At the start of the half-centuries in this series that I have been writing, I usually give a short comment on my objectives. This one is also the start of the second millennium, which might seem to be of some special significance, but I will merely note that it now takes four digits to write the number of the note.
Much misinformation is circulating in the field of history. I have been amazed, when I look in detail at the evidence, at the false conclusions which have been drawn. This applies to general history as well as to family histories. That family histories do have errors is not surprising, as the evidence is sparse. But general history has much more evidence. In spite of this, false conclusions are drawn.
A tentative conclusion is that all writers are prone to making their people look better than they actually were. Perhaps one should never trust a history written by anyone who has a personal stake in the interpretation. A second conclusion is that historians spend more time copying each other than in researching the facts through original documents. And, many writers simply make up "facts" to support their arguments. So, sorting through all of the misdirections takes some effort to find a closer approximation to the truth. I never claim to be absolutely correct, just better.
But why did I choose to write in this particular field? My experience prior to the start of the series told me there was a lot of false information floating around in the area of the Germanna Colonists. So, I have set out to correct what I can. My only disappointment is that some people are deaf, but I will continue, hoping to reach more and more people who might appreciate the truth.
My special delight is in the finding of a new family who should be included in the Germanna Colonists, but who have been previously overlooked. In such a search, I am helped tremendously by others. I can merely give some publicity to the findings.
I cannot do much with individual family histories. There simply is too much research involved for me. This is where you, the reader, can contribute. Of course, you are welcome also to contribute to the general history.
Besides writing these notes, I teach three courses at a University, and I publish a newsletter. For my future genealogical research, I am trying to learn some German. For my health, I engage in physical activity. Many days I do not have enough time to do everything that I should do that day. I do try not to ignore anyone, but some of my replies are much briefer than I wish they were. I do choose to invest a major part of my time in these notes, just because there is a fair sized audience for them.
I thank George Durman and Gene Wagner who help, tremendously, to bring these notes to you. It is a big effort on their parts.
(12 Oct 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.