Chat
|
Daily Search
|
My GenForum
|
Community Standards
|
Terms of Service
|
|
|
Ms. Garner,
I am very sorry that you were offended by my comments about the work of H. C. Smith. I never intended to personally denigrate Smith in any way. As a matter of fact, I have always found it amazing that anyone could compile a volume such as his History of the Yoakum [etc.] Families book. When I first discovered his work years ago, I was thrilled. It has provided me, and many others, with wonderful leads over the years…leads which have inspired many hundreds of hours in court houses, libraries and archives, searching for primary evidence to either confirm or refute the lineages which Smith compiled. I apologize to you for anything I may have said that offended you.
I presume, from the agitated tone of your post, that you must be related to H. C. Smith either by blood or by close friendship. I can thus understand your feelings, but I assure you that I am not an “armchair digital expert” or an “ungrateful and uneducated critic”. Quite the contrary, the discussions on this forum are precisely what Smith intended. From his epilogue, pg. 532: “…to future genealogists, I pass along the work that I have finished, in the hope that it may be of some value to them in their continuing labors.” Smith never presumed that he had all the answers. Indeed, he warns readers that there may be in his compilation many instances of what I called in my post “fanciful fiction and circular reasoning”. Again, Smith’s own words from his epilogue: “Disillusioned, personally, very early, as to the value of family tradition, it is difficult to understand why so many place absolute confidence in their particular source of information and often reject every other source, regardless of how authenticated it may be. Hence, data [in his Yoakum volume] has been corroborated when possible [and] accepted at face value when not susceptible to documentary proof, regardless of personal opinion.” ***…accepted at face value when not susceptible to documentary proof*** Smith himself is telling readers that he has included in his compilation information he received from contributors, even though it is not supported by documentation and even though his research (his personal opinion) does not support it.
Smith’s work is a compilation of fact, primary sources, secondary sources, tertiary sources, tradition, family lore, family fiction and on occasion, conclusions based upon circular reasoning. Smith, through his editorial comments, attempts give us his view of the validity of each contribution, but, given only a single life time, he was obviously not able to accomplish this to his satisfaction. It is our job, our obligation, to explore Smith’s work and offer corrections and even alternate theories, especially if they are based upon primary documentation and evidence. That is one of the things happening here in this forum. It is not a condemnation of Smith or his efforts. I’d say it is exactly what Smith, as a compiler who dedicated much of his life to his Yoakum work, would expect. It is exactly what is happening in posts 232 and 290, posts of mine that I am sure have excited your greatest ire.
The real problem is not with all-inclusive compilations such as Smith’s, it is with how individuals choose to use them. They often accept it all as fact without applying the scrutiny of primary evidence, then proceed to propagate the undocumented theories in publications and internet genealogies. By shear number, such assertions gain seeming credibility where there is none. By introducing yourself as a descendant of Matthias, I’d guess that you are not completely swayed by the preponderance of internet genealogies that refer to “Heinrich” as the progenitor of our Yoakum lines in America, a theory that has it’s published origins in Smith’s book? Perhaps the primary research done by members of this forum and professional genealogists such as Peter Stebbins Craig have persuaded you that perhaps that theory should be relegated to the category of family lore and fiction…at least until it is supported by some evidence?
Finally, in your post you say: “Perhaps one should wonder what happened after his death to his massive collection of original research and source materials.” Can we presume that you do know? Perhaps you have access to his materials? If so, your summary dismissal of the interests of hundreds of dedicated Yoakum Genforum readers based upon your reaction to the postings of one or two does a terrible disservice to the memory and efforts of Dr. Smith.
I sincerely apologize to you for any unintended insult, and assure you that I take no personal offense at the intended (though unfounded) insults you have directed towards me. In the future, to avoid misunderstandings, I will choose my words more carefully. I hope you will join the other Yoakum researchers in their ongoing quest for the rich history of this fascinating Yoakum family.
Gregory Brown
Notify Administrator about this message?
Followups:No followups yet |
| http://genforum.genealogy.com/yoakum/messages/531.html | ||
 |
Link to GenForum Add Forum |
|