Perpetuating Misinformation

The problem with a common name is the exponential possibility of making a mistake or mistakes – mixing up people from different families and it is only compounded when another researcher comes along and copies it.

Recently I was working on a George Philip Green, the son of Asa Green & Armina Brill out of Pennsylvania.  I found that some researchers had his parents as Brittian Lindsey Green & Temperance Catherine Demsey Stogner of North Carolina. I couldn’t find any records to even suggest this (not even a census) but it is possible they had a son George.

However, my George’s death entry shows  that his father was Asa which is supported by the 1860 census in PA. Also his wife was Alice Van Antwerp not Hartsell as some have and this is based on her husband and son's death entries.  George's Death Entry  Son's Death Entry

 

I am not judging. I did exactly the same thing - I spent many months researching a Smith family connection to the Vincents; wrote a good piece on a Giles B Smith - only to realize, there wasn't a direct link to the Vincents?! I had connected him to the wrong father! 

But right now, the current head scratchers are Philip Vincent & Catherine Halleck and John Vincent & Hannah Sears

Some have this Philip as the father of the Charles Vincent who landed in Nova Scotia after the War of Independence and they are using this Find A Grave entry as support - Philip Vincent.  Yet....

The Charles who landed in Nova Scotia was born abt 1741 and if one analyzes the Find A Grave entry which indicates the inscription shows this Philip died at 66 years of age - that puts his YOB at abt 1745 - the father can't be born after the son!!!

The Philip who married Catherine Halleck was my Philip's nephew, the son of his brother John - that is to the best of my knowledge as I haven't reached him in my research.

Then there is John Vincent of 1707 - to the best of my knowledge, no one has figured out his wife yet - if anyone has, would you be able to share the name so we all know?

Some have that he married a Hannah Sears at Massachusetts in 1741 - but he can't be 2 places at once.  He has children born in NY from 1739 to 1762 and many of them are named in his Will  If one looks at the marriage entry found on Ancestry, it indicates both parties are from Yarmouth, MA and the research found at the Cunninghams of Southwest Nova Scotia indicates that this John was born in 1681?  

Another has that John married twice - in the same year? The other woman a Mary Rousse in NY - again, can't be in both NY and MA .... then it has that Mary was born abt 1740 - given the ages of the children.....??

Again, I am not judging.  My first go around on ancestry, I happily clicked on all the leafs and linked up with everyone until one entry caught my attention and I realized what I had been doing - oyyy.  I have since put my tree on private due to all the errors so it can't be copied and it is why my clean work is on Rootsweb WorldConnect