History and Record Keeping

April 30, 2013 — ancestors, history, Plimouth Colony, Wampanoag

If I learned one thing on my ancestry quest in Massachusetts it is that the record keeper is the author of  history.  I have realized this by finding census and other documents that conflict with each other while studying my ancestors.  Never has it been so clear.  I believed that the tribe would have the information on the tribe in Mashpee, so I went straight to the museum to inquire.  Because they rely on records kept by the Europeans the family trees are reconstructed using English last names.  They use what they have.  The records looked like they started in the 1800’s.

I was unhappy about  the state of affairs.  The tiny tribal museum has little funding, and can open only a few hours, a couple of days a week.  I then traveled to the big well funded museum at Plimouth Plantation.  Wow, what a difference!!!

The museum at Plimouth Plantation is doing some revisionist history in order to correct many of the assumptions and erroneous stories that exist about the Mayflower and the native people. The Pilgrims play characters in period costume, expressing the beliefs of the time and place.  The Pilgrims were religious prudes who considered themselves religiously superior to all other religions.  They also felt entitled to take anything they wanted from the native people because they had permission from the King of England. Their church was fortified on top with cannons in all directions.  I guess they felt that God and the King needed some back up.  Although I had a few Pilgrims and only one ( I think) Wampanoag ancestor, I distinctly disliked the pretend Pilgrims when I met them. I am, however, glad they kept some records at the time.