Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

A Word about Research

At this point in time, facts can be difficult to verify. When I ask some people their original sources, they quote me a modern day author. Original sources are records from the period of time they refer to, such as Provincial Records, Sir William Johnson's letters, Pension Applications, etc. Even the original sources I question because everyone seems to have an agenda. Were the pension applications much like the fishing stories of our day? Were the men trying to increase their pensions? Were they angry at their neighbor? Remember that three people will observe an accident and there will be three differing versions of the accident. Then time tends to play with our memories and we begin to remember indicents differently than they actually occurred. Slanted journalism was not unknown in the early days; just a word or two can change the intent of a document. Paper was precious and the people were not wordy. Often a statement was not explained and conculsions from our day take a giant leap.

Be a bit cynical and keep in mind that many wrote themselves into the pages of history and perhaps don't belong there. Then too some modern sources quote an older souce which may or may not be accurate and perhaps the older source copied from an inaccurate but still older source. We simply cannot verify all the information on the site, but encourage researchers to read many versions and try to find the version with which most concur. From this point in time, much information is a matter of opinion. Records were not kept well during the period of time we address or sometimes the events were recorded long after the fact.

Our policy is to post anything which might lend light on a subject. Books and articles from reputable sources are used and presented as written. The public library does not tell you before you enter that everything in the library is factual. Many articles and books which are public domain are put on line for you to read. Just because you read something, it doesn't mean it is a fact. We simply do not know what is truly factual or not. If you look, you can find something to counterdict any statement. Keep reading and try to find a consensus. And don't believe everything you read.

Please be careful. ajberry, webmaster

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