No, although I sigh a little whenever I find out that Joe Bloggs married Ann Smith, which is most of my tree really. I'd like a few more unusual surnames around the place...
This is every genealogist's wish, Ayashi ... but there's a little fable behind it, too.
You see, once upon a time, Smith, Jones, Brown et al were VERY uncommon names. Whereas Kincardine, Timberlake, Venner, Marshalsea and Dufton were ten a penny. And it was much the same with given names, too ... the world was overrun with Ebeneezers, Nathaniels and Veronicas and had very very few Marys, Elizabeths and Johns.
Well, one day Nebuchadnezzar Whitesail was wringing his hands in despair at the never-ending list of Whitesail baptisms he had to trawl through, and in frustration he tapped his pencil on the microfiche reader three times. There was a blinding flash ... the fiche FINALLY came into proper focus ... and there before his eyes was the Genii of the Muniments.
"I am empowered to grant one wish to ever Genealogist," said the Genii, "But only one. Now, be very careful what you wish for ... you may want to think about it for a bit."
"Oh no," said Nebuchadnezzar, "I don't need to think at all. I know exactly what I need. I wish that all of my ancestors had rare names, and none of them had common names".
"Yes," said the Genii. "That's what they all wish for. IT IS DONE"
And the Genii disappeared.
So did all of Nebuchadnezzar's Whitesail and Venner and Timberlake and Huffington ancestors ... to be replaces by Browns and Smiths and Joneses and Thompsons ...
