Begotten, Not Evolved

Have you ever wondered about your ancestors, where they came from, what they were like? I recently had the opportunity to investigate my paternal roots, when a good friend of mine made a trip to Sicily. Sicily, as far as I knew, was the place from where my father's parents emigrated. My friend is very interested in genealogies, so before she left, we searched online for as much information as we could find about my Trecroce grandfather. Precious little turned up, but it was enough to get the ball rolling.

I knew nothing about my grandpop Girolamo Trecroce. He died before my parents met. But I discovered a Salvino Trecroce, age 71, arrived on Ellis Island in 1921. This turned out to be my great grandfather, Savino. You can see the ship he sailed on, the Taormina, in the above photo.

Great Grandpop Savino's passenger record showed, in Italy, he had resided in a place called Sciacca. With the help of a missionary in Sicily, my friend made a special trip to the seaside town of Sciacca. There at the town hall, two very patient clerks discovered five Trecroce birth certificates. The certificates belonged to my grandfather Girolamo and his four siblings. Along with that discovery, I learned the name of my great grandmother was Rosa Maltese.

Eleven years ago, my husband and I toured southern Italy, and in the ancient town of Venafro, I obtained the birth certificates of my maternal grandparents. Bit by bit, the story of my ancestry is coming together.

I think it's valuable to know where we come from. Our ancestry shouldn't limit us. Rather, it should give us a deeper understanding and an appreciation of who we are. People scoff at the long genealogies in the Bible. They can be tedious to read. But the fact is the Holy Spirit of God would not have recorded the lists of names, if lineage wasn't important.

The most exciting genealogy ever is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Chapter three lists the genealogy of Jesus Christ. It traces our Saviour's lineage from "being (as it was supposed) the son of Joseph" all the way back through Adam to God. What's even more exciting is that each of us has the opportunity, through faith in Jesus Christ, to become part of His family.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" John 1:12

The mystery surrounding the origin of "Trecroce" ("three crosses") continues. Next stop: Calabria. Okay, I may not know yet exactly where I come from, but, praise God, I know where I'm at, and I know where I'm going.