Gunther Goth brought his family--his wife Cornelia and their son Mortimer--from the old country.  After a bit of hard work and a bit of good fortune, he founded--with a bit of assistance from the Landgraabs--what would one day become Old Town.

Eventually, as is the natural progression of things, Mortimer left to strike out on his own, leaving behind a gracefully aging Gunther and Cornelia.  With only each other and their cats, Hecuba and Menelaus, for company, Gunther left the life of a professor emeritus and became a College Dean.  Cornelia focused on Society (with a capital S) and, given her wealth and her family connections, became the focal point of what was developing into a rather elite and exclusive grapevine.

When Mortimer moved back into the neighborhood with his new bride, Bella, Gunther and Cornelia couldn't be happier...at least not until their first grandchild, Cassandra was born.  Glad to take a backseat to their son, Gunther and Cornelia became the Goth Srs., allowing Mortimer to step forward as a new player in Society.

After incorporation into Old Town, the Goth Srs. led a more reclusive life than before.  Gunther continued on as College Dean, and Cornelia continued with the Sim City Bridge Society, continued hosting high teas, and continued studying the shapes of people's heads.  Cassandra didn't come over as often (Bella was working to bond with her strange, unusual daughter), saddening both Gunther and Cornelia.  All that changed when a certain woman--two or three years older than Mortimer--arrived in Old Town and calmly told Gunther that she was his daughter.  This news stunned Gunther and Cornelia and Mortimer, certainly, but also all of Old Town as scandal seemed to raise its ugly head.  However, the young woman's story quickly proved that there had been no wrong-doing at all, just a bit of pre-marital hanky-panky.

Before Gunther and Cornelia moved from the old country--indeed, before Gunther and Cornelia even met--Gunther had served in the military.  While on a week's leave with his friends, they did a bit of traveling and wound up in a Danish tavern.  After becoming rather intoxicated, Gunther wound up in bed with a beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, buxom Scandinavian girl.  As they had to return to their unit, Gunther and his friends left the next morning.  What Gunther didn't know was that the one-night stand was sufficient to result in a pregnancy and, later, a baby girl, whom her mother named Hildegaard...or Hildy for short.  Gunther finished his term, went home, met and married Cornelia, and had a son with her:  Mortimer.  He had no idea that he also had a daughter.

Hildy, upon her mother's death, gathered up her belongings and moved into Old Town.  She hadn't planned on settling there--or even meeting Gunther.  But, upon learning that the man who might be her father was the town patriarch, she naturally had some questions...questions that her mother had never bothered to answer (or known the answer to).

Cornelia, naturally, became a bit upset that her husband had kept a secret from her all those years, but after getting to know Hildy, accepted that it hadn't been a secret so much as an unknown truth.  She graciously invited Hildy to stay with them until she found a place of her own.

Hildy, however, upon discovering that much of the family's wealth had been passed along to Mortimer and that Gunther and Cornelia were surviving--not living, but surviving--on his meager salary as College Dean, decided that she couldn't simply abandon the father she was just getting to know and the woman she was quickly becoming good friends with.  She began working as a Department Store Clerk, and--capitalizing on her striking Scandinavian features--became a much sought-after model.  In no time at all she became a Fashion Columnist.  But the income wasn't enough...not yet.

Around this time, Hildy met and fell in love with a struggling Subway Musician named Charles.  With her support and the permission of Gunther and Cornelia--who allowed them to marry and move in with them permanently--Charles worked his way through the industry, finally becoming a Rock Star.  Now, with a substantially improved financial situation, Hildy was ready to settle into her career, let Charles settle into his, and allow Gunther and Cornelia to retire completely and not worry about anything.

Gunther, however, refused to retire and Cornelia--with the finances no longer in dire-straits--resumed her high teas and bridge games.  Moreover, Hildy had to go on maternity leave, not once but twice, thanks to her loving, virile, vigorous husband.  Now, with two children--Emily and Arthur--to take care of and whose needs (and wants) needed to be met, Gunther had more reason to remain at the college.

Fortunately, though, Cornelia is happy to have the chance to spend time with her step-grandchildren (her own grandchildren are infrequent visitors after all) and help raise them while Hildy and Charles work.  She has even taken it onto herself to find ways to earn additional money to provide the children with allowances.  At a suggestion from Mama Hick, whom she knew through a mutual acquaintance, she looked into crafting Garden Gnomes or carving Stone Gargoyles.  The work was a bit much for an elderly woman, though, so she also looked at making homemade butter, canning preserves, and harvesting honey.  It isn't much, but she makes enough on the side to keep the children happy and contribute a bit to the family budget.

Hecuba and Menelaus, who only had the other for entertainment and society, now enjoyed the petting and hugging and games they play with Emily and Arthur.  They find the two children a welcome change from Cassandra, who always made them uncomfortable with the intensity of her observations of them.

Family base income: $2850 (College Dean-$700, Fashion Columnist-$1050, Rock Star-$1100)

***Update: 18 August 2010***

Despite Cornelia's contributions to the household income through selling Garden Gnomes, churning butter, spinning gold thread, and making preserves, Charles and Hildy felt it better if one or the other of them could earn more money.  So, Charles left the Music Industry and instead worked hard to become a Venture Capitalist.  It's only $200 more, but every little bit helps.  So, the income changes as follows:

Family base income: $3050 (College Dean-$700; Fashion Columnist-$1050; Venture Capitalist-$1300)