A genealogy crisis

 Wouldn't this be nice?

Long time... no post. I had a bit *cough* of a genealogy crisis.

Discussing DNA testing within a surname group led to a lady suggesting to me that I had my Grandpa Roy Henry Baker attached to the WRONG parents. I was incensed, shocked, and then I suspected she was right. *sigh*

I did my original research on him when I was just beginning my genealogy addiction. I took what I knew about him, which was not much, and started researching. I knew his name, his birth date and city, and that he had come from a big family.

I found a family on the correct state census that had a son Roy that was born the month and very close to the day of my Grandpa Roy (GR). The family size seemed to fit and even though they lived in the north central part of the state and GR was born in the southern part there was evidence that they had spent time (not much) in the southern town GR was born in. Several family trees on a well known site had GR attached to this family. Looked good to me... so I spent many, many hours researching that family... and I have a lovely tree for that family. The wrong family, Roy Elbert Baker's family.

The lady also pointed me in a direction that she thought might be right. There was a family with a boy named Ray Baker in the town I knew GR to be born in. Long story short, that was the right family. This was proven by sending off for GR's death certificate which listed his parents as the parents Ray Baker was living with. Lessons learned; have some documentation and don't believe other trees. Heck I even knew these things but it seemed so right!

I am so grateful that my mistake was pointed out to me and that the lady took the time to point me in an alternate direction. She was also a sounding board and seemed very interested in helping me find his true family.

There are mysteries in his true family which I will ponder in a later post. Hmmmm... why can't any of this be simple?