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Archiver > GEN-NORDIC > 1999-06 > 0928398664


From: Lars J. Helbo< >
Subject: Re: The family of Magnús "berfætti Ólafsson?
Date: Thu, 03 Jun 1999 08:31:04 GMT


On Wed, 02 Jun 1999 18:30:32 GMT, (Kaare Albert
Lie) wrote:

>The important word here is "trust". The sources may be written or
>oral. But once this is said, our views converge to a large degree. For
>the most trusworthy sources usually are just those written and legally
>valid sources that you mention.

Exactly, the word is trust, and IMO the legal records are not so
trustworthy (regarding biological matters) as you seem to think. A few
years ago a danish hospital made a research-project. They compared the
blodtypes from a large number of children and parents (anonymously and
choocen by chance). It turned out that at least 10% of the fathers
could not possibly be, what they thought they were.

In former times the figure may have been lower, but it may also have
been much higher. There is no way, we can know, and there is no
possible way to find out.

So, how do we react to this. IMO there are two possible reactions. One
way is to forget everything about genealogy. If genealogy should be
based on real biological relationships, it is impossible.

The other way is to consider, what difference it makes. Maybe my
greatgrandfather was not the biological father of my grandfather. I
dont know, and there is no way in which I can ever find out. However,
I do know that he was the legal father. The written sources can be
used as evidence for that. I can also say that I have never found any
indication that anybody in the family or elsewhere ever thought that
he was not the biological father. Somebody may have thought so of
course, but there is no indication of that.

Still the biological father of my grandfather may have been somebody
else. But then I have to ask, what difference would that make? I
actually dont think it would have made any difference. How could it,
if nobody knew about it?

So we end up with something that nobody ever knew anything about, that
I have no possible chance to find out and that never made any
difference to anything. And now you tell me that this is the main
object of my research.

This can not be true. Therefore my conclusion is that genealogy deals
with legal family-relations _not_ biological.
--
Lars Jørgen Helbo
<> or <>
http://www.salldata.dk - http://helbo.cjb.net
http://haurumsall.cjb.ne

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