I haven't been able to cross paths with many of my fellow genealogists in
NuestrosRanchos concerning my family, the Romo de Vivar branch in
Encarnacion and Tepatitlan, Lagos de Moreno and Aguascalientes. But I have
to put in my 2 cents. I have nearly 100-year-old relatives in Guadalajara
who have faulty recollections of the family history. But their memories are
chock full of information and have helped me sort out the family, even
though our family lore had a grandfather with the wrong family last name.
That garbled information allowed me to discover that Nestor was not a Romo,
but was indeed a grandparent on the distaff side, with another last name.
Oral history is critically important when you are researching family names
as common as Romo, because tiny details can help differentiate one family
branch from another. Agreed, they shouldn't become "facts" in the sense of
genealogic research, but they are invaluable clues in our search for truth.

Karr Wolfe Romo (de Vivar)

-----Original Message-----
From: research-bounces@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
[mailto:research-bounces@lists.nuestrosranchos.org] On Behalf Of Lori Maurer
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 7:18 PM
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Agreed

I agree with you Claudia.  Oral history is important and can be an absolute
genealogical goldmine of information.  Without the little "leads" that my
grandparents gave me I'm not sure I would have done as well as I have in my
search.  While the search of my Spanish/French/Mexican roots on my
grandfather's side has been slow going I've gained so many new cousins on my
U.S. born "southerner" grandmother's side.  After I traced it backwards -
and the oral history proved to be a checking point for the records I pulled
- to the 1500s I then traced it forward and found lots of new
cousins...Cousins I have been able to share photographs both old family
photos from the 1800s & 1900s and current ones.  It was imazing to be able
to see a photograph of my grandmother's great grandmother! And to
find grandchildren, great grandchildren & great great grandchildren of my
grandmother's long lost aunt.  Oral histoy is what ignited my search and
helped send me
in the right direction when faced with multiple people of the same name. 
Occasionally I have chosen wrong - but those few occasions have been minor
in comparison to all the right choices I have made.  But I think many of us
recognize that Oral History is very different from Urban Legend and I think
that is what we are truly discussing.  Urban Legend can usually be proved as
false by simple fact checking and when we have checked those facts and they
have come up empty we need to have respect as Historians and Genealogists no
matter how amateur and let the Urban Legends go by the wayside without
feeling the need to argue over unargueable facts.  I think more unites us
than separates us.  We are the ones that carry our family's history
& stories into the next generation!

----- Original Message ----
From: Claudia_Reynoso
To: research@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 4:52:24 PM
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Agreed

Yes, I agree with everyone here that oral history should never be discounted
nor discouraged.  My post started as a comment in response to a claim that
has long been disproved, and I digressed to share my personal opinion on
another matter.  My apologies if I came off as uncouth or unfriendly.

Personally I take folklore solely as a "lead" that should be followed upon
diligently.  For example, my uncle was told that Reynoso and Reynolds share
the same surname root.  If this is so, then I am related to Burt Reynolds!

I get now that NuestrosRanchos is not a place to share personal opinions or
views on sensitive matters.