A seminar attendee came up to me after a session several months ago and asked about her problem ancestor. When I asked where she got her details, she said that most of the “story” came from her aunt who did some genealogy research several years ago. While possibly true, the story the aunt told her seemed slightly far-fetched. I asked the attendee what documents she had on the problem ancestor–very few. In trying to prove the “story” the attendee had overlooked some other scenarios that fit the records she did have. Of course, these stories were less dramatic.<\/p>\n
I gave her a couple of suggestions that fit what she had already obtained. I also suggested, that for the time being, she put the aunt’s story aside and focus on what information was stated in the records. Sometimes stories are true. Sometimes they are just stories. The truth often lies somewhere in between. But it’s best to \u00a0focus on what the records actually say instead of trying to make them say something else.<\/p>\n