{"id":13821,"date":"2016-04-22T11:19:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T15:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=13821"},"modified":"2019-08-29T15:07:47","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T19:07:47","slug":"research-tips-fact-checking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/research-tips-fact-checking.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Research Tips: Fact Checking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0 In this blog article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shows how old newspaper articles can help your genealogy research by fact-checking statements made by authors and researchers. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
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It\u2019s always fascinating to fact check what people say happened in the past. Many authors and researchers are historically accurate, but some make statements that don\u2019t hold true.<\/p>\n

One such statement often repeated was that newspaper editor Horace Greeley famously said \u201cGo West Young Man.\u201d But did he really invent this phrase?<\/p>\n

In 2012, I discussed this in a GenealogyBank Blog article: Fact or Myth: Did Horace Greeley Really Say \u2018Go West Young Man\u2019?<\/a> Turns out the statement was taken out of context, and that Greeley wasn\u2019t even the first to say it.<\/p>\n

So as any diligent genealogist should do, I make it a practice to recheck author statements.<\/p>\n

This is an essential genealogical skill \u2013 always try to set the facts straight when others claim otherwise. As an added bonus, your research may uncover tidbits, treasures and other nuances that well-meaning historians and genealogists have overlooked. Here are some examples I found using GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Franklin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most are familiar with Benjamin Franklin and his \u201cPoor Richard\u201d proverbs, but if you search old newspapers you\u2019ll find some proverbs that most people don\u2019t know about.<\/p>\n

For example, search the Web for \u201cstraws show how the wind blows\u201d and you\u2019ll find vague references to the quote. If you search historical newspapers, however, you\u2019ll find an attribution to Franklin published in this 1801 newspaper article. In all fairness, I can\u2019t determine if he was just quoting an ancient saying, but this author writes as if it were unique to Dr. Franklin.<\/p>\n

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Constitutional Telegraph (Boston, Massachusetts), 31 October 1801, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walt Whitman<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s often stated that Walter Whitman went by Walt Whitman to be distinguished from his father, Walter Whitman.<\/p>\n

But not everything he wrote was published under the name Walt Whitman. For example, this 1841 newspaper published his story \u201cWild Frank\u2019s Return\u201d using the name \u201cWalter Whitman.\u201d<\/p>\n

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North American (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 20 November 1841, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then there\u2019s the matter of whether or not Walt Whitman drove an omnibus (a horse-drawn streetcar).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often written that Whitman was well acquainted with bus drivers, but modern authors miss a tidbit that was reported in this 1859 newspaper article. Whether or not this was a permanent position or just a diversion, Whitman was spotted driving the No. 22 omnibus of the Broadway and Forty-second street line in New York City, and it was reported that he often rode on top of omnibuses on the box with the driver.<\/p>\n

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Frank Leslie\u2019s Illustrated Newspaper (New York, New York), 2 April 1859, page 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Louisa May Alcott<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historical writers almost always refer to the author of Little Women<\/em> as Louisa May Alcott \u2013 but as we saw with Walter \u201cWalt\u201d Whitman, her name didn\u2019t always appear the same way. In the newspaper advertisement below, she was identified as \u201cLouisa Alcott.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1860 a farce Alcott authored, called Nat Bachelor\u2019s Pleasure Trip<\/em>, was performed in Boston. Some historical researchers<\/a> claim that upon seeing the evening program, she was appalled that her middle name was omitted and her last name misspelled.<\/p>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> when an author claims to know a person\u2019s thoughts, see if the subject ever stated the same thoughts in writing. In this case, do we really know what Louisa May Alcott thought at seeing herself identified in print as \u201cLouisa Alcott\u201d? And another tip: this example, as with the previous example of Walter\/Walt Whitman, remind us not to assume an ancestor\u2019s name always appeared the same way. Search on variations of your ancestor\u2019s name to find as many relevant newspaper articles as possible.<\/p>\n

\"ad<\/a>
Boston Evening Transcript (Boston, Massachusetts), 2 May 1860, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eli Whitney<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin in 1794, but most researchers have overlooked a setback that occurred the very next year. In 1795, several of his machines for cleaning cotton were consumed in a fire. Losses totaled at least $3,000, a tidy sum at that time.<\/p>\n

You can read the report in this 1795 newspaper article.<\/p>\n

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Federal Spy (Springfield, Massachusetts), 17 March 1795, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tips for Questioning Historical Reports (Author Oversights)<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see, reports aren\u2019t always what they appear to be. Here are some tips for evaluating if a statement is the truth or simply a mistake caused by an author oversight.<\/p>\n