Stepping into a hornet's nest

The genealogy world, like any group interested in the same subject, is made up of many kinds of people with many different personalities.

And, since most communication is conducted by mail or e-mail, there is no way of knowing what a person is like when you first make contact.

I have a great deal of respect for those who have dedicated much of their lives in the search for their ancestors. It is their information gathered from years of research that has made it easier for those of us who are doing it now. But no matter how long they have been doing it, no matter how much research they have done, they, like the rest of us, can be wrong. And when you question someone's research sometimes when you just ask for a source of information they get mad!

I call this phenomenon "stepping into a hornet's nest," and I have just stepped into my third one.

The hornet's nests usually revolve around vague research research which has not been proved or sometimes cannot be proved because of lost or missing records. Or perhaps the records are there, but they don't give enough factual information to allow you to come to an accurate conclusion. Whatever the case, sometimes you are forced to speculate and form an opinion. Opinions, or refusing to listen to someone else's, are what cause the problems. I will give you an example.

When I first started doing genealogy and searching for my Fowlers, I came across a seasoned researcher for whom I developed the utmost respect. But, being a beginner, I took her research as fact, not bothering to check things out for myself. A few months later, I came across some conflicting information (an original marriage record on microfilm) and, with great dread and hesitation, questioned her about it.

Boom! She refused to budge. More information came later from a direct relative who confirmed the marriage record. Yes, she said, her great-grandmother's maiden name was the name on the marriage record, not the name the researcher had given me. I relayed this to the researcher, still trying to be as tactful as possible, and she still refused to budge. But she had no marriage record ... I did.

I quietly changed my records to show the new (correct) information and backed off. I still have the greatest respect for this seasoned researcher since she has been doing this for nearly 50 years. But I learned a valuable lesson anyone can be wrong. And not everyone will admit it.

Hornet's nest number two came when I started doing research on the Whaleys. The first information I received, and information I found on the net, was that Hannah Whaley's maiden name was Round. When I put out a query on the net, I got another "boom." It appeared that there were several theories on Hannah's maiden name and that no hard proof existed to conclude that it was Round. Conclusive evidence had been found that her maiden name may have been Bruton, Brewton, Brawton, Broughton, or even Pound.

I was bombarded with theories from other researchers who gave their reasons (you could almost see the indignant sputters in the e-mails), so I opened my mind to other possibilities. I have not dismissed the possibility of Round, but neither have I accepted fully the theories of the other names. In my family file, I list all the possibilities and give her name simply as "Hannah , wife of William Whaley. I will change that only when I do my own research and see what facts support what theory.

Hornet's nest number three came just last weekend when I put out a query on my GGGgrandfather, Leroy McWhorter, who arrived in Carroll County sometime before 1847. I have come to a "probable" conclusion on this one, and I'll tell you how and why I did it.

The name of Leroy's father is not known for a certainty and there are three possibilities. Going back to South Carolina, a Moses McWhorter Sr. made his will in 1797 and named three sons by his first wife (whose name is unknown): Moses, Landon (some say Lowdon) and John. This information is documented by information at the Georgia Archives, I am told. Once again, I'm reserving a final opinion until I can see these records for myself.

Moses also named his children by his second wife, an Elizabeth Puckett: George Allen, Sarah Douglas, Daniel Puckett, Jane Allen and Allen Marlin (Moses was obviously intrigued by the name Allen). My Leroy is said to be the son of one of the first three children, Moses, Landon or John. Both Leroy and Allen Marlin settled in Carroll County so there are descendants of both in census records, church records, cemetery records and so on. I'm still trying to sort and separate them.

Jumping ahead to Leroy himself, we find his children named Moses Allen, b. 1820, (there's that name again), Sarah, Mary Ann, Johnson, Laura, Thomas Benson, Elizabeth, Newton Alexander and D. Franklin. Some people have Doctor Franklin and some have Dr. Franklin, so I don't know if that was a name or a title later in life.

Now, there is a total absence of Landons in any of Leroy's children and grandchildren, so I'm tossing Landon out as possibly being Leroy's father.

Although there are no Johns among Leroy's children, there is a grandchild named John Bunyan and a great-grandchild named John Allen (my grandfather). That's not close enough for me, and John is a common name, so I'm also tossing out John as possibly being Leroy's father. That leaves Moses, a distinctive name, and since Leroy named his first son Moses, that is my "probable" conclusion.

I will still keep an open mind, though, in case more evidence comes to light later. I am being as tactful as possible with those researchers who disagree. Every person is entitled to his own opinion including me. But my McWhorter research continues.

If you happen to step into a hornet's nest and get some disagreeable feedback, I hope it won't discourage you. You are entitled to your opinion too. Just keep plugging and try to stick to the facts as much as possible. If you're going to be a good genealogist, you have to keep an open mind and be tolerant of those who do not.

Stepped into a hornet's nest lately? Tell me about it. Send mail to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Until next week, happy hunting!