Tall Tales and Transformations: Researching Two Families Who Changed More Than Their Names
Virtual at 7PM

Most of us have relatives who shortened their names, fudged their ages, or reported birth places that were not quite right. We will look at some instances where such changes were taken to a whole new level - cases of deliberate coverups intended to hide past scandals, or advance careers or social status. For example, we will explore the family of suffragist Dorothy Frooks and her brother, Babert Vincent Brooks, two of several siblings who reinvented themselves - managing to convince influential New Yorkers that their Russian-Jewish immigrant parents were Reginald and Rozita, a "successful businessman" and an "international socialite." We will also discuss records and strategies that help uncover hidden backgrounds and the need to use multiple sources (and a dose of skepticism) in all our research.