Recently in my class, we were given an assignment to research our family name, where it came from, who was in it, etc. Naturally, the first thing I said was, "What?! How in the heck can we do that? There's nothing special about my family, and my parents don't know diddly about their ancestors!"
And guess what, I was right, or at least half-right; my parents didn't know a thing about our heritage. But as for the "nothing special" bit, I couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm a smart student, and wasn't about to let this curveball knock me out the game, so I went searching, I went searching for a story that I could use in a report and be proud of. After much searching from different grandparents and great aunts, I found a story.
I have quite the tale in my family, actually. You see, my grandfather's grandfather's family name was Banes, but it was also Starling. How could it be both? This is how . . .
When my great, great grandfather was a young, blooming lad, living in London I believe, he was caught in the act of hunting a deer; an act with a punishment so severe at times, many could be put to death. Instead of facing such a fate, he fled. He fled far away from his crime, where he then started a new life and, in turn, a new job. He got hired at a lumber mill.
One day while working there, the owner of the mill stopped by and saw the young lad, nearing his prime, and asked what his name was. Not wanting the owner to know of his name, nor his past acts, he gazed around quickly, in a frantic search for a name. Then, at that moment, his eyes set upon a lone starling bird, casually sitting on an old pile of timber. He gave his name at that moment as Starling.
Many years later, he served as a commanding officer in the Bore War, Australia, still under the name Starling. Consumed by his guilt of leaving his close friends out of the loop of his true identity, he confessed to his superiors when the war came to an end of his true name, Banes, and of his past crime. Although shocked, they forgave him, and pardoned him of his past crime for his devoted and useful service towards them during the Bore War. They also gave him the choice of resuming his old name, Banes. He decided to pass the offer, for the name Starling had grown on him, his family, and his friends.
Years later, he, his wife, and his children all crossed the sea to North America, where they lived the rest of their days. That is how I came to be born in the quaint island of Prince Edward Island.
What is the point of this article, all you readers out there may say?
Get out! Not the bad kind of get out, but the good one. Get out there and dig up as much information about you and your family as you can. I can guarantee that you will be able to find a story like mine, or even better, if you go out and search for it. Who knows, one of your ancestors could have been a noble knight, a fair queen, or a rich lord. You could even be related to George Bush for all you know! Get out there and do your best, you could be related to your best friends, or your teacher. I don't want to hear anymore nay-sayers who don't believe they have a story to tell, just get out there and find it!
This is your friendly writer, chess2, signing off.
Editor's Note: What an interesting story! I did a similar project in fourth grade and after extensive research found out I am related to William the Conqueror, a King of England! I thought that was pretty cool.
