Jacob Burgoon book - fiction???
I received the following e-mail message regarding the book Jacob Burgoon and His Children:
"I never bought the book by Pat Wiggins, couldn't afford it, and have never seen it although I had corresponded with her several years ago.I am descended from Nancy Burgoon and William Unger.I was curious how did you know that the letters in the book were fake?Also am glad to be straightened out about the Ulrich Sate or Johannes Ulrich Zeth.At the time I seen the name, I believe on Jacob's will I thought it said Tate -- and everyone kept saying Sate."
Here's my reply:
Here's my reply:
In the Preface, Wiggins writes "I will also include fictionalized narrative as it might have been told by Jacob and his children..."
In the Preface, Wiggins writes "I will also include fictionalized narrative as it might have been told by Jacob and his children..."After that, the first "letter" is one that Jacob Burgoon's wife Elizabeth purportedly wrote to her father. This is the most obvious piece of fiction. Of course, we have no information about Elizabeth's roots (not even her last name or country of origin), but if such a letter had been real, it would've had to have come from her family (unless she had an early wood-powered photocopier) and if someone had been able to get a letter back from her family, then we'd know who they were.
After that, the first "letter" is one that Jacob Burgoon's wife Elizabeth purportedly wrote to her father. This is the most obvious piece of fiction. Of course, we have no information about Elizabeth's roots (not even her last name or country of origin), but if such a letter had been real, it would've had to have come from her family (unless she had an early wood-powered photocopier) and if someone had been able to get a letter back from her family, then we'd know who they were.
The temptation with a book such as Wiggins' is to pick up and skim through it, so I too, when first reading it, missed that one line at the beginning about the "fictionalized narrative" and was really thrilled to read what I had thought were my ancestors' own words.
The temptation with a book such as Wiggins' is to pick up and skim through it, so I too, when first reading it, missed that one line at the beginning about the "fictionalized narrative" and was really thrilled to read what I had thought were my ancestors' own words.
Wiggins did a good job of telling us how our Burgoon and Zeth ancestors might have lived based on historical accounts of colonial times, but anything in the book that appears to be credited to a specific ancestor (such as the "letters") is probably fiction. There are quotes from actual documents such as wills, deed books, church records and census reports that are legitimate (even though government reports of the day were notorious for mispellings, henceZeth becoming Sate, etc.), but some of the anecdotal stories that came from Burgoon descendants have to be taken with a grain of salt.As I have mentioned before on the Burgoon forum, the Wiggin's book's section about J.U. Zeth's Hessian service has inaccuracies, such as his unit arriving in New York from Europe (they actually went to Canada).
Wiggins did a good job of telling us how our Burgoon and Zeth ancestors might have lived based on historical accounts of colonial times, but anything in the book that appears to be credited to a specific ancestor (such as the "letters") is probably fiction. There are quotes from actual documents such as wills, deed books, church records and census reports that are legitimate (even though government reports of the day were notorious for mispellings, henceZeth becoming Sate, etc.), but some of the anecdotal stories that came from Burgoon descendants have to be taken with a grain of salt.As I have mentioned before on the Burgoon forum, the Wiggin's book's section about J.U. Zeth's Hessian service has inaccuracies, such as his unit arriving in New York from Europe (they actually went to Canada).All of this having been said, if you're a Burgoon descendant, it's still a fun book to have, with some interesting details in the genealogy at the end of the book, and of course the general historical accounts of the lifestyles and communities of the Colonial America in which our ancestors lived. As a writer, I can appreciate the hard work that went into producing this book and that Patrica usedthe best research material available to her at the time.
All of this having been said, if you're a Burgoon descendant, it's still a fun book to have, with some interesting details in the genealogy at the end of the book, and of course the general historical accounts of the lifestyles and communities of the Colonial America in which our ancestors lived. As a writer, I can appreciate the hard work that went into producing this book and that Patrica usedthe best research material available to her at the time.Interestingly, even though the Internet and computers have vastly expanded our research horizons, we haven't found out anything new about Jacob Burgoon since the book was published in 1991. There seems to be strong evidence pointing to him having been a "Burgun" before he left Alsace Lorraine, but for now that's just speculation. Maybe someday one of the thousands of Burgoon cousins can visit that region and search out church records from the early 1700's, and someone will find in a dusty Maryland archive a record of his immgration and marriage to Elizabeth.
Interestingly, even though the Internet and computers have vastly expanded our research horizons, we haven't found out anything new about Jacob Burgoon since the book was published in 1991. There seems to be strong evidence pointing to him having been a "Burgun" before he left Alsace Lorraine, but for now that's just speculation. Maybe someday one of the thousands of Burgoon cousins can visit that region and search out church records from the early 1700's, and someone will find in a dusty Maryland archive a record of his immgration and marriage to Elizabeth.I have contact information for Patricia Burgoon Wiggins at http://www.bobhudson.com/zeth/Burgoon.html