In the year 2180, Thatcher Blitt, a seemingly unremarkable businessman, becomes the founder of Genealogy, Inc., a company that revolutionizes the tracing of family lineages using advanced time scanning technology. Blitt's initial insight—that every person has a father, and thus a lineage—leads him to create a service that satisfies humanity's deep curiosity about ancestry. His company quickly gains popularity with the slogan "An Ancestor for Everybody," capitalizing on the universal desire to connect with notable historical figures. Despite his success, Blitt remains unaware of his own ancestry, focusing instead on the business. As he ages, he becomes increasingly obsessed with social status and the importance of lineage, prompting him to investigate his own family history. However, the search reveals a lineage devoid of notable figures, filled instead with commoners and peasants. This realization leads to a crisis within Genealogy, Inc., as Blitt's assistant, Jukes, struggles to find any distinguished ancestors. The search extends back through history, revealing a lineage that ultimately connects to the earliest humans, but still lacks any exceptional individuals. Blitt's insistence on finding a remarkable ancestor leads to frustration, as he confronts the reality that his family tree is as ordinary as anyone else's. The narrative culminates in the ironic twist that, despite his wealth and success, Blitt's lineage is entirely unremarkable, making him the only person known to have a family history devoid of exceptional individuals over 40,000 years. Ultimately, Blitt's story serves as a commentary on the nature of distinction and the human desire for significance, revealing that true uniqueness may not lie in ancestry but in individual achievements and contributions to society.
By Michael Shaara · First published 1976 · Genre: Science Fiction, Satire, Philosophical Fiction