See a couple of days ago I was visiting our local library
doing some genealogy research and overheard a conversation. A table of two ladies and one gentleman, I’m
not sure but I believe all three of them were related. I know at least two of
them were, only because of a comment they both made about their mother. They
were sitting at the table skimming over books of research and discussing their
finds, as many of us do. So that didn't really shock me, until I heard that the
gentleman was disgusted with the research a family historian had recently done.
From what I gathered one of their relatives, a cousin, who
happens to be a family historian, did some research on their ancestor’s. This gentleman sitting at the table was so
upset that research on his mother and father were included in the research
this cousin had done. He didn't feel as
if his parents, the aunt and uncle of this family historian, should be included
in the report he handed out at a reunion.
For those of you, who know me, know that I so desperately wanted to help
and find out why he felt as if they should not be included. But I didn't, instead I set back and thought
of all the possible reasons.
We all have our reason for doing the research we do. Some of
us find this as a passion, business or even a simple hobby, I use” simple” lightly because we all know
that not everything is simple when it comes to research.
Possibly the cousin who did the research was adopted or maybe
from a previous marriage. Or just the simple thought of him completing his
work, before the gentleman in the library, was enough to upset him. Whatever the reason may be aunts, uncles and
cousins are just as important as your parents, siblings and grandparents. If he would have left them off, then handed
this report out at their family reunion it would have been incomplete. So
please don’t forget to include your aunts, uncles and cousins.
I don’t really know everything about this situation, and I’m
sure there are others out there like it or close to it. But I know, for myself wither
you are adopted or from a previous marriage I always include you in my reports.
There are special notations that can be made to explain the adoption or if the
child is from a previous marriage. Just don’t leave them out they are part of
your tree, your “Family Tree”.
Maybe his parents were still alive, and he was upset because their personal information was included in the cousin's report? Pretty much the only valid reason I can come up with.
ReplyDeleteJenny you could be right, but after seeing their children I'm not really sure if that was the case. Yes that would be the only valid reason.
DeleteAngie,
ReplyDeleteNo one, and I really do mean *NO ONE*, has the right to say that another researcher's work is incomplete based merely on who is included in it.
Should one choose to limit one's research to their parents and grandparents and leave out their spouse, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even the family pets; then that is their choice.
Only the individual researcher has the right to determine the scope of their work.
I, and I alone determine the scope of my work.
Andy,
DeleteBeing a professional genealogist, when I have a client contact me and ask for my help in researching their family. That is what I do; I give them a complete report that includes everything that I’ve found. Now, if I didn’t give them a completed report, and decided to pick and choose who I wanted to include that would be very unprofessional of me, the report would be incomplete and false, and I wouldn’t have a client base. Now once that report it turned over to a client it is completely up to them what information they share with their families.