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Archiver > NORCAL > 1998-02 > 0886354725


From: "roland elliott" <>
Subject: Re: Just the Facts!!
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 09:38:45 -0800


Think again Charles the facts are interpreted by you and by me and our
conclusions could be different from the truth.I have sat in many a meeting
and have observed this phenomena,it has to do with human nature and/or our
learning experiences,R
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Herbert Crookston <>
To: roland elliott <>
Date: Sunday, February 01, 1998 9 31
Subject: Re: Just the Facts!!

>Now there is a muddling of words for you!
>
>I repeat your statement, " The truth is rarely the accumulation of the
facts,
>but rather ones interpretation of the facts."
>
>The truth is truth, facts are facts, interpretation is just that
>interpretation. The interpretation may be, or may not be the truth based on
the
>facts.
>
>Charles
>
>
>roland elliott wrote:
>
>> The truth is rarely the accumulation of the facts,but rather ones
>> interpretation of the facts-Roland Elliott.Who is to say that the dod,dob
is
>> correct? I had rather use Marriages and Baptisms,and most of all what I
can
>> learn of the customs,history,weather,crops etc of the era being
research.I
>> agree with Walt.R
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Charles Herbert Crookston <>
>> To: <>
>> Date: Sunday, February 01, 1998 8 59
>> Subject: Re: Just the Facts!!
>>
>> >This may come as somewhat of a disillusion to you Walt, and all.
>> >
>> >But Alex Haley's book has a goodly sum of fiction throughout its whole
>> story.
>> >There are too many assumptions and conclusions made by Haley that cannot
be
>> >documented. Much as any of our genealogies.
>> >
>> >The fault, if one looks at it carefully, and as such, with most
Historians,
>> or
>> >otherwise, and Biographers is that they too often expand, color, glorify
>> the few
>> >good and true facts that they know, the facts of a whole live or period
of
>> time,
>> >in order to mold them into a good story or read. This is many times
their
>> >publishers fault. They wish to sell books and make money.
>> >
>> >That is not the purpose of a Genealogy!
>> >
>> >A Genealogy is not meant to be entertainment, though it maybe and
sometimes
>> is, if
>> >the people written about were interesting, and led interesting lives.
>> >Unfortunately most of our ancestor led pretty average, normal,
>> everyday-mundane
>> >lives, much as we do.. Important, sure is, but hardly the stuff
fiction,
>> or
>> >exhilarating history.
>> >
>> >When working with my own family lines I read as many Social and
Political
>> >Histories of the times of the people I am researching as I can. From
this
>> one can
>> >get a fair sense of how they lived and what they were thinking and
talking
>> about
>> >and how they may have amused themselves in the little leisure time they
>> they
>> >seemingly had. Where I have interesting factual history, or personal
>> anecdote
>> >about an ancestor, I use it. But I to hold to a strict rule to specify
>> which is
>> >fact from what is anecdote, and what is assumption or conjecture.
>> >
>> >Charles
>> >
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> I have two books on my Kennedy side of the family One is the Reading
>> Howell
>> >> book and it has many stories about each main character and lots of
>> interesting
>> >> reading giving one an idea of how they lived and what they did for a
>> >> livelyhood.
>> >> The book is on the Quick family it has only names dates and places.
>> As
>> >> aunt Charlotte said about Mrs. Whitmans diary " I could hardley get
>> through
>> >> the whole boring boring book"
>> >>
>> >> There is a lot more to genealogy than just the facts. If you don't
>> believe me
>> >> then read Roots by Alex Halley.
>> >>
>> >> Walt Davies
>> >> Monmouth, OR
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>
>
>
>

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