I Joined my clan society

[gilmore]

And you know if McMurdo has, in fact, started with his immediate family and worked backward, generation by generation, to discover his connection to the Grahams is quite real, then his statement would make a lot of sense. If the Clan Graham Society is, indeed, 'his clan society', then he has just uncovered an exciting new way to learn about his family....

No doubt joined on a drunken dare, eh?

For someone who is so insistent on careful research and study, you are certainly quick to group all clan societies under one umbrella. Although I would agree that most people are accidents of birth, although there will be those that were carefully planned out and conceived at just the precise moment specified.

Ahhhh, so now I understand. You are a Graham descendant, yourself. And rather than asking how McMurdo came to his genealogical conclusions, you're just assuming he is wasting your time. Now I understand your motive. you're bound to lose years of research by taking the time to prove or disprove McMurdo's genealogy, aren't you?

That would not be argumentative, that would be historically accurate.

Spouting off about McMurdo's comments without having any proof or evidence of how extensively he has examined his own lineage? Now that was being argumentative. And you are finished being argumentative, aren't you? Begging your pardon, I just realized I phrased that as a question. Let me try again. You are finished being argumentative.

I didn't join the clan society in question on a drunken dare. I joined it through relying on unsound, ficticious information that a relative was fond of proclaiming as truth.

I am not concerned with McMurdo wasting my time. In fact I am happy for him. I am, however, greatly concerned generally with those who pass on unsound methodology and the information gained through it as if it were reliable. You see, the pool of genealogical information is relied upon by many researchers. If it is polluted, bad info is passed on and on, and it takes longer and longer to clear up. I feel that those of us who do genealogy have a responsibility to other researchers and to our families to exercise prudence and use the best methodologies we can.

My point is simply as you quoted it above: "My problem is with the statement "if you are interested in your family history I would say the first step to a larger world would be to join your clan society," which is quite unrealistic. The standard and accepted practice of genealogical research is starting with one's immediate family and working backward, generation by generation. Trying to take short cuts almost always leads to trouble at some point in the future. (The one exception is the possibility of DNA testing's being helpful.)"