The Internet has been a wonderful tool for genealogists, both in communicating and researching. It is also a way to perpetuate incorrect information on our ancestors.
I consider that some people have “hijacked” some of my ancestors by continuing to repeat information that we have tried to prove to them is incorrect.
Some Wynn researchers have grafted onto our family tree a man found in another branch’s family Bible with a date of birth of 1797. They claim he is our ancestor, who married in 1811, when he would have been 14. Impossible.
Trying to get them to realize the error of their thinking — also impossible.
When faced with similar continuations of errors, you should write a memo about your own ancestor, with citations of sources, and post it online in the hope that some relatives might see it.
It's always good to have someone else read over your documentation to make sure you are on target. Then post it on Facebook, or on your own blog, or post a comment on ancestry.com at the appropriate place, or join a local genealogical society and share it there and get it published in their journal or some other pertinent journal. And be sure a copy is in your papers, wherever they end up. Be proactive to get the correct story out.
While those continuing to circulate the bad data may not be vicious, once you alert them to your research, they ought to hear you out, even if they have repeated the story so often and posted it so many places that it’s hard to retract it.
Dabneys of South Carolina
John Edward Dabney and Joseph Earl Dabney have written a new book, “The Dabneys of South Carolina … Descendants of Alexander Dabney.”
This is a well-written and nicely published hardback work that traces Alexander Dabney (1795-1867) of Kershaw County, S.C., through his descendants to the present. There are a lot of photographs and documents included. It is written in a style others should emulate, since it includes interesting family stories that make good reading and is not just a list of who begat whom — although the latter half does summarize each family member with the bare facts and a historical summary. There is a bibliography and a full-name index.
To order, contact John E. Dabney at laddyone@aol.com or 201-444-9115.
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