Did Lisa Louise Cooke just spot fake family history news on TV? Watch as she shares a weird example of mistaken identity on television news and how she went about solving the case. Then, spot errors in your own family history whether they occur on TV, in books, online family trees, genealogy blog posts or elsewhere.

The Importance of Verifying Information

Verifying information found online is essential these days, especially when it comes to genealogy research. The last thing a family historian wants to do is incorporate inaccurate data into their family trees. Once the error is replicated, it can be extremely difficult to get it corrected or removed.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Recently, I was watching a news program that claimed to show an old black-and-white photograph of Nat Turner from 1831. It was to illustrate a brief “This day in history” story they were doing on Nat Turner’s Rebellion.

However, my instincts and background in genealogy alerted me that something was off.

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My first clue was the year. The photo couldn’t have been of Nat Turner in 1831. The earliest known surviving photograph was taken around 1826. Photography was not more widely available until the mid to late 1800s.

With my curiosity peaked and the television show on pause, I set out from the comfort of my couch to figure out who the man was in the mistakenly identified photograph.

Investigating and Correcting Photographic “Misinformation”

I’m going to share with you the steps I took to investigate the authenticity of the photograph on the screen. Consider using some or all of these techniques the next time you come across questionable family history content.

1. I trusted my instincts. (In other words, if it doesn’t quack like a duck it’s probably not a duck!)

2. Took a photo with my phone of the image shown on the TV.

3. Cropped the image to just the photograph.

4. Searched online to confirm when photography was first invented.

5. Searched in the Google app for the name and year stated on the show (Nat Turner 1831) and found only artwork, no photographs.

6. Used Google Lens in the Google app to upload the photo and search to see where it appeared in other online locations.

Tap the Google Lens icon in the Google app

7. Reviewed the results to identify the oldest occurrence of the photo being misused as a photo of Nat Turner

8. Reviewed the Related Searches suggested by Google and discovered the image was likely of Charles Henry Turner, an African American entomologist born in 1867.

Related Search results provide a clue to the real identity of the man in the photo.

9. Further dated the photograph by estimating the age of Charles and adding it to his birth year, bringing the actual photo date closer to the 1890s or turn of the century.

10. Contacted the organization to try to correct the error. Even if they don’t respond or respond negatively, you’ll know you did your part to try and set the record straight.

The Takeaways for Fixing Family History

This scenario of mistaken identity drives home the importance of trusting your instincts when something seems off. Even if it would be wonderful or convenient if what you found was true, place truth above desire. Invest time in validating the finding with high quality and preferably primary sources. Then and only then add it to your family history, or your news broadcast!

The key takeaway is that we must be diligent in our research to ensure the integrity of our family trees and genealogical records. (Proverbs 14:25)

Continue exploring our content here at Genealogy Gems for more tips and insights on cultivating accurate genealogy research.

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