I get the wackiest mail.
Today brought a letter from a gentleman with the same last name as mine (it's a common name...same name as a fabulous luxury car...altho now that P. Diddy Puff Daddy Dingo Baby What-Iz-Name owns one, I should probably change it to Mercedes..) advising me that he's doing DNA research to determine WHICH William Luxury-Car-Surname ancestor we all descend from. And he's tracing paternal lineage through markers on the Y chromasome. So only Luxury-Car-Surname Guys need apply. The letter to me was addressed to "Mr. HotFlashChick Luxury-Car-Surname"...
I am the family genealogist, and I agree that we have far too many Williams from Way-Back-Land to sort out. About 10 years ago, I happened upon a self-published family history done by a distant cousin in Southern Illinois that appeared to be the key to my confusion. I bought the book. I embraced it. I was happy and serene in the knowledge that the family tree had been accurately reconstructed, and my assistance was no longer necessary. Now it appears that there are some questions regarding the research (due to no fault of the author...) There were JUST TOO MANY Williams to sort out.
And, having no Y chromosome material at hand, I AM USELESS in sorting this mess out. This sucks! What about mitochondrial DNA? The stuff you get from your Mom? The powerhouse of the cell! Why isn't THIS STUFF useful in the investigation? In this case, apparently it isn't...and I'm so bummed...
I'll be forwarding the letter I got requesting Y chromosome data to my male relatives, and put all of the pressure on them. And they'll read it, have a beer, and forget all about it.
In the immortal words of Tammy Wynette, ..."sometimes it hard to be a woman...."
