The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-22
BUNTING


Il really do o think there can h
a more fascinating pursuit than prdi-
gree hunting" said a vel! knovn her-
aldic agent. 'for it Is fun of .uc,
strange surprises. and illustrates a.
perhaps no other pursuit can the dra-
matte possibilities of life from the far.
cical 10 the tragical.
IL were to publish all I know there
would be a great iutter Of alarm and
Indignation In many a highly nisoas
society d~oyecote and many a humble
and desp!sed toiler would Ind TIA. n.
nad an ancestry OF which the hirh.s,
noble might be proud.
why. 1 know a nan who earns TX
snilings a week in = city warehouse
"ho mas better blood In hts veins than
Almost any member OF the peerage: bur
ne has no idea OF IL. and IL he had A.
WOULD be rather a curse than n benefit
TO him.
You may take IL for ranted thar
many u poor man or woman who en-
Elousiy watches the carriages
dash past them boasts a lineage manv
Older and mmeasur,ahI v
better than the lords and ladies who
SIT In them IN fact. only a fey, weet~
& made the discovery thar the coarh
man OF a certain noble lord. whose
great grandfather vas a laborer has a
dlrect descent from King EthelreS
through the Barons Lumiy. and is con-
nected both by blood and alliance with
our royal family.
This Is nothing remarkable either.
Tor. as you may know. the last OF the
fIantagenets died as a farm laborer:
ana the grandfather Of Margaret Plan
tasanet, niece OF Kings Edward " and
cha III. married n village Joiner.
ara had a son who lived and died n
coobier at Newport in Shropshire. In
the seventeenth century.
Very many OF the ancient and DOW
erful family OF Burgh. which traces its
descent from Charles. Duke of Inge-
helm. fifth son of the Emperor Charlie
mango. are today earning their nvings
in all kinds OF mental and humble ca
pacities.
o course. TO people in such posi-
tions their ancient lineage Is absolutely
useless, and a knowledge OF IL could
only unfit them for the lowly roles they
are destined to play in life; but their
masters would gladly pay many thou
sands OF pounds to boast such n de-
scent.
Many OF my clients are people OF
this ~class-people who almost insist
that l shall provide them with a family
tree, and are terribly indignant, and
even abusive, when ] fail. as In most
10 dpSolutels IltNllabkt- NO
doubt by much searching you may find
a man who will invent ge~nealogies for
these parvenus, but / never knew r.
man OF this sort myself.
only last yea a man commissioned
me to trace his descent, which, after
infinite labor and searching in two con-
%tinents. 1 carried back to the middle
Of the eighteenth century. when I
found that his progenitor was OF d
very humble rank In life. who had mar
rowly escaped transportation.
When I told him the result OF my
researches he was furious and vowed
that he woul not pay me a penny for
my labor. He has since revised this
decision-under pressure.
I'm mother case / found that my
client was directly descended from a
farm laborer in Yorkshire. who. as far
as have been able to discover. does
not seem to have had a father.
Many people are quite content. on
the strength or some similarity Of name
to annex. the pedigree and armorfal
achievements of some Of our noblest
families. One man I know. whose
resembles that of a certain well known
duke. has calmly appropriated the coat
Of arms, crest, motto and even sup
porters, and has had them painted or
engraved on his crockery and silver
in fact, all over the house.
And yet I have the best reasons for
knowing hat this man is no more con-
nected with the ducal family Of which
he boasts than with the man in the
loo
II do not thing it is al exaggeration
to say that in nineteen cases out OF
twenty "a very moderate estimate. In
deed) the claims made by people to a
coat Of arms or connection with noble
families are absolutely worthless I
dare say you have rarely met a man or
woman who did not profess TO have a
coat Of arms, although. of course. they
do not use II, or to be connected with
some great family. n this entirely on
the strength Of 4 similarity in name
Tit-Bits.