Dear Harman Clark, Your advise (as seen below) concerning the authenticity of supposed "royal lineage" is indeed sound. I, too, searched for verification when I first discovered my line of descent. In my case, I wasn't so much interested in a royal descent as in that "particular" royal descent. You see, many years ago (while I was still in my teens) my mother introduced me to an historical novel entitled "Katherine" by Anya Seton. It is a story based on the long love affair and eventual marriage of John of Gaunt and Katherine de Roet. It became a favorite of mine and I instantly fell in love with the main characters. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that John of Gaunt and his Katherine were actually my 18th great-grandparents! Only one thing that could have made the discovery even more wonderful - to have been able to share my discovery with my mother before she died. After all, it is through her line that I can claim my descendancy! But then, I must remember that my Mom knows all now - in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was she who led me to make the discovery in the first place. Upon making my discovery, I did exactly as you suggested, I sought verification of the claim of royal descendancy. As we all know, proof is of the utmost importance in genealogy. And I found the proof I was seeking it in the book you referenced by Gary Boyd Roberts, "The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants." I don't have my paperwork before me, so I cannot supply the exact page number, but my descent is through Elizabeth Coytmore for anyone who may be interested. Unfortunately, not everyone who discovers they are descended from royalty is able to find such verification. I join you in cautioning folks to seek verification of their "royal lineage" claims and not to accept the information on "face value." Thank you for your concern and for your sound advise. I wish you all a happy holiday season. Sincerely, Pamela Rhett Molzan Charleston, SC In a message dated 12/16/1999 4:31:07 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: << I note considerable discussion of purported descents from John of Gaunt. The "genealogies" of the mid 1800s to early 1900s are replete with these "royal descents". Some, like Schenck and Dunham, are fraudulent; others, like Wright, are just faulty or unproven lines, based on the pre-Jacobus genealogy that assume that people with similar surnames were somehow related. Some of these long-discredited lines are now being given new life on the Internet. (I recently visited a website with an elaborate ancestry of my immgrant ancestor George Squire -- whose parents have not even been established). May I respectfully suggest that anyone wishing to establish or verify a royal line, consult one of the modern authorities on the subject, such as David Faris or Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. -- or even a popularized collection such as Gary Boyd Roberts' "The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants" [Geneal. Pub. Co. 1993]. There are some documented "royal line" families in the N.J. area -- such as Fitz Randolph, and some of the Stansborough>James>Bulkeley amilies -- but most of what is circulating is not valid. I make no judgment on the Cadmus discussion -- just suggesting that one check thoroughly before assuming. Harman Clark [email protected] >>