Be prepared for surprises

[johncrowner]

I have enjoyed researching my family history.There are so many experts on this, and other sites-it is true that  someone somewhere on the internet knows how to find the answer to any question you may have. Be careful! In innocence I have asked questions, the answers to which have staggered me. Secrets which were taken to the grave by the owners have suddenly come to light.Do not come  too  much up to date with your enquiries:If research shows someone you have loved in a different light, remember them as you knew them.

[MonicaL]

Hi John

I very much understand your sentiments here, from a very recent unexpected experience of my own 

It is very easy when researching back into the 19th century to be very accepting (detached?) from events unfolding in your research. You taken on board many of your ancestors' lives and experiences and accept them as they were. Seldom do you give much real thought to the emotional impact these events may have had in real sense, although occasionally one particular person can and does catch at your heart.

Taking research forward, however, can have a huge impact and can carry risks, not something I think a lot of people always are prepared for. The actual people involved may still be living, or at least, very close descendants for whom the news can be shocking and difficult to accept or come to terms with.

I personally have promised myself now to stay very much in the 19th Century and to venture into the 20th Century with a lot more care - or not at all where I can help it 

Monica

[Nick29]

You don't need to spend too long delving into family history to realise one fact - that people in those days had the same human frailties that we have today.  They made mistakes, just as we do.  I'm not a religious man, but one sentence in the Bible is relevant anyway "Judge not, lest ye be judged"