Man's interest in his past goes back before Biblical times. Classical literature abounds in genealogies of gods to whom many Greek families traced their lineage. The medieval baron was contented to let his nobility rest upon legend, but by late 14th century it was often necessary for aristocrats to support their hereditary claims by genealogies. When the vogue reached North America about 1850, the interest was mainly sentimental. Above, Gabriel Drouin, world-renowned genealogist, displays typical family tree.