So, the best way to know if you have something wrong is to put it out to the world as fact. Happens to me all the time.
Today was a day of visiting with immediate family and generally being. One of the first things my Mom told me is that my Grandmother wrote her own obituary last fall as she felt ‘the kids wouldn’t know what to write/get it right’. My little genealogy-heart fluttered. We all know that obituaries should be evaluated with a skeptical eye and we should ask: who supplied the information? Did they have first-hand knowledge or is it a child or someone else reciting the birth dates, places, etc? Well, here we have an obit with verified first-hand knowledge. I immediately wondered how to note that very special information in the source citation (see, some of that conference stuff really sunk in).
Next I talked with my Uncle. The youngest of the three boys. The one who was born in Smackover, Arkansas on a drive. (“it’s a fact” post here.) He asked if I knew far Smackover is from Columbus. I hadn’t, guilty as charged. But Grandma said…
I’ll give you a hint: it’s not driving distance. Actually, according to my Uncle, my Grandfather worked down there for a month and the family had moved down with him. My uncle was born and shortly after Grandpa enlisted in the Army and went off to serve in WWII. He moved his family back to Columbus.
I stammered. I whined. But Grandma said… It trailed off as I silently chided myself for buying into the family tale.
So, about that obit. First-hand source, yes. Will I be looking at it with a wary eye? You better believe it.
