The Kuisls
The book in itself was interesting, but what I found to be particularly of note was the postscript. Apparently the inspiration for this book was the author's own ancestry of executioners - the Kuisl family. I have not yet found such a shocking occupation in my own family's past. We were doctors, teachers, preachers, farmers. But who knows what we would find if we delved back into the medieval past!
The author notes: "In the past few years, genealogical research has become increasingly popular. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that we are trying, in a world of increasing complexity, to create a simpler and more understandable place for ourselves. No longer do we grow up in large families. We feel increasingly estranged, replaceable, and ephemeral. Genealogy gives us a feeling of immortality. The individual dies; the family lives on."
Maybe this is why I find genealogy to be so engrossing. I am fairly certain - at this point in my life - that I will have no heirs. My life will end, and with it all the things that are "me." But the family lives on... through my cousins and their children. This is where the Masons (of my line) end, but there are others who live on and carry with them the history of our family. Hopefully there will continue to be people who are interested enough to pass on the story of us.
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