Legend or legacy ?   

        Eventually all genealogists are confronted with a dead end.  That is to say a situation where it is difficult or near impossible to locate documentary proof to verify an ancestral line.  Under such circumstances, one is left with two choices: accept the myth as family history or disregard it.  As a historian, I find myself skeptical when primary source evidence is lacking.  Yet, one has to ask the question: should we ignore interesting stories simply because we are unable find the evidence we are searching for?  The nature of genealogy is such that it is time consuming and often requires a great deal of patience.  There are times when one has the opportunity to conduct research.  It may not be wise to ignore family legends.  Suppose we ignore a legend only to discover later in life that the link was indeed genuine.....  Given these circumstances, I research the documented family lines... and the occasional legacy.

• The Swiss connection : the story of Jacob Curet, my Swiss ancestor (perhaps) who emigrated from Switzerland in 1750.