The entire field of genealogy, for all regions and nationalilties, is plagued with the same problem.

People make unsubstantiated claims, then get in a huff when you ask them to show something other than "people always said" that documents those claims. Indian Princesses, European royalty who gave up their privelege to marry a poor person, Moslem Princes & Scholars, Blackfoot, Cherokee, War heros (pick a war!) etc etc etc

It is true that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction....but SO many stories are just based on a fragment of hearsay at best.

Perhaps the new field of genetics and DNA testing can help clarify many of these claims, but it is still a bit pricey for universal use.

However, on a board devoted to genealogy and historical research, we should be able to hold individuals to a higher standard of documentation and evidence that generalities like "people always said" and "she always looked....." or "she knew how to make baskets" All of these things may be a clue --- but not genealogical evidence.

We can only encourage people to document, document document! and cite sources so others may see the evidence on which you base your conclusions.

And please, KEEP the family stories.....but report them as "stories" or "traditions" UNTIL you can document them and the steps from you back to them.