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Common Genealogical Myths

• Myth #1:
  You can find your completed family history on the Internet.
  
  • Ancestry.com - Online Data Should Lead Us to Primary Records, Not Replace Them 
    Article by Juliana Smith.
  • Internet Genealogy - Researcher Beware: There Is No Such Thing! 
    See this category on Cyndi's List.

• Myth #2:
  Everything you find on the Internet is accurate and reliable.
  
  • Analyzing and Reviewing Published Sources 
    By Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL. From the Board for Certification of Genealogists - Skill Building - May 1997.
  • Ancestry.com - Genealogical Research in the Modern Library 
    Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
  • Ancestry.com - Using Other People's Research 
    Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
  • Genealogy.com - Beyond the Keyboard 
    By Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS. "Learn 5 important ways to make the best use of information you find on the Internet.".
  • Guidelines For Publishing Web Pages On The Internet 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • It's in Print or on the Internet--It Must Be True! 
    WARNING: What you Read May Hurt You.
  • Standards For Sharing Information With Others 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Sound Genealogical Research 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Use of Technology in Genealogical Research 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Using Records Repositories and Libraries 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.

• Myth #3:
  You can find your completed family history in the files at the LDS Family History Centers (aka, the Mormon Church).
  
  • Welcome To The Family History Center™ 
    An online brochure from the official LDS Church web site.
  • LDS & Family History Centers 
    See this category on Cyndi's List for more helpful links that will explain the LDS resources for genealogical research.

• Myth #4:
  Everything you find in books, in computer databases and on CDs is accurate and reliable.
  
  • Analyzing and Reviewing Published Sources 
    By Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL. From the Board for Certification of Genealogists - Skill Building - May 1997.
  • Ancestry.com - Genealogical Research in the Modern Library 
    Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
  • Ancestry.com - A Visit to Bath, Ohio 
    From Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, August 31, 1998.
  • Guidelines For Publishing Web Pages On The Internet 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards For Sharing Information With Others 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Sound Genealogical Research 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Use of Technology in Genealogical Research 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Standards for Using Records Repositories and Libraries 
    Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Ancestry.com - Using Other People's Research 
    Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.

• Myth #5:
  You can learn all about your surname in mail-order books.
  
  • National Genealogical Society Consumer Protection Committee 
    • PSST! Wanna Buy Your Name? 

• Myth #6:
  It MUST be true because Great Aunt Matilda told me so!
  
  • Ancestry.com - Rumors, Gossip, and Little White Lies 
    Approaching family legends with an open mind.
  • Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins: How Our Family Stories Shape Us 
    A book by Elizabeth Stone.
  • Family Legends 
  • Family Legends - Can they be trusted? 
  • Family Legends, True or False. And How Do I Solve Them? 
    Summary of a discussion from the Sedona Genealogy Club.

• Myth #7:
  Our name was changed at Ellis Island.
  
  • Genealogy.com - They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island 
    Article by Donna Przecha.
  • ILW.com -American Names: Declaring Independence 
    Article by Marian L. Smith.
  • Names: All About Them 
    Scroll a third of the way down the page for an excerpt from "Ellis Island's Myths and Misconceptions" regarding name changes at Ellis Island.
  • Why U Can't Find Your Ancestors Misspeld Knames — A Commun Probblem for Reeserchors  
    From RootsWeb's Guide To Tracing Family Trees.

• Myth #8:
  The courthouse burned and ALL the records were destroyed.
  
  • The Battle of the Burned Courthouse 
  • Destruction of Courthouses in Georgia 
  • Lost Records: Courthouse Fires and Disasters in Tennessee 
  • Military Personal Records - The 1973 Fire at NPRC(MPR) 
    Discusses the records which were lost in this disastrous fire and those which survived.
    • Alternate Record Sources 
      When proof of military service is needed, NPRC(MPR) attempts to reconstruct certain basic service data from these alternate sources.
  • "The Records Were Burned... Were They?" 
    By Sue Powell Morgan.
  • Short History of Hamilton County Courthouse Fires 
  • What to do if the courthouse burned 
  • What to Do When the Courthouse Has Burned and You are All Out of Marshmallows! 

• Myth #9:
  The 1960 US Census is unreadable due to technical obsolescence.
  
  • Ancestry.com - 1960 U.S. Census Myths and Facts 
    Article by Dick Eastman.
  • 1960 Census Myths and Facts--Explained 
  • Myths and Realities about the 1960 Census 
    Article by Margaret O. Adams & Thomas E. Brown.

