The Art of Genealogy Storytelling Without Altering Your Ancestor's Past

When we tell stories about our families, it's important to be truthful and accurate. Our stories can have a powerful impact on our families and communities. They can help us understand our past, connect with our ancestors, and learn from our mistakes.

Why Urges to Retouch Your Ancestor's Past Arise

However, there are several reasons why people might be tempted to retouch the past. Some might want to make their families seem more important or virtuous than they actually were. Others might want to cover up embarrassing or painful events. Still, others might simply be mistaken about the facts.

Let’s be honest: If you’ve ever heard a family story or legend that turns out to be somewhat inaccurate at best or false at worst, you know this is a natural occurrence within families across time and culture. 

However, as genealogists, we want to correct the inaccuracies even if our ancestors are more boring, less virtuous or extremely embarrassing. 

My thoughts are these: So what? You and those around you are. 

While the modern era gives many people (no matter their age) what the youth of today call “Main Character Syndrome,” the truth is that we’re important to our loved ones, but we need to be truthful about who we are so we can be truthful about our ancestors. 

Recognize Bias and Misconceptions in Genealogy Storytelling

With that said, let’s talk about how you can recognize bias and misconceptions in the stories you tell or discover about your ancestors. 

Let’s get theoretical for a moment and point out some common biases:

Confirmation Bias

This tendency involves seeking information that confirms our beliefs and ignoring contradictory information. When writing about ancestors, confirmation bias may lead you to highlight positive stories and achievements while downplaying negative traits or failures. This can result in a biased and incomplete portrayal, creating an inaccurate image of your ancestors.

Hindsight Bias

This is the tendency to believe we could have predicted an event after it has happened. It may lead family members to oversimplify their ancestors' lives, downplaying the challenges faced and creating a misleadingly rosy picture of the past.

Hindsight bias can also lead to misinterpretation of family stories, making ancestors' choices seem obvious or inevitable, and failing to appreciate the uncertainty they faced. Additionally, it can create a sense of inevitability about the past, diminishing the significance of individual choices and actions, and obscuring how family members shaped their own lives and destinies.

Presentism Revisions

This tendency involves judging past events by today's standards, creating an anachronistic lens that distorts historical context and undermines narrative authenticity. Characters are unfairly judged for not adhering to contemporary values they couldn't have known.

The mentality of "they should have known better" ignores the social, cultural, and political realities of the past. Presentism fosters false moral superiority and hinders empathy, making it hard to connect with characters and understand their motivations. For more on this topic, watch the video linked in the description box.

Bias is subtle. In my interview with Carol Baxter, she demonstrated how our bias might appear in word choice. I’ll link to that video, but the short version is this: 

If you say, 

• A boat appeared on the horizon, bringing invaders to the serene land. 

• A boat appeared on the horizon, bringing weary settlers looking for a better life. 

You have bias because history lies in the storyteller's frame of reference.

Bias doesn't always lead to inaccuracy. It's important to be aware of bias and use judgment to ensure the stories we tell about our ancestors' lives are truthful and accurate.

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Use Context to Correctly Emphasize the Significance of Events

When sharing family history, it's crucial to remember that the significance of events can shift dramatically depending on their historical context. The social rules, cultural norms, and even individual motivations that governed our ancestors' lives were often vastly different from our own. What might seem mundane or insignificant to us today could have held immense weight for them, and vice versa.

As family history writers, this means going beyond simply recording names, dates, and events. Delve into the world your ancestors inhabited. Research the social and cultural norms of their time period. 

• What were the prevailing attitudes towards gender, race, religion, and class? 

• What were the major political and economic events of the day, and how might they have impacted your ancestors' lives?

For example, consider a great-grandmother who left her family to pursue a career in the early 19th century. Today, that may seem like a bold and empowering move. But in her time, it could have been seen as scandalous and selfish, leading to ostracism and hardship. Understanding the context of her decision allows us to appreciate her courage and resilience in a new light. 

Similarly, a great-grandfather who fought in a war might be seen as a hero today, but his experiences could have left him with deep emotional scars that shaped his relationships and behavior for the rest of his life.

Avoid Connotative Words Which Mislead

When crafting historical narratives, it's important to maintain objectivity and avoid language that might bias the audience's perception. Words with strong connotations can lead to biased interpretations.

For example, calling an ancestor "brave" implies a positive judgment, while stating they "faced danger with courage" allows the audience to form their own opinions. Using objective language and focusing on factual details ensures historical accounts remain accurate and unbiased, minimizing the potential for misinterpretation.

Remember, the goal of historical writing is not to persuade or impose your views on the audience but to present the facts clearly and without bias (as much as possible). By avoiding connotative language and focusing on objective descriptions, we can achieve this goal and ensure that our historical narratives are informative and trustworthy.

And yet, you’re the author. You can use connotative language, just have details that back up your word choice. If you say someone is busy, what were they involved in that demonstrates their busyness? If they are brave, explain the acts that a reader would consider brave (even if a bit insane. Oh wait, that is another connotative word. Oops!)

Disclose Uncertainty

When you're unsure about facts, stories, or context, it's crucial to be transparent and upfront about that uncertainty with your audience. This not only demonstrates your honesty and integrity but also builds trust by showing that we're not trying to conceal or manipulate information. Disclosing uncertainty can also encourage open dialogue and collaboration, as it invites others to share their own perspectives and knowledge, potentially leading to a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the topic at hand.

Remember, admitting that you don't know everything doesn't undermine your credibility; it actually enhances it by showing that you're intellectually humble and committed to the pursuit of truth. Furthermore, acknowledging uncertainty can help to prevent the spread of misinformation, as it encourages critical thinking and discourages the acceptance of claims at face value.

Be Careful When Sharing Your Genealogy Stories

It's crucial to approach historical writing with a critical eye, recognizing and addressing biases and misconceptions that may have crept into the narrative over time. By employing thoughtful analysis, leveraging historical context, and avoiding connotative language, we can strive to create more accurate and truthful accounts of our ancestors' lives.

I'd love to hear from you! If you have any examples of how someone has rewritten the past that you recognized or were even bothered by, let me know. If you don’t have such experiences, please write the questions you'd like me to answer in a future video. 

Together, let's explore the intricacies of historical storytelling and uncover the untold stories of our ancestors.

More Articles You Might Enjoy:

• Why Should You Add Historical Context To Your Writing?

• How to Avoid Writing a Boring Family History

• How to Write About a Boring Ancestor?

• Why Your Family Doesn’t Want to Read Their Family History