Geneology

[gilmore]

I agree. My mother had a couple of 'little old lady' cousins who were working feverishly on genealogy and telling everyone about it until one day they were silent. Apparently they'd found a horse thief in the tree and were so embarrassed they just stopped.

...

Your cousins may have been wiser than you think.

Last winter I discovered something scandalous that had been covered up for over 90 years. I made the mistake of sharing it with a cousin whom I thought of as mature, level-headed and sensible. Evidently she was so shocked and/or hurt by the news that she hasn't spoken to me since. She won't return my repeated phone calls. She is one of my favorite relatives, and I deeply regret that we are estranged.