What is a family historian? I’m sure that most would agree that at the very core, our role is to research and document history, whether for our family or others. But what do you do if you come across information on someone that may be less than commendable? I would hope that you would respond by saying that your role is not to revise history, only to document it, but I’ve come across some that either alter the information to make a bad situation look better, or completely bury it and pretend it didn’t happen.
I have a friend whose great great grandmother came to America from England with her illegitimate son. Shortly after arriving, she married a fine upstanding man. In those times I’m sure having a child out of wedlock was quite scandalous, but you’d think that after 150 years had passed since the incident, the family would have recovered from the shock. But you’d be wrong. My friend relates to me that there are some in her family, that to this day insist on rewriting the history to indicate that this child was born after the marriage so that they don’t have to deal with the “embarrassment” of having an illegitimate child in their family–regardless of the fact that all available documentation indicates otherwise.
As family historians, we do not, have the prerogative of rewriting history–it is what it is. What our ancestors did may be stupid, embarrassing, or even shameful, but who are we to place judgment on them? We do them, ourselves, and our posterity a great disservice when we alter or ignore history to soothe our ego.
I have a direct ancestor who lived in the 1800’s and was a pillar in the community. Even today, people in the Southwest revere his name and hold him in great esteem. There have been several books written about him over the years, and it has been a source of some pride to have been related to him. However, in researching him and his life, I have come across a bit of information that will shake his reputation greatly. In a day or two I will report what I found, and it is nothing less that earthshaking.
What he did has pierced me to the soul, and I am profoundly disappointed. But I must say that my greatest disappointment lies with the family historians of the past, the authors of the books and articles, and with some members of my extended family. For nowhere in all the books, articles, and verbal stories has anyone mentioned his heinous deed, yet this information is so easily accessible that I can come to no other conclusion that these people are nothing less than revisionists who have no place to call themselves family historians. Now I don’t think that this deed need be the only thing mentioned about him, because he clearly did a great amount of good in his life, but to make no mention of it at all is inexcusable.
Regardless, of what our ancestors did or didn’t do, the victims of their actions or crimes are relatively small. But the greatest sin lies with the family historian who revises or buries history, because their lies have numberless victims that only increase and ripple throughout the years. We have no right to change, alter or bury history, or even to emphasize one part over another; we are only to document our ancestors–warts and all. So whether you are descended from an illegitimate child, or a long line of slave owners, or a murderer, if you want to call yourself a family historian, you must document and report all the information. To do otherwise is a crime against humanity.
