Don’t believe everything you read about your ancestors in books or family trees posted online!

Genealogies and family histories have been compiled and published by well-meaning, but unskilled researchers who failed to cite where they found a name, date, place, relationship or event.

Sometimes they confuse their ancestor with someone of the same name and publish a flawed pedigree.

Thousands of those books are being digitized every day, which accelerates the spread of misinformation to new generations of genealogy enthusiasts.

If a genealogy or family history exists for one of your ancestral families, check original records to make sure the author has presented the facts accurately.

Search birth, marriage, death, military, probate, land, immigration, church, and other records for proof.

If you can’t sort truth from fiction on your own, get help from someone more experienced or hire a professional genealogist!