part 3

FAMILY TRADITIONS
You should treat family traditions with a certain amount of healthy skepticism. These stories - often embellished from generation to generation - are great clues for further research, but they shouldn't be accepted until they can be
documented.
 
There are some traditions that seem to pop up in nearly every family. If you encounter one of these, don't disregard it - but be careful how you use it. Here are some:
 
* The "Three Brothers." Invariably you will come across the belief that the founders of a particular family in this country were "three brothers, who came here at an early date." A common variation is that "one remained in New England, one went south and one went west."
 
This tradition reflects the desire of an individual to believe that everyone with the same last name is somehow related. The "three brothers" theory neatly explains why there are families with that name throughout the country whose relationships can't be established. Most genealogists disregard this theory unless there is evidence otherwise.

* "We're Related to Nobility." This tradition also is common but often not true. Variations include a lost dukedom, riches or a castle in some foreign land.
 
Unscrupulous promoters have played upon the desire for wealth or status by convincing people to contribute toward a fund seeking to restore a lost fortune or property to its "rightful heirs" - usually everybody with the same last name as some rich or famous person.
 
The strange thing about these con games is that the more you try to tell "Aunt Bessie" she's being taken, the more she is convinced that there's a giant conspiracy aimed at depriving her and her relatives of their just inheritance.
 
If it does turn out that you have an English lord as an ancestor or that you and George Washington are descended from the same stock, then you have an interesting addition to the story of your family. (When you consider that in just 12 generations - less than 300 years - an individual has 8,190 ancestors,
it wouldn't be terribly unusual to find such a connection.) But don't forget that for every nobleman in most family trees, there are several dozen ancestors who came to this country as indentured servants.

* Association With Famous People. You often will hear of some ancestor's association with famous people or events. Stories like these may have some foundation, but they often are impossible to document. However, if the facts
seem to fit you'll want to continue researching the tradition.
 
There are some other common problems with family traditions you should watch for. Some examples:
 
An incident often will be credited to one side of the family when in fact it happened to another side. Your grandmother may tell you a story she heard as a child about something that happened to her paternal grandfather and later you discover that it was her maternal grandfather who was involved.