resending to eliminate silly duplication in my first sentence! -Steve Hoffman > Charles Dickens' Life and Adventures of Martin > Chuzzlewhit opens with a humorous paragraph > which drily satirizes our obsessions with family > lineages .... noting that the Chuzzlewhits > deserve great respects for, after all, they > trace their lineage to Adam and Eve. > > I am nearly 100% sure I once read Twain making a > similar remark .... it was in the context of > giving some truthful information about his > parents ancestors, the Clemens and/or the > Lamptons, and he threw in a boost along these > lines (e.g that his great-great-grandfather was > a direct descendant of Adam, or something along > those lines). > > So now it's bugging me that I can't recall the > reference, and when I attempt to do > quick-and-dirty Google search, I just get lines > from Twain's Diary of Adam and Eve. > > If any Forum members recall the passage, let me > know. > > Sincerely, > Steve Hoffman, Takoma Park MD > > p.s. For those who are curious, here's Dickens' > paragraph (prolix but still delightful -- I > think our man Twain would've have stopped after > the first sentence. > > As no lady or gentleman, > with any claims to polite > breeding, can possibly > sympathize with the > Chuzzlewit Family without > being firstassured of the > extreme antiquity of the > race, it is a great > satisfaction to know that it > undoubtedly descended in a > direct line from Adam and > Eve; and was, in the very > earliest times, closely > connected with the > agricultural interest. If it > should ever be urged by > grudging and malicious > persons, that a Chuzzlewit, > in any period of the family > history, displayed an > overweening amount of family > pride, surely the weakness > will be considered not only > pardonable but laudable, > when the immense superiority > of the house to the rest of > mankind, in respect of this > its ancient origin, is taken > into account. > >