Agreed

I agree with you Claudia.  Oral history is important and can be an absolute genealogical goldmine of information.  Without the little "leads" that my grandparents gave me I'm not sure I would have done as well as I have in my search.  While the search of my Spanish/French/Mexican roots on my grandfather's side has been slow going I've gained so many new cousins on my U.S. born "southerner" grandmother's side.  After I traced it backwards - and the oral history proved to be a checking point for the records I pulled - to the 1500s I then traced it forward and found lots of new cousins...Cousins I have been able to share photographs both old family photos from the 1800s & 1900s and current ones.  It was imazing to be able to see a photograph of my grandmother's great grandmother! And to find grandchildren, great grandchildren & great great grandchildren of my grandmother's long lost aunt.  Oral histoy is what ignited my search and helped send me
in the right direction when faced with multiple people of the same name.  Occasionally I have chosen wrong - but those few occasions have been minor in comparison to all the right choices I have made.  But I think many of us recognize that Oral History is very different from Urban Legend and I think that is what we are truly discussing.  Urban Legend can usually be proved as false by simple fact checking and when we have checked those facts and they have come up empty we need to have respect as Historians and Genealogists no matter how amateur and let the Urban Legends go by the wayside without feeling the need to argue over unargueable facts.  I think more unites us than separates us.  We are the ones that carry our family's history & stories into the next generation!

----- Original Message ----
From: Claudia_Reynoso
To: research@lists.nuestrosranchos.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 4:52:24 PM
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Agreed

Yes, I agree with everyone here that oral history should never be discounted nor discouraged.  My post started as a comment in response to a claim that has long been disproved, and I digressed to share my personal opinion on another matter.  My apologies if I came off as uncouth or unfriendly.

Personally I take folklore solely as a "lead" that should be followed upon diligently.  For example, my uncle was told that Reynoso and Reynolds share the same surname root.  If this is so, then I am related to Burt Reynolds!

I get now that NuestrosRanchos is not a place to share personal opinions or views on sensitive matters.