Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-23
The Ancestor Industry
BY Frederic j. Hackin

here in the greatest forest of family trees
in America, object ~ the idea that there Is
a revival in gencaloRy now going on, be-
caiise they say that a revival implies
luIl IN the intcrcst, and there has been no
lulI.
Any way you put IT, this ~ big year
for ancestor hunting, Boys who fought IN
France met other boys with the same sur
name or some odd gwen name that ran in
the families. The usual remark nfter an
introduction would be:
"Bliggins7 Oh, yes. Are you descend
ed from the Hiram Bhgginys Of YER
mont"
And oftener than not the Other fellow
would have % say that he didn't know.
The Americans seemed less ready with
the family past than the French or Eng
ligh. But the detective instinct, which
every true American has, or thinks he has,
was soon aroused and put on the trail Of
the rn1esing ancestors. Some soldiers
wrote home at once 20 trace connections
and Others declared that when they gOt
back they were certainly going 10 ind out
what ancestors hung on Their family trees.
ha q result Of this enthisissrn, and 81
the Mayhoyer celebrations, IL rs expected
that this year wlll prove 10 be record
breaking year for routing out hidden
records and bringing 10 light long lost
great-grandfathers.
Interest in genealogy is meastued VT
mathematical precision by the New Eng
land Genealogical Society at its head
Quarters here. This society has the best
genealogical library IN the country. Stock
ed with many valuable old manuscripts
and rare books, this library is a court Of
last resort 10 which people hunting
family records come from all over the
coun try, and even from abroad
LIBRARY oF THE DEAD.
Because its library is % widely and
steadily used, the society considers u a re-
liable place 20 take statistics on geneslogy.
Every person who visits the room y re-
otIired 10 register At each visit, and every
half hour a count is taken Of the readers
These records are kept year after year:
| They prove, what is known IN general
way, that ever since about iS45, when
/ Americans began 70 acquire wealth, popu-
! lar interest in genealogy has been grow
/ ing steadily.
| At first the popular demand for an
| cestors was restricted 70 the very wealthy,
/ but gradually less affluent families went
| hunting for themselves The genealogical
society mentioned has a record Of some
/ 500 family historians, Of whom about -
/ are professionals, and the rest are anna
| teurs interested mainly IN the history Of
/ their own families OF course this il not q
| complete list Of the persons who devote
/ their time to genealogy, and there are
many more who are interested IN Il as a
hobby or side-line.
The bIg fact which the average Amen
can would like TO prove regarding ms
I family past il that be had. an ancestor on
the Mayfower. Interest in the Mayfowei
passengers il stronger than ever this veal
/ because Of the celebration, so that per
haps q few words regarding the May
nowerites will not be amiss here
So many people are putting IN claims =
/ ioin the Society Of Tayhower Descend
ants that the secretary, George Ernest
/ Brown, is kept busy sorting the sheep from
+ the goats.
Mr.. Bowman is recognized IS one Of
+ the most reliable authorities on May
+ flower history. lie IS the only person
who has ever tried 70 compile the records
/ of all the Mayfower passengers, and ne
+ knows the famous lines 50 well that nc
+ false claimant slips past ms eagle eye Htc
1 the congregation Of latter day Pilgrims.
4 PILGRIMS WERE PEW.
+ There we're I04 passengers on the
famous ship. Mr. Bowman says, and
I descent can be traced from 40 Of them. oi
I reaIly from y distinct families, Is tins
j other 27 persons we're related by birth ol
+ marriage TO the -. Thus, in the ease o
John Mullins and his daughter, the ia,
nous Priscilla, the line has descended
through Priscilla and John Alden, wnc
was Msyfiowerite.
Descent from the other 55 passenger
has never been traced. Some Of the .,
are known 70 have died without leavnl
anv families TO carry on the line. De
scendants Of others went back TO Eng
land. A few disappeared into an oDlvM
from which they have vet 20 be rescued
Mr.. Bowman is working on some u thess
/ mysterious cases and hopes soon 70 aIl
nounce that one Of the lines i completed
II Is . curious fact that the gIveI
names Of nine Of the famous passenger
are unknown. The old records and Brad
/ fords history Of the expedition refer q
them only as the wife or son OF JAIME
Chiffon or John Turner, as the case Nigh
be.
S0aE PILGRIAS UNKNOWN.
Proving fitness 10 become one OF IN
Mayfower elect IS not always simph
procedure. even If your family tree ma
been carefully preserved. GeneaoglstS
professional IS well SIS amateur. are some
times led astray by incorrect records, ol
else they take the word of an UnknowI
historian without verifying il BY consult
ing an authority. ThisSoFt OF careless wori
leads to such remarkable statements a;
that MARY Chiffon was born on the May.
flower. whereas she Is known 70 have reach
| ed Plymouth IS a Young woman.
1t would seem that the names Oi IN
Mayhower passengers would he WcllknoWl
10 genealogists, yet Mr.. Bowman oftel
receives applications for Mayiiower mem
bership from people who claim descen
from some one who IS not on the list O
passengers. Sometimes it Is the name Of
oolonist who came on the SparrowhaWl
or the Ann. which sailed few wears afte
the Maydower, and sgan some record
seeker has gotten hold OF name similar q
Pilgrim ) and mixed it into his genealogy
MIR. Bowman has no easy task detecting
such errors, though he says that he /
sometimes amused by ridiculous mistakes
he finds.
The latest bull which be has dis
| covered caused him, as he says, 90 US
lar guage IN the presence Of a lady, 70
| which he afterwards apologized, but sh
said she didn't blame him for his remark ks
He took his friend 70 the OLD Salem hurylnl