Hi Bruce, What I realize is that there is no control of who was our ancestors! So what if DeMelun was a mass murderer. Even if he or whoever proves that DeMelun is in this line of Carpenters, are you going to leave that out of your genealogy? There's a black sheep in every family. Lord knows I have a few in my own other lines. We cannot leave out the boogymen, murderers, thieves and cantankerous women in our lines. They do exist! Your statement of "we do not wish to have our family history begin with one of the most despicable men in history". That is the most ridiculous statement I've heard in years. If it is your wish NOT to include a despicable man in your history, then why do genealogy at all? And the statements that you made against a Mormon genealogist is WAY off base. Are you ignorant to religious beliefs? If it is the Mormon belief to redeem ancestors, then so be it! You cannot nor will you ever change it. Betty Carpenter-McCulloch > >There is more going on than you realize. John Carpenter is >a Mormon genealogist who wants to establish that we MA and RI >Carpenters are descendants of a 1100s French knight Guillalume >le Carpentier DeMelun. DeMelun was a sadist mass murderer. There >is not one bit of evidence he is connected to later Carpenters. >However Mormons believe even a wrong genealogy is a good one in >order to baptise and thereby redeem possible relatives. This >Mormon geneaology will go public as a year 2000 CD. Will we then >all have to live with our sadist ancestor. Sorry to distract >you from your normal private interests and concerns. >Sincerely, >Bruce E. Carpenter