Be honest

Honesty is one of the most important dimensions of good genealogy and family history.  We all have backgrounds that we would like to say were ours. However, sometimes we have to settle for the fact that we are who we are.

If you truly want to provide and accurate family history and genealogy, you need to look at things as they are, not as you wish they would be.  Facts, information and knowledge form the basic building blocks of good genealogical research.  Your family history requires not only knowing who your people were but why they may have done what they did, chose what they chose. Like you, remember they made choices, were presented with dilemmas and made mistakes.

Try not to judge. Report. Comprehend. Have compassion for the people of your past. If you do these things, you will find you develop a deeper appreciation for predecessors and their circumstances. And more importantly, you will develop an appreciation for yours, where you came from, and who you are.