A Few Things I have Learned about Genealogy

.....1. The first and most important rule that I have learned concerning in genealogy is perhaps also the most important. I state it in this simple manner,

....."Do Not Fall In Love with Your Information."

.....This rule is based on the somewhat comical statement that, "Nothing is written in stone in this business except for dates and names on tombstones, and even these are sometimes suspect."

.....There are some qualities in the researcher that can enhance his or her as well as others quest for ancestors. These are: persistence, patience, open mindedness generosity, loyalty, and friendliness.

.....There are some qualities that a researcher should avoid and, if they find these in themselves, should discard as quickly as possibility: They are: jealousy, selfishness, closed mindedness, disloyalty, and the tendency to avoid making friends.

.....These things are true because, on the web, each researcher depends a great deal on their fellow researchers.

.....Now back to the "written in stone" statement. Except for the main trunks of family trees built from information that is derived from personal experience and is not dependent on outside sources (anything outside yourself), much genealogical information is in a state of flux. This is because, with the great number of researchers today, new and more reliable information is being uncovered. Most of this new information comes from official records and often confirms oral history. However, this new information from reliable sources may often call oral history into question.
.....Usually, when a person such as myself, gleefully embarks into the amateur field of genealogy, the first place we head is to interview with "Aunt Sally" who is our oldest available living relative who has, somewhat, her good mind. Aunt Sally recites from family history and we gobble it up and head back home to enter this precious information into our records. This information then becomes "holy scripture" to us, and anything that might differ from this scripture is held as heresy.

.....However, as hard as it is for the researcher to admit, oral history is usually our most unreliable source of information. Some, or even a good deal, of "Aunt Sally's" information may be flawed. There are a number of reasons that this may be so. Probably the most common reason for the failure of oral history is the miscommunication between individuals. Simply put, "One person says one thing, and the other person hears something else. No matter similar the spoken word and the heard word may be, the slightest deviation can be disastrous in genealogy. Then, also, memories can be unreliable. Again, family stories have often been embellished which may color or change facts entirely. Sometimes, embellishment can make it impossible to use some information to "prove" a fact. This has been the case in my family. For "Aunt Sally," all of these memories, stories, and even traditions, has formed into one collective memory that has become "gospel."
.....At other times, family members have deliberately changed or withheld facts. I almost lost a 2nd great grandmother because a stepmother and father would not tell the children about their real mother. Is has been very common for families to deny their true nationality. Because of the ill feeling against German Americans during the two world wars, many German Americans denied their origins. When they cannot deny their Germanic names, they will claim to be Holland Dutch by saying that they are "Pennsylvania Dutch" nor realizing that the true rendering of the term is "Pennsylvania Deutsche" (pronounced "Doytch"). Deutsche of course is what Germans call themselves. Germany of course is "Deutsche land." one must have the intestinal fortitude to be able to stand firm in the truth, when it is found, and not wilt in the face of pressure from irate relatives.

.....There is a great truth about family trees, they do not stand alone but are part of a forest of other family trees. Like most real forests, family tree forests are subject to blight. This blight is misinformation. When misinformation appears in one tree, it can quickly spread to the other trees in the forest especially in these days of the Internet. How can we keep this blight to a minimum? I have some ideas about this

.....1. Take oral history, that is not from your own personal experience or from the recent personal experience of reliable family sources, with a grain of salt unless this information can be backed up with documented proof or collaborated by a number of other sources. You should not tell Aunty Sally that you have doubts. You should keep your own council. But, do not think that is disrespectful to doubt. If you have "Holy Scripture" in your files, don't be too slow to "demote "it to regular status. Give it a status, but don't it as scripture.

.....2. Be extremely leery of information found on many web sites especially those of the LDS. In the same sense, to not be to hasty to hand your own information to these sites even though you are pressured on every corner to do so. Although they try to make you seem noble, their motives are not unselfish. At least wait until you are not quite as "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" as you were when you first started into genealogy. Wait until the excitement wears off a little and you become more serious. You can tell that many of the files found on these "CDs" are by beginners because the files are small. REMEMBER, ANY FALSE INFORMATION YOU ADD TO YOUR TREE CAN SWIFTLY INFECT OTHER TREES FOR MILES AROUND. One more thing, be especially leery of files that are filled with nobility.

.....It is desirable for you to share information with others, but it is best to do so on a one to one basis. Then, you should inform the other person that,

This information is not written in stone."