Genealogy Rant

Since I wrote about genealogy in my last post, I figured I might as well add a few rants, as well. If anyone is considering researching their roots, you may want to take note of these things.

• Family Lore/Myths/Legends: Begin with the assumption that these are all FALSE. Approach them as you would a theorem you were trying to disprove. This way, you'll be pleasantly surprised if they're true, but you won't be overly disappointed when your ancestor turns out not to have been: an Indian princess, a Revolutionary War hero, landed on the shores of America on a boat made of banana leaves after their ship was attacked by an infamous pirate, or pretty much anything other than someone trying to persevere through the difficult and trying times humans have faced throughout history.
• Other Researcher's Trees: Don't rely on trees that others have created without verifying the details for yourself. Chances are that your four times great grandmother did not have twenty children from the age of thirteen through fifty-five. I can't believe how many trees I find that attribute children to women who were most likely well past child-bearing age (or in some extreme cases - death). Even if she hadn't gone through menopause yet, the odds of becoming pregnant decreased substantially as she aged (and of course, became impossible after she died), making it unlikely that she had those eight kids while in her forties and fifties. Chances are that some of those late in life or postmortem children were actually grandchildren.
• Spelling: Look, it's more than likely that you have a number of illiterate ancestors in your tree. It doesn't mean they were stupid. Times were tough. Many of them either had no opportunity to get an education or were forced by circumstances to leave school in order to help the family survive by going to work. Keeping this in mind, don't be surprised when the spelling of your family's name changes from one census to another. Your ancestor may have not known how to spell or the census taker may have spelled it wrong (just 'cause they were taking the census didn't mean they were good spellers), particularly in the case of ethnic names that were being pronounced for them by immigrants. If a German pronounced a 'w' as a 'v', your census taker may have transcribed a 'v'. I wouldn't waste time pondering the mystery of why they changed their name. It could just be spelling. And then there's the famous story of lazy immigration officers who changed names to make them easier to spell or pronounce. I'm not sure how much of that I believe; it may have been a contributing factor, but I tend to think a lot of it was due to communication difficulties.
• Census Errors: Census takers were human. They made mistakes. Some were lazy. I found an ancestor who was listed as married (and her husband was there, too) for one year. Her age? Two. Now, maybe it's just me but ... really? Two? I know they married younger back then, but that's just ridiculous. What's worse is that the particular census in question listed both the age and the year and still got it wrong, making me believe the the census taker only asked for ages and then determined year off of that later on. (For the record, she was 21.) Keep a calculator handy and check things out for yourself. Also, keep in mind, that the age could be wrong by at least one year in either direction, depending on the actual birth date of your ancestor and the date on which the census was taken.
• Ethnic Makeup: Be prepared to find an unexpected ethnicity or nationality in your tree, especially in America, where different immigrant groups met and lived in similar areas. Don't bemoan the lack of 'purity' in your line (what a silly concept, we are all human, that is the only thing that matters). Embrace the fact that varying the gene pool makes for healthy babies - and has made you the person you are today!
• Birthplace: I was astonished when I began researching my tree that none of my ancestors seemed to know where they were born! The state/country sometimes changed from one census to another. I chalk most of this up to a mistake by the census taker or the fact that counties/states were still dynamic and being created. Someone may have been born in one state or county, only to have it turn into a different state when the borders changed. As for differing countries, I tend to think it was census taker error or laziness, although imagine what will happen a hundred years from now when people of Eastern European descent try to research their trees. It wasn't too long ago that the walls in former Communist countries came down and countries returned to their original, pre-Soviet influence borders. I can only wonder what the effect of all that will be on future genealogists.
• Your Ancestors May Have Been Liars: I don't mean malicious liars. I had a grandmother that tried to pronounce her Irish name in an Anglican way. Times were tough for the Irish then and she was just trying to help her family survive. Also, keep in mind, that coming to America was a way for many to start over. Stigmas that may have been attached to a certain name could be avoided in America by using a different name, especially if they were living in an Ethnic community that may not have known them, but might know the history of their name. I read once that some Italians changed their names because they emigrated prior to completing mandatory military service (I have no idea if that's true, but it's an example of why your ancestor may have lied).
• Pleasant Surprises: Every once in a while, fate throws you a bone. I found the name of my second great grandfather's mother on his marriage certificate. I was disappointed at first because the spelling and pronunciation was so bizarre that I was certain it was a transcription error by a city clerk. I tried looking up the name I thought it might be with little success. I then tried the actual bizarre spelling from the record and lo and behold there she was! It made it easier to trace her parents' names, as well, since the spelling was so unusual.
• Peripheral Family Members: Don't ignore brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors. Some people only list their direct line, however, I found at least one great-something grandmother's maiden name by finding the grandmother living with my direct ancestor's sibling on a census. If I'd only looked at my direct ancestor's records, I would not have found her.

Enjoy researching your tree. It can give you a great appreciation for certain historical periods and events that you may have cared little before in the past. Plus, it's actually kind of fun - so long as you're not counting on finding a famous general or member of royalty/nobility.