Genealogy and a Possible Guinness World Record

The town of West Union in Doddridge County, West Virginia, is 125 years old in July 2006. Now, why is that important to anyone who doesn't have Doddridge County roots?

The organizers of the celebration hope to be listed in the Guinness World Records. The plan is to be listed as having created a new world's record for the "Largest Family Tree Chart."

I suspect they will win. After all, nobody has ever submitted an entry before for the "Largest Family Tree Chart!" This will be a new category for Guinness.

Whether you have roots in Doddrige county or not, you may be interested in the events listed at http://westunionfest.org and especially at http://www.westunionfest.org/guinness.htm. 

Comments

[Ted Mudge]

Is this really a good idea?
Reading just the EOGN article leaves one with the impression that -- Oh no, here comes another gigantic database containing tens of thousands of names, some of which can only be referred to as ‘creative genealogy‘.

Reading the hyperlinked articles, one wonders just how isolated and ingrown is this particular gene pool.

Either way, a scary proposition.

[Kathryn Bassett]

I'm the provider of the initial chart that will be used. It's a descendant chart from my immigrant (1770) Ash ancestor. Of the hundreds of his descendants on the chart, more than half of them have a Doddridge county connection (birth, death, marriage or burial). There are others from Doddrige and nearby counties also providing charts and they will be either independant or branched off connections to mine. The lady who contacted Guinness in the first place has done a lot of work on this attempt. Undoubtedly there have been larger charts in the past, but since this is the first time to get Guinness involved, West Union is breaking new ground. I'll be taking plenty of pictures and will post them on my website within a few weeks after I return from the trip (My mother and I are in California and she was born in West Union which is why we are going).

[Ken Brown]

"..one wonders just how isolated and ingrown is this particular gene pool."

That comment is both prejudicial and shortsighted. I'm sure most professional genealogists can find multiple instances of family lines crossing at some point. The good people of West Union are proud of their heritage and history - the fact that they are trying to set a record for a new catagory of the Guinness World Records shouldn't warrant an off-handed dismissal because of their place of birth. After all, Truman Capote and Harper Lee were both born in the same small, backwards town in Alabama. And a famous writer was born in West Union too (he may even show up).

I wish them all well, and good luck and weather for their celebration.

[Kriss Doddridge]

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