Perhaps this myth developed as an attempt to explain why groups with the same last name can be found in different parts of the country. There are almost never two or four brothers, and almost never sisters rather than brothers. In this story three brothers immigrated to America long ago and went their different directions – usually one to the North, one to the South, and one to the West. According to studies, some family legends show up more often than others. There’s a reason for this these stories shed light on where we came from and how we got here.
Almost every family has at least one cherished story about a distant ancestor, and this story is taken out and discussed at every family reunion.
