He’s a smart guy. I mean book-smart.  Aeronautical Engineering smart. NASA smart.  But when it comes to asking one question, he faltered.  Heh.  Even smart guys ask bad questions.  I mean this guy spent his whole life questioning the way things were.

But this one time… one time… ah well… he says:

I presume that in the book I sent to you concerning our ancestors the you noticed that the lady who wrote it mentioned at one point that our line is descended from the Book of the Counts of Holland.

OK, Uncle Bob, you got me.  I didn’t read the book.  I’m sorry.  I know where it is, I flipped through it, but I didn’t read this part. But since you’re a helluva lot older than I am and recently of poor health, I think (think) I can kick your butt if you give me any grief.

So Uncle Bob decides he’s going to explore further our line of descent.

I decided to follow this up and contacted the Dutch Embassy and asked for a point of contact in the Dutch version of the College of Heralds.

They responded, and I am shocked and appalled that he didn’t take their response to the grave with him.

I wrote to them and asked the question and they replied that it was very likely given the area from which we came and that the line of descent would probably be that of the illegitimate branch of one of the old Counts of West Frisia.

Great!  Uncle Bob fulfilled his role as a Dutch Uncle . He brought me the news that I needed to hear, but didn’t have the guts to ask.

My question to you, dear reader is: Shall I continue to conduct myself as a descendant of Dirk II, count of West-Frisia and Hildegard of Flanders?