At 03:36 PM 09/04/1999 -0400, you (Carole) wrote: [snip "millenium"] >> >Regarding the early Duttons and the earliest recorded date from our >> >family. There is no easy, short answer. >> > The professional genealogists would say that the earliest recorded >> >Dutton is Odard who is listed in the Domesday Book, 1086. >> >> [snip] >> >> >The earliest Duttons believed that they were from Normandy >> >and were cousins to the Conqueror, but 1000 years later we cannot find >> >the paper trail to prove it (and the paper trail may no longer even >> >exist). >> >Carole >> >> Carole's summary is about the most accurate statement you >> can get today about the ancestry of Odard/Hodard/Udard >> "of Dutton". >---------------snip---------------- >> Darrell > >Hi Darrell, > >In all fairness, this statement that you call MY summary is NOT a >summary at all of what I have written--it has been taken out of context >and, thus, distorted. I disagree with the experts who claim that Odard >and his brothers are English and chop off the line at Odard. [snip remainder of message - see the original] Hi, Carole and list: I'm puzzled. I thought I was AGREEING with you, and applauding your efforts. If you believe that in cutting some of the original message (strictly to avoid pointless repetition, which I find mildly irritating when I am on the receiving end) I have misstated your position, I apologize. What I thought I was agreeing with was this: First, that in the period more or less soon after the Conquest, the Dutton family claimed certain connections with one or more families the Continent. Second, that earlier professional genealogists had dismissed these traditional connections. Third, that since this was done, few have bothered to reexamine the question with an open mind. Fourth, that whether or not a specific paper trail exists, you believe that the search is worthwhile, and that there very well may be sufficient credible evidence to support those earliest, traditional claims. You have been seeking out such evidence, and have shared your findings with us. Darrell Darrell A. Martin formerly of the Dutton District, Springfield, Vermont currently in exile in Addison, Illinois darrellm@sprynet.com