In a message dated 1/27/03 12:09:18 PM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > So, what is the bottom line then? > I for one am looking for my ancestry which I have already traced to 1612, > but I am not about to engage in a pretty fairy-tale. > We have to be sure!!! > > You are not back to the Middle Ages. You are going to have to put up with what may be many "fairy-tales" The only people who had written records back in that time period before about 1500-1550 are members of royalty and the landed aristocracy that they married with. These old records are not written in current languages, people back then did not have naming systems with first, middle, and last names. They may be shown my numerous different names depending upon who did the research and where they found their information. Prepare for a shock. The Gen-Med-L list is great for this time period,but you have to be prepared for some really bad arguments by some strong minded people who are not always polite. Jno