Hobbit Ancestry

My Grandma Zanotelli (awesome last name - thanks, Grandpa) was born Ruth Ann Underdale, which is also an awesome name.

We always thought that "Underdale" was Nordic/Scandinavian (ancestry is a little fuzzy on that side) - or at least that's what I always thought.

However, on a whim (between press release faxes) I googled "Underdale," and most references hearken back to Yorkshire, England. Specifically a Kirby Underdale.

How cool is that?

And speaking of cool and press releases. I emailed the press release to a journalist at major Boston newspaper, and she emailed me back a "thank you." That may not sound like much ... but most of the time media ignore press releases, in fact I think they burn them and dance around. So to get any kind of acknowledgement is simply amazing.

But I still think "Underdale" sounds like a Hobbit name.