Some of what Grandma tells you will be incorrect. Some of it will be correct. Most of it will rest somewhere in between the “truth” and the “untruth.” Write it all down and make it crystal clear that it was what Grandma said–not information you “proved” in official records. The stories Grandma tells about her family say something about her. Record them.
Then go and try and figure out what really happened.
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In my maternal grandmother’s family, a mistake passed down by her and her older sisters has turned out to be a clue that has helped me hopefully to untangle her paternal grandmother’s family. Their father and his older brother were very young when their mother died, most likely contributing to the mixup in their mother’s maiden name. They said that her maiden name was Hinson, which has turned out most likely to be their mother’s stepfather’s surname. Without that name as a clue, I probably would never have found the marriage record of her probable mother’s second marriage. I have not yet been able to find any record of her four children by her first marriage, one of whom I believe to be my greatgreatgrandmother, but I won’t give up the search.
I have my great-grandmother’s notes on her memories of her family. They have provided good clues. They aren’t really right, but they contain nuggets of truth – sometimes twisted — but once I figure out the story, they have always helped confirm it, somewhat oddly but they do.
I wanted to tell you that this time, I’ve recommended in my NoteWorthy Reads for this week that my readers simply subscribe to your blog, that every post is helpful: http://jahcmft.blogspot.com/2015/06/noteworthy-reads-16.html
Thanks for the shoutout!