I did not see the NYC program on PBS but must say that your
comments have given me great pleasure in reading your opinions
on such presentations.  Lately, I seem to have noticed more
omission of facts in several areas and I don't watch TV.

I did genealogical research for a project that was displayed as a
"history of a few neighborhood people" and could not believe what I
heard when a history professor gave a talk about these people at the
opening of the display.  The presenter had all of the information that I
had found which came from several different sources including legal
records and was all documented.  The audience was captivated by
the interesting stories presented and the "probable" happenings of
yesteryear as imagined by this person.  Several of the facts were
incorrect but it fit into the story "spun" about the characters in the
neighborhood from the benevolent wealthy to the poor cleaning lady.
When I gave a copy of my research to a descendant who was also
there, she was surprised in what I had found that was not previously
known to her.  Then she wondered why a history professor would
present the information and change or omit the facts. I came away
from this exhibit wondering how much liberty and personal opinion
historians use when writing history.

This past week I met a man, about 40, and his mother, trying to find
newspaper articles about their ancestors.  I mentioned that I had
previously researched part of their family and that one line came
from Kentucky and although described as mulatto, they were actually
Indian from the early 1800 records.  Because the census taker
listed a mixed breed Indian as mulatto (this happens in many
census records) people copying this information concluded this
meant they were black and so recorded them as such. The mother
had several old family papers stating that they were Indian but could
not figure out how or where.  Articles written about some of this family
lists them as black so this information continues to be "correct".  The
man had to return to CT but is planning on doing his own
documentation all the way to Kentucky.  I have since found a book
in the Saratoga Library and the author notes that these people are
Indian although most other local sources calls them black because
they were referred to as mulatto in earlier records.

French Canadians in upper MI married the Indians in that area.  Every
one of the children in the census of the "white French Canadians were
thus listed as mulatto from that day forward.  These records almost
always stand forever but one must do a thorough job of research to
verify the validity of each piece to the puzzle.

So I think anyone who does research must personally hold themselves
responsible for presenting ONLY what can be documented and skip
the creativity.  Letting PBS get away with presenting something as
obviously incorrect as you all describe, regardless of money or time
restraints, just makes us a part of what is wrong.  Like many other
areas of life these days "everybody is doing it" and "you can't change
the world" just really helps erode the values that this country once
stood for.  If we continue to be this way and allow "anything goes"
then what will you as historians or lovers of history have to read or
write about? There will no longer be true facts.  Either it happened or
didn't happen.  It should all be recorded correctly and I pray that those

who are responsible for keeping records and recording history has
the boldness and honesty to do the best job regardless of what the
rest of the world thinks or says of them.

God Bless
Ruth Ann Messick
Saratoga County, NY