AAARRGGGGHHHH! as Charlie Brown would say. This is EXACTLY * EXACTLY * EXACTLY what the genealogy journals are for - to correct and debunk errors in the records and published books. Why not write an article for inclusion in a scholarly journal, such as "The American Genealogist (Tag)", the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register" (interests are much wider than NE), the "College of William and Mary Quarterly" or those at the state or local level, or for a special focus journal? The journal websites should have guidelines for writers posted or you can contact the editor for guidance. There are online e-zines that look for content, too. If you feel unsure about writing for a journal, create a free blog (at "Blogger" or "Wordpress") and post your findings there to get the corrected info propagating through the web (be sure to allow the blog to be available to search engines - that should be a question you answer when you join up). At the very least, the Local Historian for the area/battle/whatever in question would likely appreciate a report from you. If you have been careful and saved all your notes, YOU CAN DO IT! I look forward to seeing your byline. http://www.cyndislist.com/magazine.htm And arrange for all your records to be stored at a library, society, or archive well before you have a chance of expiring or all that stuff could very well end up in a landfill somewhere. Not even in the recycling bin! --- On Sat, 6/12/10, Karen <kprice401@msn.com> wrote: ...a woman who published a history that included my branch of the family, and told me herself that she "stuck" my ancestor with a certain family by a different surname "because he didn't fit anywhere else."...

The family story about one of my mother's ancestors, Harriett Haggard born 1838 in OH, was that she was orphaned as a young girl and raised by her cousin, Ryder Haggard. Every relative on that side of the family who had ever dabbled in genealogy swore by that tale. The truth? Yes, Harriett was orphaned about 1850, and yes, she was raised WITH her cousins (I have the guardianship papers), but those cousins were on her mother's side of the family, not her father's Haggard siblings. And for the clincher, Ryder Haggard was born in England about 15 years AFTER Harriett was born! My mother's cousin never quite forgave me for discovering the truth, though she did, very grudgingly, put the truth in the book she published about the family. I've found that in most family stories there are elements of the truth. Sorting out fact from fiction is the challenge! Happy ancestor hunting! Liz