Family Tree

I never gave
Much credence
To the many
Stories I heard
As a child
About the multitude
Of prominent characters
From the past
Who supposedly
Litter our family tree.
I could have cared less
Back then,
But now I wonder
What sap
Runs through my veins.
One of our relatives
Apparently commissioned
A researcher
To document our roots,
But promptly
Cancelled the study
When some rather
Unsavory figures
Turned up as well.
I suppose every one
Of my ancestors
Has a story to tell
And there is probably
A little of each of them
Hiding somewhere in me.