> Some great grand ancestor of mine was a civil servant, a great achievement given his peasant background. The single skill that enabled it was the knowledge of

> Some great grand ancestor of mine was a civil servant, a great achievement given his peasant background. The single skill that enabled it was the knowledge of calligraphy. He went to school and wrote nicely and that was sufficient. Similar story! Family lore has it that he was from a farming family of modest means, but he was hired to write insurance policies because of his beautiful handwriting, and this was a big step up in the world.