Stealing the American Dream P2

Madelyne Gorman Toogood did raise concern among other groups of Irish travelers in 2002. In fact; a group in South Carolina came out long enough to clear their reputation. They had never met Mrs. Toogood and did not know her family, but because she too was a traveler, they thought they ought to clear up any misunderstandings.

The Washington Post and Time Magazine both revealed a group of travelers that claimed goodwill and stepped up for an interview. Rose Kathy Sherlock sat down with one reporter and opened up about her life. She mentioned that she never went to school past the eighth grade, as is common among the group. She married into an arranged marriage at the age of 17 and with the community being mostly family, it's not uncommon for cousins to marry cousins. Large sums of money are often exchanged as dowries by the woman's family. But according to World Culture Encyclopedia; the couple still has a say in the finalization of the marriage and among groups of smaller status- more and more women are marrying outside the group, often because they have no dowry to offer.

But it's more than just marriage practices that come into play for such a secretive group. Sherlock's husband, Mike, told another reporter that child abuse doesn't happen there. Most local enforcement will agree, but Mike Sherlock will also say that he knows not all in his community are good citizens.

Travelers such as these come from a long line of Irish that came to the United States in the early to mid-1800's. It is believed they came to the States in order to escape the potato famine in Ireland. It seems they started out in the Northeast as horse and mule traders and only marrying into similar families with similar ethnicity and occupation. But their business becomes more necessary in the Southern States because of the demand for land maintenance. Today they spread across South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Home repairs are the typical trade. But many claim that travelers are just petty con artists who will do a poor job for an expensive rate.

From horse wagons to tents to trucks and trailers the travelers on North America make their way across the country, but always return home to a family, one that integrated in each other's lives and with little contact to regular society.

But whatever the reality; the fact remains that this culture is soaked in tradition and very rarely ventures outside of it. The Riches, on the other hand, draw attention to it. And with its growing popularity; just a little more might be seen about a hidden people.

But just how true does a fictional family stay to what facts ARE known? To be continued...