[Genealogy] Generalizations, They are Wrong, and More
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Mon Aug 3 19:24:12 CDT 2026
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3 August 2026
Genealogy Update
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Ungeneralizing Generalizations Always Helps
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Generalizations and assumptions are necessary to sometimes give our
research some focus or a point at which to start. But it is important to
remember that generalizations (if they appear to be accurate) are not
necessarily true all the time–that’s why they are called “generalizations”
and not absolute truths. Researchers can create headaches for themselves
when they apply generalizations without giving any thought to how accurate
the generalization may be or whether it applies in their specific situation.
One often encounters generalization veiled as “helpful hints.” These
generalizations often state that something was always true about a certain
group of people, a certain type of record, how children were named, who the
godparents were, etc. I’ve also seen statements (without any
substantiation) such as “eighty percent of households in the 19th century
contained individuals other than parents and their children,” “no immigrant
appeared in a city directory for the first five years they lived in the
United States,” “witnesses on a naturalization were always the ‘sponsor’
for the immigrant,” etc.
Always take care when applying such generalizations to your own
research. Take extreme care when the generalization has no source or study
to support it. Even when a researcher says “based upon my experience” it’s
true, one still has to be careful. Sometimes that research, which may be
extensive, could be limited to a specific time period, geographic area,
ethnic group, etc. Conclusions based upon narrow expertise may not be
applicable to a larger group of people.
If you think the generalization may have some merit–then it’s simple:
do some research into the generalization
Sometimes there may be a legal reason that the generalization could be
true. There may be academic studies that have been done that address the
situation and may provide some more specific insight (along with some
sources).
Early in my research, I made generalizations about German immigrants
based upon my own research. Later I learned that those generalizations were
generally true–about my immigrant ancestors from Ostfriesland. Those
generalizations caused me to be slightly confused when I began researching
my German immigrants from other areas of Germany. The fault was with me–not
with my ancestors. My generalizations about Germans were the problem. They
were *not* true about German immigrants in general. At that point in
time my research and experience, while extensive, was fairly narrow.
Sometimes we realize that and sometimes we do not. Now I know better.
Assumptions can be just as problematic. Assumptions are statements or
concepts that we accept without some direct evidence to support them.
Making an assumption about an ancestor because of the ethnic group of which
they were a member, the time period in which they lived, the area in which
they lived, etc. can also create research headaches. Sometimes we need to
make assumptions to get our research started.
We just need to take ownership of our assumptions and dump them when the
research suggests that they may not be true.
Lastly…
Researchers need to be wary of any statement that uses the word
“always.” Many of us have ancestors who always lived in the periphery of
social mores and expectations <grin>. That always makes them a little more
difficult to research <double grin>.
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But Their Information is Wrong
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There is no way to avoid it. Wrong information is everywhere.
Wrong information is in online “trees.” Wrong information is in blog posts.
Wrong information is in online websites. Wrong information is in printed
books. Wrong information is in original records. Whenever a document has
the potential to be correct it also has the potential to be wrong. With any
positive comes the negative.
Some gnash their teeth over it. Some complain in blog posts and online
forums about it. Others rant on Facebook about it. Genealogical speakers
talk about it. Writers write about it.
A genealogist can bypass the sites that contain online “trees” as a way to
avoid some of the wrong information. While understandable, it is an
imperfect solution. Some online trees are accurate, containing solid
information. Others are not. Even while the trees on the “big sites” can
be avoided, online information cannot be avoided entirely, particularly if
one performs Google searches to potentially locate photographs,
transcriptions of actual records, and the like. Information from those
erroneous trees will also come up in general searches of the entire
internet.
Locating information online that ones knows is incorrect can be extremely
frustrating–especially when it involves family members that we knew
personally or includes ancestors we have spent years painstakingly
researching.
But…we cannot correct it all. Once the wrong stuff is out there it can be
difficult, if not impossible, to control.
Some individuals will not respond to even the most polite inquiries about
“where did you get that?” and curt, blunt emails are less likely to get a
response.
Make certain your compiled information is as accurate as you can make it.
Consider ways to publish or share that information with others.
Your time may be better spent being as accurate as you can and sharing that
information with others instead of trying to convince someone else they are
wrong.
Maybe.
Just some thoughts. Your mileage may vary.
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
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