Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-03-08

qure certain ancestral connections for admission
way by persons directly interested, is to be cred
tied to growing interest in the science of eugences
At any rate the genealogists busy bees.
yeowed documents being turned up from their
century-old catacombs, and who hath money and
time and inclination is clambering up his family tree
In the quest for distinguished ancestry. which
has become so popular during the last quarter of
century, the frequently lost sight of that an
ancestor low habits of weakened constitution
may exert quite great influence upon posterity
as the most Ilustrious The modern genealogist
recognizes this it is leading to the development
line of social theories.
The ancestor who is most distinguished in history
has really no greater influence his descend
than has his cousin who died in the poor
house the most dominant characteristics of each
may looked for in their descendants 1t is sci
ehtific fact that parent only IA in
fuence upon his child the grandparent only lilo
The man whose signer of the Decla-
ration Independence nherts only 1855 Of his pa
triotism. A Mayflower descendant has only 1885
part of Plymouth Rock blood.
Francis Gallons recommends the establishment OF
a new geneaogy, in the collection of statistics OF
large thriving families, in order to show respect
to the parents noteworthy children which such
contribution to the national wealth
richly deserves This a phase of genealogy which
S beginning command much attention ana the peu-
igree which can show large descent OF repuIaOie
middle class citizens beginning to be valued quite
as much as the one going back by a single line TO
titled nobility or royalty.
In his, treatise on Marriage" Sir william Leckie
refers pedigrees of character which it is
dent to neglect. argues that each contracting
party should know enough of the genealogical
Of other to be prepared in advance for ths
rafting bones of any family skeleton
Until within the last so years Americans gave
little attention genealogy beyond what neces
sary the establishment of property rights and
even this neglected a remarkable degree. The
lineages royal personages and of Biblical charac
traced and recorded but the ancestry or
plain untitled people of modern times, who made no
claim to descent heroes, not deemed worth
knowing, The earliest applications or the principles
of genealogy made by the law, it is to that
science that indebted for the meaning of most
of the terms now in USE Modern genealoglsts nave
broadened the meanings of some OF these to a con-
and this fact often leads to mscon
records between the strict legal meaning and that
which has become commonly accepted.
The term ancestor in genealogy applies to either
male female But legally the word ancestor may
be used differently The law defines ancestor as
from whom an heir inherits property
prior another in the right inherit property
al ancestor may may not be of the same line of
heir of his ancestor by descendant
his ancestor. if the position reversed and
his ancestor according to the law; by
is Of his descendant and the latter is
ancestor of his own ancestor
In the days when property rights vested
solely in men, women had little share in the
distribution of wealth, the law recognized only the
male issue and therefore interested itself only In
the tracing of the male line of descent evo-
luton of public opinion has modified this condition
that the rights of property now, especially in the
United States, practically the for men and
women. Therefore modern genealogy recognizes the
Importance of the female line of has
been scientifically established that the hereditary
fluence of female ancestors upon posterity is
fully equal to that of the male. most the
prominent modern societies based genealogical
descent the female line has equal standing with
male, despite the fact that it does perpetuate
family