Some of the stories passed down in your family may seem embellished or exaggerated by the time they’ve reached your generation. Can you verify that they really happened? Unfortunately, the answer is yes – and no.
I’d always been told that my grandma’s mother died in childbirth – my grandma’s birth. That story turned out to be mostly true; I say mostly because I’d assumed she’d died right after giving birth. In fact, my great-grandmother died three weeks later of septicemia; complications from giving birth. I verified that by getting a copy of her death certificate.
On the other hand, my grandma said that she was so small when she was born, that they kept her in a cigar box on top of the stove to keep her warm. That I couldn’t verify. I checked her birth certificate, but because she was born at home, there was no birth weight or length listed. If she wasn’t exaggerating, my grandma must have been a preemie. The fact that she survived in 1898 is astounding.
Some family stories you might be able to verify in old newspapers, death certificates, birth certificates, obituaries, censuses, etc. Others, unless there are family members still alive who were there when it happened, you may not be able to validate what happened or if it really happened at all. But if it’s a really good story, I would certainly pass it along -- with a preface that while it’s a good story, you don’t know if it’s fact or fiction.
On the other hand, my grandma said that she was so small when she was born, that they kept her in a cigar box on top of the stove to keep her warm. That I couldn’t verify. I checked her birth certificate, but because she was born at home, there was no birth weight or length listed. If she wasn’t exaggerating, my grandma must have been a preemie. The fact that she survived in 1898 is astounding.
Some family stories you might be able to verify in old newspapers, death certificates, birth certificates, obituaries, censuses, etc. Others, unless there are family members still alive who were there when it happened, you may not be able to validate what happened or if it really happened at all. But if it’s a really good story, I would certainly pass it along -- with a preface that while it’s a good story, you don’t know if it’s fact or fiction.
" One of the Family History Research services I provide is scanning your family photos, researching and keying in family stories and laying them out in a scrapbook format on a CD.
Discover your roots and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com
For more information on my Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on Family History Research.
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com
For more information on my Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on Family History Research.
http://www.google.com/search?q=public+domain+images+of+a+cigar+box&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kcXYT7DwOY2c8QSS4-mwAw&ved=0CG8QsAQ&biw=1166&bih=555
I found this very interesting. Looking forward to your other posts.
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