I make this post as a public apology to a certain researcher who has offered great insight into the research I’ve been doing on my Lennon line of Columbus County, NC. Back in April, I posted about how I’d cold called some possible Lennon relatives as I was trying to find more conclusive evidence/information that my great-great grandmother, Etta Lennon may be connected to that particular family tree. In my post, I blogged about the experience of trying to put these clues together, but I did not post that the reason I even decided to make these cold calls was due to some information the researcher sent me. She contacted me the other evening saying she’d read the post and felt I should have given her credit for her help.
And, she is correct. I should have mentioned her contributions towards the work in putting the details of this line together. My oversight was due to the fact that the way the information was provided to me was of a rather sensitive nature, and me trying to be politically correct one, felt it best not to mention certain details. But, I could have mentioned her as part of the precipitating chain of events – so to her I do apologize. It was certainly not intentional.
So, if you are doing research in tandem with others (as many of us are), please remember to give credit where credit is due. This was particularly a hurtful experience for me because as a librarian, I do firmly belive in providing proper source and credit to where information comes from. I have even criticized my husband in his blog posts for not linking back to original sources!
I am truly sorry to have made another feel slighted.
A Humbling Experience
