"Deborah Vivona" wrote in message news:OE157sKd6QR7j1HaKtK0003620f@hotmail.com > Dear NOT ME @ NOT There, > Yes, you did burst my bubble... Hello, Well actually it sounded more like he was trying to protect you and anyone else who might fall for these schemes since this is a global newsgroup with many readers. Guys can sometimes be overly blunt but if Frank F would have tipsy-toed around the situation many people might not have understood as quickly. That old saying you quoted did not apply to accurate research, it was about "bad hair" days, a cake that didn't rise and things of that order. In research it is not about "if you can't say something nice don't say it" In research it is all about *Truth otherwise it is Fraud* Although his delivery tends to be rough It Truly seems like he just wants protect you and others from throwing away huge sums of money on this sort of thing and to help you understand the importance of accuracy. There are those poor souls out there who pay BIG bucks to have some phony bunch of heraldic papers given to them. The Italian Government has closed down 3 of them within the past 2 years, one in Roma and two in Firenze, for fraud in the millions$$. Purchasing a cute little pillow or piece of paper won't hurt anyone, if it stops there, but it is important to be truthful to oneself and to keep truthful records for future generations. Genealogy research is a little like bookkeeping. One may wish to believe they have thus and such but it is important to truly "count the beans" (so to speak). An honest Inventory is not wishful thinking...just the facts. Simply put: Many people share the same surname as some person way, way, way back in time who was raised to the ranks of nobility because of something he did for the King or the Pope or the Holy Roman Emperor. When he died or retired even his eldest son would need *approval* from the monarch (or someone in charge) in order to have the Title and Family Crest passed on down to him. The younger boys did not get it (unless the eldest son died) and the girls did not in most cases. Some sovereigns and titled people were women only because there were no male heirs and a special dispensation was granted. Most people who share those surnames worked at the castle...they didn't own it. Plus many "so called" Family Crests, like the ones Frank F found on > "thisisfake" and "ripoff". They had crests for all four names. > Never existed and are Totally Fake. Maybe you will feel better if you do as the English (?) woman who posts here does (the one with the Italian husbands surname) as she said... do it for "fun" . in your "genie room" Best wishes, Paula Marie Nigro ------------------------------------------------------------------- "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer http://www.angelfire.com/hi3/brainseed/truth.html