Good morning Until 6 months ago I was unaware of Hamrick kinship. As I began looking into the Hamrick geneaolgy, I became aware of the Patrick controversy. Four years of postings to RootsWeb reveal much about the matter. Lately, it seems that those who disagree with the Patrick Hamrick theory have been intimidated into silence and that's a pity. Consensus does not necessarily mean correctness. After considering available information, I'd like to say that I believe my North Carolina Hamrick ancestors originated in Germany...not Ireland. Many people today believe that our ability to operate autos, VCRs, computers and the like is an example of our superior intelligence over our ancestors. We should understand, however, that our ancestors inability to read and write had nothing to do with a lack of mental acuity. As a septuagenarian, I can recall, as a child, talking to elderly folks who were born in the 1830s and 1840s. One of my great grandmothers who was born in 1840 and died in 1933 could neither read nor write. She did, however know the names of her grandparents, and great grandparents. Her knowledge of her ancestors makes me believe that our Hamricks in Rutherford and Cleveland counties also knew who their ancestors were. Consider this---if I, as a 70s something person alive today, talked to people who were born 150 years ago, then our kin who were alive in the early 1900s must have spoken to their kin who were born in the mid 1700s. (Are you with me?) I don't believe SC Jones grabbed names out of thin air to put in his book. I believe he got those names from older people who knew what they were talking about. It has been pointed out before but needs repeating that if our common ancestor was a Patrick rather than George, why are there so many George Hamricks and so few Patricks? Every other Southern family repeated given names over and over and over through the years. Why would descendants of a Patrick Hamrick not also do so? The descendants of George Hamrick certainly did. Bill Davenport