There are three very popular myths and misconceptions that every genealogy researcher encounters at one time or another. Truth be told, even the most seasoned genealogy research is stumped!
My great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess - As the Cherokee tribe never had the term "princess" in the language, this cannot be true. According to research by Andrew Koch, there could be a misunderstanding when translating the word ghigau. This word is translated as "beloved woman." Many of these stories about American Indian heritage are not based on factual information.
My ancestor's surname was changed at Ellis Island - No names were changed at Ellis Island. The names of the arrivals were checked against lists that were created at the port of departure. Many times, immigrants opted to Americanize their names on their own at a later date. Ellis Island has an online database that is searchable. This database was created by the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation. Millions of arrivals from 1892-1924 are documented in this database. Registration is required, but it is free. https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger
It is on the Internet in someone else's family tree, so it MUST be true! That is the BIGGEST myth and misconception there is! You should NEVER trust that another person's research is 100% factual! We are human. We are going to make mistakes! This work should be considered a secondary source, never a primary source. Use the work as a starting point if you must, but ALWAYS, ALWAYS prove the information yourself. I cannot stress this enough! Once you have proven your work, it becomes your primary source. You will have the records you need to back up your research. I highly recommend creating a timeline for each ancestor as well as a research calendar and family group sheet. #laureljonescountylibrary #genealogy #jonescountyms #hometown #myths #misconceptions #research #familyheritage