Family Stories and Other Fairy Tales

[vj]

Neat article on Dick Eastman’s Blog
“Family Stories and Other Fairy Talesâ€

[JamesBianco]

Thanks for that link Valarie, so so true.

Try and explain to your relatives that what they have been told their whole lives is (at least partially) false. They won't believe it.

Like my ex-mother in law, she insisted her great-grandmother was a "full blooded cherokee". With documentation it was determined the woman was full blooded French, via Quebec, as far back as the 1600s when her ancestors arrived from France.

She still doesn't believe me, because her mother told her so....

8O

[vj]

What do you know James, we're probably related thru your ex mother-in-law!
My g-grandmother was descended from an indian princess and her family was from Clinton County NY by way of Quebec !
Valarie

[adamf]

Henry Louis Gates hosted a wonderful mini-series called African American Lives in which he and a group of other genealogists researched the lineage of prominent African Americans. A number of these folks insisted that they had some Cherokee. It was almost always a grandmother who told them that they were part Cherokee.

So funny that the same story is so prominent with so many people.

By the way, African American Lives is a great mini-series if you ever get a chance to see it. With his ample manpower and financial resources, Gates is able to do some impressive genealogy and reveal the results to some very stunned, very grateful people. Its pretty compelling to watch.

[JamesBianco]

What do you know James, we're probably related thru your ex mother-in-law!
My g-grandmother was descended from an indian princess and her family was from Clinton County NY by way of Quebec !
Valarie

8O

That's the same story! And they were from Peru , Redford and Saranac (Clinton Co.) NY as well.... too funny