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| The Peter PrincipalThe Peter Principle (with a PLE at the end) is generally referred to as a process of job promotion in which most people are promoted to their highest level of incompetence. The Peter Principal (PAL at the end) in genealogy refers to every Hilton/Helton trying to tie their ancestry to Peter Helton. If every Hilton/Helton (who claims that Peter Helton was their forefather) was truly a direct descendant of peter, then he would truly be the Father of our Country. The Peter Principle and the Peter Principal are very similar in result. One of the symptoms of the Peter Principal reveals itself when a researcher insists everyone else is wrong, s/he is right, and everyone else must prove their step-by-by connection to their Peter. Every Peter Helton descendant thinks all other Peter Helton descendants are fakers and how dare they claim Peter as their grandfather. Considering that most Hilton/Helton son's born from 1750-1810 were named James, Peter, John, Abraham, William, or Richard; clouds which peter was peter and which James was James. A typical family lineage might say MY James was born in North Carolina, moved to Georgia then Tennessee then Kentucky then Indiana then Mississippi and died in Missouri at 120 years old. The line would be based on census locations and property records identifying a particular name (i.e. James) and the researcher would construct an explanation based on family stories as to why their relative left (rather than was run out of) North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, before dying in Missouri. So what's the point of this ridiculous description? Since Peter Helton's son's had mostly daughters there is probably a 90% chance that most people who claim Peter as their grandfather are not directly descended from Peter. Is this a bad thing? NO!!! Peter's father, John had 4-6 sons. Johns father Richard had 4-6 sons. All of these sons would have very similar DNA. Peter Helton is actually an obstacle to all Hilton/Helton Family researchers. People are happy to link their heritage to Peter and declare victory. The key for all Helton's in tracing their lineage is to decipher how they are NOT related to Peter. This will require all the descendants of Peter Helton to rethink their beliefs and consider they could be related to a brother Of Peter (John's other sons) or a first cousin or second cousin of Peter (Sons of Richard's sons). This would explain all the one-step and two-step DNA markers. Once we get all of Peter's descendants looking in other directions, we will all benefit from the data that is generated. Here's what we know about the Helton Family in 1700's North Carolina and Virginia. They were all highly intelligent, could read and write, they usually were wealthy landowners and Doctors, lawyers or slave-owners, and they used old naming traditions in naming their children. Because they were a very traditional family in the way they named their children, there were lots of John's, James', Peter's, Richards, William's, and Abraham's. These names actually prove these Helton's were related as much as any DNA evidence. Take a look at the naming traditions of the time:
Since our Helton forefathers were so very traditional, the child's names can also lead us in finding the wives family and can help identify the family that daughters married. Since the first son was almost always named after the paternal grandfather, peter's son's names can help us identify not only Peters father, but also Peter's wife's father (2nd son). Peter's third son would have been named Peter. We can look at the son's of Peter and their first son's name (to help identify peter's fathers name). Once we begin putting these puzzle pieces together it will widen the number of Helton's (Rather than limiting them to Peter) and begin to establish how Helton's/Hilton's arrived in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana from 1820-1830. There was really nothing special accomplished by Peter Helton that would make so many people claim him as their forefather. There is simply information available about him that would encourage researchers to try to tie their line to him. It's easier to claim Peter than to continue to dig for their true line. It is time for all Helton researchers to expand their search beyond Peter. We first need to confirm Peters father (John?) then all of his brothers and Uncles. Pitch in, lend a hand, and help us sort this Peter Helton Blockade. Rather than challenging the family lines of others, help confirm your own by identifying the complete Hilton Family History in America. |
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Mike Hilton 706-463-2168P.O. Box 1231 Rocky Face, GA 30740
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