Extreme caution should be used when encountering any ancestral genealogy for Geo. Michael Weisel that claims descent from old German nobility and having medieval origins.

There is fraudulent, false, and misleading information found on the internet and in published documents which is often passed on through the years by trusting writers and researchers. Unfortunately, not all genealogists and family researchers are interested in uncovering the true story of their ancestors, leading to unexperienced or uneducated genealogists placing a blind trust in unverified or improperly documented conclusions. This often leads to false family connections.

In the 1930s, a New England Weisel historian, Calvin I. Kephart, created a genealogy for immigrant George Michael Weisel, born about 1690, who arrived in Pennsylvania on a "Palatine" ship in 1732 and settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This document titled Weisel (Von Weisel, Von Hochweisel, Von Hohenweisel) Genealogy contains so many errors and fabricated family connections that it should be regarded as a hoax. Unfortunately, unsuspecting Weisel families and descendants have accepted and used this genealogy as a trusted, scholarly source. This has had the unfortunate consequence of deterring and forestalling research in finding the true origins of immigrant George Michael Weisel.

Taking a closer look, there are a number of styles and techniques in this document that are used to confuse and mislead the reader.

1. Kephart took the liberty of including brief mention of numerous old German noble families and included a number of verifiable source references. Many or most of these ancient families from the 800-1200s can be found in German publications. These family references have no relation or connection to the individuals named and designated as parents and grandparents of immigrant George Michael Weisel.
2. The document quotes many references of old German publications and legal documents which are used out of context and have no logical association with the text of the document.
3. Included in this document are inaccurate links crossing centuries. To achieve a link to nobility Kephart took an old German noble family name, "von Hochweisel" and made a leap, connecting it to the Weisel family name located in a nearby village two centuries later. These two different family names were distinct and have separate origins. The Weisel surname was never noble, and the Hochweisel surname ended in 1557.
4. As needed, Kephart invented an explanation and justification for an event which can neither be proven or disproved. In general, these inventions defy the custom or legal codes of the era. The more obvious argument is, these inventions would not be required in the presence of verifiable original source documents showing family relationships. As an example, Kephart stated "NIKOLAUS von Hochweisel, born c. 1270; as a younger man, adopted the form 'von Weisel.'" Later in the same paragraph, he wrote, "Following custom, they later dropped the 'von'." Kephart created this explanation as a mechanism to connect a Weisel family he found in Friedberg in the 1500s, to a noble family living in the 1200-1500s called von Hochweisel.
5. After he quoted many existing sources to give the appearance of a researched and sourced history, Kephart finished the genealogy by fabricating complete generations without including a single source, making the connections invalid. As an example, when he created a connection for parents of immigrant George Michael Weisel, Kephart wrote: "GEORG MICHAEL WEISEL (forename subject to verification) was born about 1667 in the above region. He apparently married a daughter of Friedrich _____? in the area c. 1690 and soon settled at a site in the Palatinate about 25 kilometers northwest of Kaiserslautern, where another hamlet was named for the family." The following are missing to confirm such connection; birth, death, or any source for the father; a marriage source/document for the reported marriage; and a source/document showing the location for the family around 1690. Without this proof, the information should be considered falsified or inaccurate.

Suggestions and good practises for creating reliable genealogies:

1. No family history is a source! Only primary information (documents created from firsthand knowledge) contained within the history may be considered as useful. A few examples of primary information include but are not limited to, wills, birth records and church records and other such documents that are created at the time of the event by people who witnessed the event. Most family histories are unacceptable as source material for most societies and organizations unless they are accompanied by primary information due to it having been provided by a person who was relying on their memory, either many years later or who did not personally attend the event. In the absence of such documented information, family histories may only be considered as hints that need further verification with several reliable documents.
2. Check every entry to verify that the given source contains what is listed in the posting for each individual. All sources need to be checked and all validated for accuracy, authenticity, and reliability.
3. Do not include any information you find or are given that does not contain strong sourcing, or a verifiable citation.
4. It is of best practice to follow up documented sourcing with additional sources. Do not accept a connection based solely on one source.
5. Do not blindly link a previous generation to your ancestry until it has been fully verified by reviewing proper documentation.
6. When linking a family member, always cite your sources and explain any indirect evidence you find so that others are able to accurately verify their connections to the same family.
7. An excellent resource for citing and classifying sources is a chart by Elizabeth Shown Mills, author of "Evidence Explained" describing what constitues good sources; information and documentation.

For additional reading on fraudulent genealogies:

• Beware of Fraudulent Genealogies
• Genealogies by Anjou

This page was created September 28, 2004 and updated December 28, 2020.

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