Consumer Protection

• The Better Business Bureau 
• Consumer World: Consumer Agencies 
  List of links to consumer protection agencies worldwide.
• Contact Numbers for State, County and Local Consumer Protection Agencies 
• The National Fraud Information Center 
  From the National Consumers' League.
• National Genealogical Society Consumer Protection Committee 
• State and Federal Consumer Protection Links 
• The U.S. Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Protection 

Other Myths, Hoaxes & Scams

• Ancestry.com - Debunking Myths About Southern Research 
  Article by George G. Morgan.
• Ancestry.com - Myths in Your Family Tree 
  Article by Kory L. Meyerink.
• Ancestry.com - International (Surname) Family Yearbook from Morphcorp 
  Article by Dick Eastman.
• BAKER Hoax 
• Baronage Caveat Emptor: "Name Histories" and "Family Crests" 
• Beginning Genealogy - Scams 
• Beware! Cybersquatting & Typosquatting 
  Article by Mark Howells about digital claim jumpers in genealogy.
• [The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
  The Buchanan Estate Scam 
• Caveat Emptor - Buy a Noble Title and Become a Lord 
• College of Arms - Frequently Asked Questions 
  Answers the question "Do coats of arms belong to surnames?" with a resounding "NO!".
• Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter: Scams 
  By Dick Eastman.
  • Genealogy Scams on the Web (July 18, 2001) 
  • Genealogy Scam Exposed (March 10, 2003) 
  • GenSeekers Scam (Again) (May 19, 2003) 
  • Genealogy Scams Online (September 16, 2002) 
• Errors to Beware in Burke's Peerage 
• Fake Seminoles in the Confederate Army (1864) 
• Falsified Birth Certificates 
  Data collected by Kate Workman. State by state list of how states falsify, alter, and amend birth data.
• faq.scams from the Roots-L Library 
• Genealogy Frauds 
  • Fraudulent Lineages 
    Originally titled We Wuz Robbed!, by Robert Charles Anderson, CG, FASG and published in the Genealogical Journal of the Utah Genealogical Association.
• GenealogyMmagazine.com - Watch Out for Fake Family Trees 
• Genealogy Misconceptions 
  This article discusses several misconceptions about genealogy. From the Ancestry Daily News by Michael John Neill.
• [The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
  Genealogy Scams - "Surname" Family Yearbook 
  Have you been contacted by Maxwell and Christina in Denver to buy a (enter your last name here) Family Yearbook?? It is a longrunning scam selling you nearly worthless and ususally incorrect information.
• Horn Papers - Wikipedia 
  The Horn Papers were a genealogical hoax consisting of forged historical records for the northeastern United States for the period from 1765 to 1795.
• The Myth of the Black Irish 
• National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO 
  • The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, MO) 
    Discusses the records which were lost in this disastrous fire and those which survived.
• Pennsylvania Dutch are of German Heritage, Not Dutch 
• Pitter's Cherokee Trails - So you were told you were Black Dutch or Black Irish 
• Plimoth Plantation - Myth and Reality 
• Safe Genealogy - Protecting Yourself from Hoaxes and Scams 
• Society of Genealogists Information Leaflet No. 15 - The Right to Arms 
• So Your Grandmother Was a Cherokee Princess? 
• United States Postal Inspection Service - The Phony Inheritance Scam 
• Yahoo! Groups: Gen-Fraud 
  Gen-Fraud - Genealogy Fraudulent Business Hot-List.
• YouTube - Hoax Busting 
  Sharon Sergeant has become widely known as a hoax buster, using forensic skills shes honed over 20 years to debunk three fraudulent Holocaust memoirs.

Quality Research Methods

• Ancestry.com - Examining Evidence to Prove a Pedigree 
  Article from Shaking Your Family Tree, by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.
• Ancestry.com - Weighing the Evidence 
  Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
• The Board for Certification of Genealogists' Genealogical Standards Manual 
  A book by the BCG.
• Board for Certification of Genealogists - Skillbuilding, Index of Columns 
  From OnBoard: Newsletter of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.
• Citing Sources 
  See this category on Cyndi's List for related links.
• Genealogy.com - Why Bother? The Value of Documentation in Family History Research 
  By Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG.
• How To 
  See this category on Cyndi's List for related links.
• Internet Genealogists for Quality 
• NGS | Genealogical Standards 
  Recommended by the National Genealogical Society.
  • Guidelines For Publishing Web Pages On The Internet 
  • Standards For Sharing Information With Others 
  • Standards for Sound Genealogical Research 
  • Standards for Use of Technology in Genealogical Research 
  • Standards for Using Records Repositories and Libraries 
• Pitfalls in Genealogical Research 
  A book by Milton Rubincam, FASG. From one of the giants of genealogy, this little book is a fun read and is full of excellent advice and warnings about common errors in genealogical research.
• Producing Quality Research Notes 
  By Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL. From the Board for Certification of Genealogists - Skill Building - January 1997.

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