" I Know You're No One ..... "

Someone said that to me, tonight, in e mail. The person saying it was Rosie Smith. She's a daughter of Levi Smith ~ as in ' The Levi Smith '. I don't expect that name means jack to most of you? Probably not. But I've known of the man most of my life. And, earlier tonight, I exchanged a few words with his girl.

Rosie and I both inhabit a Gypsy forum, see? And she got wind of this place and badgered me into telling her where it is. Then, having come here and seen how I go on, she got to thinking I might be one or another other characters she's 'met' on line.

That's how come she threw a couple of suggestions at me, as to my, suspected, 'other' identities. I, of course, disavowed her. Hence the come back titling this post;

" I know you're no one ..... " ('I know, and thought ye might have been, but .....').

But, that got me thinking. Especially as I'd received a fresh batch of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates in the post today. I was actually sat here, transcribing all the new data onto my Family Tree site when Rosie popped up. Thus I couldn't help but wryly think to myself; " I'm someone, alright. And I'm getting a pretty good idea who too! "

Now, Rosie will 'know who she is'. She can probably reel off both sides of her own family line, by rote. Aunts and Uncles. Who married whom. All their first names. The lot. That's the way with Romanies (Oh. Sorry. Had I not pointed out that Rosie is a full blooded Romany? Well, she very much is) and the Romany people, very much like the Irish, are very much into family lineage.

I am. Only there's barely any bugger left alive who I can ask any more now. So I've had to largely dig back myself. Using various 'pay per view' sites, to access historical records. Then I've spent thousands of pounds ~ quite literally ~ on buying up BMD Certificates, to help me get one parent further back on my own 'Dead Rellies'. It's become, rather ironically, a complete 'Way of Life' with me.

And how about you? Do ye even know ye own Grand Parents first names? Do ye care what Gran'Dad did for a living? What about Gran'Ma's people? What were they like? What did they do? Where did they live? Do these questions make ye shrug and think of going and reading something more interesting and relevant to you?

Funny; Some people are more concerned with the 'Pedigree' of their latest Dog than what they have in their own blood. Where they got it from. How it maybe makes them even do the things they do today.

Oh well. I'm not here to lecture or proselytise about anything. Only, I Do always ~ within reason ~ encourage others to start finding out and getting it down. Even just the generation before you holds So Much.

It's a bastard, when ye turn around to ask them and they're gone.