Where did Hobbits come from?

[William Cloud Hicklin]

the similarities in funerary practices found on the Barrow-Downs and in contemporary Rohan.

Um, I don't believe the Barrows were built by or for Hobbits..............

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hickli

Um, I don't believe the Barrows were built by or for Hobbits..............

Yes I think you'll find even David Day is aware of that fact (or is he? hmmmm I must find out...). Yet aren't they uncannily close to the homeland of the Hobbits? Right in between The Shire and Bree in fact, where Hobbits also live. And look again at the first quote I pulled out:

Of these things in the time of Frodo there were still some traces left in local words and names, many of which closely resembled those found in Dale or in Rohan. Most notable were the names of days, months, and seasons; several other words of the same sort (such as mathom and smial) were also still in common use, while more were preserved in the place-names of Bree and the Shire. The personal names of the Hobbits were also peculiar and many had come down from ancient days.

Bree, The Shire, Dale, Rohan - all mentioned as linguistically linked and then you find that funerary practices of Men from these parts have links. Uncanny and most interesting

[Feanorsdoom]

Considering Melkor's possible 'tweaking' of Elves to make orcs and Saruman's further magical Uruk Hai, it seems that a gradual Lamarckian shortening of the Hobbits by hole-building is probably the best bet. As mentioned, there are several races, like the Ents and Ungoliant's spiders, that are only give 'perhaps' explanations. I guess coming up with artificial ideas is as good as looking for the first pipeweed plant. In a world that JRRT himself never quite finished changing, maybe it's a question best left to the Tolkien family (hint, hint, Adam!).