There is an old ghost story about a woman who purportedly visited her mother after her death as a ghost to let her know she'd been murdered by her husband. Based on the ghost's appearance and the details she gave her mother, the local prosecutor was persuaded to exhume the body and reopen the case. Her husband was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Prior to her marriage, in November 1895, the woman had given birth to an illegitimate son. What happened to him is unknown because he is not listed with her family in any subsequent censuses.
Are we including hearsay in our genealogies that has not been verified and presenting it as a fact? While we will sometimes have family stories that we just can't verify, we need to remember to clearly distinguish them as such. Otherwise they can be perpetuated and steer us and other researchers down the wrong path.
No comments:
Post a Comment