in > >the mid 1700s to come to a new home called Pennsylvania by means of a > perilous > >sea voyage. What was the driving force behind all of the actions of > these > >peoples? In my opinion it was to seek a better life for themselves and > a hope > >for the future of an even better life for their descendants. To take > the time > >to find out who these ancestors were, to learn their names, dates, and > what > >their lives were all about, is an extremely important part of teaching > our > >next generation of Americans, wherever they came from, and no matter > what > >their background, to have respect for themselves and those who came > before > >them. What better lesson could there ever be for today's, or any day's, > >school children. > > > >OK--now I will get off my soapbox for today. Anyone who would like to > copy > >this to any other list has my complete unrestricted permission to do so! > > > >Joan Myers Young > > > > > > ==== DARLING Mailing List ==== > > --------- End forwarded message ---------- > **************************** > FREE WEB SPACE FOR GENEALOGY AND HISTORY WEB PAGES > GO TO http://www.genweb.net > *********************** > To subscribe or unsubscribe send the message to: > majordomo@listserv.northwest.com > ******************* > To see a list of the lists that are available go to > http://listserv.northwest.com/~haight/listpage.htm > **************** > To ftp to the archive site with the lists of digests > http://listserv.northwest.com/~haight/archivelink.htm **************************** FREE WEB SPACE FOR GENEALOGY AND HISTORY WEB PAGES GO TO http://www.genweb.net *********************** To subscribe or unsubscribe send the message to: majordomo@listserv.northwest.com ******************* To see a list of the lists that are available go to http://listserv.northwest.com/~haight/listpage.htm **************** To ftp to the archive site with the lists of digests http://listserv.northwest.com/~haight/archivelink.htm --------- End forwarded message ---------- _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]