Great point Eileen Worth Repeating several times... Genealogy should be like a science experience... if it can't be repeated from the original elements it isn't valid. That's why people talk about primary records... deeds, birth certificates, marriage licenses, government or church records. (and yes people lied on primary records, or the recorder made a mistake) and that's why people should look for double records. Whoops on that darn soap box again... check http://www.linkline.com/personal/xymox/fraud/fraud.htm for more information about bad genealogy Have a great day Darilee --- Eileen <eileen@fcc.net> wrote: > Last week, I attended a lecture where the lecturer > claimed to have > found > 40 generations of her family all the way back to > Charlemagne in 724 > AD!!! When I enquired about where she found > documentation, she said > that she had found 3 books in the New York City > Public Library with a > family > history that matched her grandmother's maiden name. > This woman had > spent the past 12 years copying all the names and > details from these > books onto ancestor sheets, and claiming that > everyone in the books - > Henry 2nd thru Henry 8th, Elizabeth 1st, etc. back > to Charlemagne were > her ancestors. > > The above reminded me how easy it is to be led > astray in genealogical > research. > During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many nou-veau > riche, who came > from > humble beginnings, wanted respectability. They > hired genealogists to > find their ancestors and create an impressive family > history. Many > dishonest genealogists created family histories that > satisfied the > clients, but were completely untrue. They created > elaborate histories > with anecdotes galore and many famous ancestors, > mostly titled!! The > finished history would be printed in handsome > leather-bound volumes, > and the nou-veau riche would present them to local > libraries, > colleges, > family, friends and business acquaintances. The > most infamous rogue > genealogist, > Gustave Anjou, charged $9,000.00 to prepare a > "family history," at the > turn of the century!!! > > Since then, many researchers have used these books, > not realizing that > the information was made from whole cloth > (fabricated). Many patron > submissions on the IGI come from books such as > those. In fact, the > Mormon Library carries over 100 family histories > prepared by Anjou, > all false. > > Eileen Herkes, NY > > > ===== bookstorelady@prodigy.net http://www.rootsweb.com/~waskagit - Skagit USGW http://www.thirdstbooks.com - 3rd St. Book Exchange http://www.facesfromthewall.com - Faces From the Wall - Vietnam/Washington