Just Sent Mail to Find Out About Distant Relatives

[The Genealogist]

3. I've found a number of distant relatives who spent time in jail for their crimes

Most of the crimes are petty ones, but some were pretty serious crimes.

One story has come to light, fairly recently to me, and I am not certain I believe it, is that a great-great grandfather was involved in a murder in Tennessee and fled to Missouri. What I have seen is pretty flimsy in terms of evidence. He did come to Missouri, but a much simpler explanation was that his wife's (my great-great grandmother's) family was apparently adamantly opposed to their marriage. They left Tennessee almost immediately upon being wed.

My take on family scandals is this: often times what happened in the past was miserable, brutal and sad. Our ancestors were what they were though. The most valuable lesson is to learn from the past, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past.