Digging into your past can be an intriguing and tricky thing. As they say, careful what you look for, you might find it. My wife is Irish (as in born there, raised there, and lived there until we married two years ago). I've developed a strong affinity toward Ireland and particularly the strong, partisan views of my wife and her family. It was somewhat awkward, a few months ago, when I finally found my long sought-after Irish ancestors, only to uncover detailed explanations of my own family's involvement in the Irish conflict from the "other" side of things. Reading to my wife the story of my uncle shooting and crippling a schoolgirl was not exactly what I imagined when I first opened the chronicles of my family's life in Ireland. Never-the-less, that's the truth of things. We open up a gigantic vault when we delve into our roots. What we dig up may not always be pretty, but hopefully, we can manage to gain something from it regardless. -----Original Message----- From: Linda DuPuy <dupuy@alltel.net> To: WEST-L@rootsweb.com <WEST-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, February 08, 1999 8:07 PM Subject: Re: [WEST-L] HINT ABOUT MY BEN WEST >Personal opinion only...we didn't get to pick our ancestors...they are >who they are...I have family legend that my Wests out of Missouri were >KKK members at one time and also rode with Quantrill's Raiders, >neither of which would make me proud...but then again I remember >Grandpa (Orville Marion West, b 1900) telling me how great Bonnie and >Clyde were too! It was a different time...a different place...I think >all the clues help us find them and help us know from whence we came. >Good luck on your search! Maybe we are connected...lol. By the way, >I have a beautiful 3-month old bi-racial grandson...and he is as easy >to love as were the first 3 grandsons. >Linda DuPuy >>Dear Members of the list: >> What I am say is a fact in all of past. I don't want to offend >anyone. >>and I don't want to start a flaming war on this list: so what I am >about to >>say please do not get upset about. My father always told me that >grandfather >>was once the leader of the KKK. Now where will that little bit of >info lead >>me? I hope I have not made anybody mad. If I did I am so sorry. >> >> >>==== WEST Mailing List ==== >>Proud sponsor of Rootsweb http://Rootsweb.com >> >> >