PRUSSIA-ROOTS-L Archives

From: "carole lubbers" <>
Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA] Beware of Ready-Made Family Histories
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 00:17:04 -0400
References: <00c301c327e6$072914c0$321bfa3f@eilppp>

There is an article in the current issue of Family Chronicle Magazine about
this very subject. Carole in Georgia

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eileen" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 10:32 PM
Subject: [PRUSSIA] Beware of Ready-Made Family Histories


> Last week, I attended a lecture where the lecturer claimed to have
> found
> 40 generations of her family all the way back to Charlemagne in 724
> AD!!! When I enquired about where she found documentation, she said
> that she had found 3 books in the New York City Public Library with a
> family
> history that matched her grandmother's maiden name. This woman had
> spent the past 12 years copying all the names and details from these
> books onto ancestor sheets, and claiming that everyone in the books -
> Henry 2nd thru Henry 8th, Elizabeth 1st, etc. back to Charlemagne were
> her ancestors.
>
> The above reminded me how easy it is to be led astray in genealogical
> research.
> During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many nou-veau riche, who came
> from
> humble beginnings, wanted respectability. They hired genealogists to
> find their ancestors and create an impressive family history. Many
> dishonest genealogists created family histories that satisfied the
> clients, but were completely untrue. They created elaborate histories
> with anecdotes galore and many famous ancestors, mostly titled!! The
> finished history would be printed in handsome leather-bound volumes,
> and the nou-veau riche would present them to local libraries,
> colleges,
> family, friends and business acquaintances. The most infamous rogue
> genealogist,
> Gustave Anjou, charged $9,000.00 to prepare a "family history," at the
> turn of the century!!!
>
> Since then, many researchers have used these books, not realizing that
> the information was made from whole cloth (fabricated). Many patron
> submissions on the IGI come from books such as those. In fact, the
> Mormon Library carries over 100 family histories prepared by Anjou,
> all false.
>
> Eileen Herkes, NY
>
>
>
>
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This thread:

• Re: [PRUSSIA] Beware of Ready-Made Family Histories by "carole lubbers" <>