I first became interested in genealogy in 1998 when I accidentally discovered that it might be possible to trace my Parris family back at least to Ireland in the 1700s. But, this research soon caused me to look at a much bigger topic. It was immediately clear that the spelling of the family name was fluid and that many family branches could be traced back to what I have come to call the "P-R-S family." Thus, my interest expanded to examine the P-R-S family over thousands of years of history, while I examined my individual branch over the few hundred years where genealogical records are available. Thus, my study became a mixture of history and genealogy. Although the trail of personal references to my Parris ancestors appears to end in Ireland or Barbados in the 1600s, the surname ties my forefathers to the Parisii tribe that is readily traceable back to the time of Julius Caesar (50 BCE). Where did the Parisii come from? Why were there recognized branches of the Parisii tribe on the Seine River (now Paris, France) and on the Humber River in Britain? Rather than work you backward through the chain of deductions and hypotheses that I have evolved concerning the P-R-S family history and the specific line that became my traceable ancestors; I would prefer to simply tell you the story, as I understand it, from the beginning. You should take the part I describe up to my traceable ancestors as a hypothesis, which I encourage historians, geneticists and archeologists to test. It may be wrong; then again, it may be right. And, if it is right, it is not only an interesting family story; it sheds light on the foundations and evolution of western civilization since 1050 BCE. In particular, I believe that the P-R-S family was always at the edge of western civilization. For reasons that will be explained in the story, my branch of the P-R-S tribe was compelled to move on the front wave of the tide of history and spun-off sub-families as it went. Hence, the name of this book: "Three Thousand Years on the Frontier." The manuscript is divided into six books. In the first book, I speculate about the first 1000 years of the P-R-S family 1050 BCE to 50 BCE. The next book in this series will begin with Julius Caesar (50 BCE) and cover the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe (to about 1700 CE). In that book we will continue to follow the P-R-S family as it expands and diversifies. By 1700 CE, historical records begin to be relevant. The third book in this series will begin with some issues about 1600 CE in Europe and cover the period to 1800 CE and lay the foundation to the transition of the P-R-S family to North America. The fourth book begins the historically well-documented period of my branch of the P-R-S family in North America (1700-1775). The story continues in the fifth book (1775-1800), which focuses on the American War of Independence. The family history is concluded in the sixth book that covers the period 1800 to 1950 and includes the American War between the States and some fairly recent U.S. history. Overall, the process covers 1050 BCE to 1950 CE....three thousand years.
