Monday, June 24, 2013

My Arnold Line = Big OOPS!

As a researcher, I try to strive for accuracy. Every once in awhile I make errors or later research proves that I drew incorrect conclusions early on. Errors . must then be corrected!

The old fraudulent genealogy dodge got me on the Arnold ancestry that I recently revisited. I have been aware of Gustave Anjou's "made-up" genealogies for years, but Horatio Gates Somerby somehow escaped my attention.

Somerby was noted for fraudulent genealogies back in the 1800s. He traced the Arnolds' Welsh ancestry from Ynyr of Gwent to Arnold immigration to America. As I was trying to sort things out & get Ynyr to my Arnolds, things weren't matching up. I got suspicious & googled my Arnolds & Somerby. Ol' Horatio had gotten creative in making the lines connect.

So, now I get to trim 3-4 generations from my Arnold tree. I hadn't worked on the Arnolds for several years. Something "back in the day" must have alerted me as I did not include the family back to Ynyr at that time.

One of my very distant Arnold cousins is General Benedict Arnold [9th cousin, several times removed, I think]. Yes, the hero of the Continental Army in the early years of the Rev. War! Canada, Saratoga & other campaigns. He saved the day at Saratoga, although his commanding officer took & received the credit. Of course Benedict had a lapse in character & turned traitor.

Who was it that helped taint the Arnold legacy? General Horatio Gates, who later left his defeated army on the field at Camden.

Interesting. Horatio Gates messed up Arnold's legacy. Horatio Gates Somerby messed up his ancestry!

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