This story is about the descendants of a Browning family that lived during the 1700s in Virginia and Kentucky. The book describes some of these descendants that migrated from Kentucky to Missouri finally focusing on Jess Jr. of the 20th and 21st centuries. Part I deals with the genealogy and Part II with the family life of Jess Jr. The latter was born on a farm in Missouri and moved with his family to Washington State during the Second World War when jobs in the defense Industry were a way of putting years of depression behind you. The story tells of his up bringing and later life where he had several careers – as a chemist, as an entrepreneur, and as an academic. In short, the story is about how a farm boy came to teach international trade and logistics. The boy was very fortunate in that most of his experiences and learning led from one type of activity to another but always building on the other. Some may say that he is a renaissance type guy, but even he is not sure of what that means. The term is largely based on the various artists and scholars of the European Renaissance in about the mid-1450s who pursued multiple fields of studies. Jess however will tell you that he is just lazy and doesn't like expending too much energy in moving from one life experience to another. He is also quick to say that genealogy is often a work of fiction since there is no assurance that one's ancestors are really who they are thought to be. A case of infidelity, or name change, can upset the linkages. Genealogy should be thought more of in the context of "a theory of family".
