I'm so used to receiving some kind of crazy, thick sweepstakes letter in the mail with a million instructions that I barely give junk mail a second thought.
But I just received something a little different - an intriguing letter from an obscure company called Halbert's in Bath, Ohio, offering me a new publication called "The Lythgoe World Heritage Book," providing I send $27.50 plus $1.88 for shipping and handling.Now that was progressive - a thick book all about me!
Even though the letter was lengthy, it seemed vague. After reading it three times, I thought it possible that this is a scam.
Could this book really be entirely about my family?
Sounded like it. The letter said it is a "First edition" and likely to be "the only printing of the Lythgoe book, ever."
It includes "individual Lythgoes who immigrated to the New World between the 16th and early 20th centuries. The first Lythgoe we found came to Virginia in 1821. His name was George. Like thousands of others, he sought a better life for himself in this land of opportunity."
The letter said that the "hard-to-find Lythgoe immigration information was obtained from reference books indexing ships' passenger lists, genealogical registers and other official records. In addition to information about George and these other early Lythgoe settlers, you'll also be provided with an international directory of virtually every Lythgoe household (with address). YOU are listed in this section of the book."
Halbert's said it was "an enormous project," with "over 734 households bearing the Lythgoe name in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Germany and Austria."
Allegedly, they used "a sophisticated computer network" to search 150 million records in order to locate "as many Lythgoes as possible."
How many Lythgoes could there be?
I was also promised information about what the "distinguished Lythgoe name means, as well as an artist's drawing of an early Lythgoe Coat of Arms that dates back centuries. You'll even find exciting details about how you can trace your family's heritage back to the Lythgoe homeland and learn even more about your family's origin."
As impressive as it sounded, I was still not sure what it was. So I called Halbert's and asked some questions about the book.
Grace, a nervous person who ironically would not give me a surname, told me, "If you're looking to find lost relatives, it's a great starter book."
She said there are 90 pages of general information on surnames, then a briefer section known as an "International Directory," which lists the people who share my name. Although they claim to research 8,000 names a year, they steer clear of a name that is either common or rare.
But there is no genealogy and no family tree.
When I tried to pursue that topic further, the conversation suddenly turned hostile - maybe because I was calling from Salt Lake City, the genealogical capital of the world.
"If you would like to ask additional questions, you may submit them in written form, and we will be glad to answer them."
Then I got suspicious. It sounded like a truth-in-advertising problem.
I said I would really rather finish our conversation, but she would not.
So just in case you get one of these offers in the mail with your name on it, my advice is to pass it up. It looks like a lot of money for 90 general information pages plus a few additional pages listing people who share your name.
Maybe I'll just write my own Lythgoe book - or a book of your choosing. It might take me a couple of weeks.
Then I'll send it to you for $19.95, plus $1.88 for shipping and handling.