According to family legend, my ancestor John Howland was the only Pilgrim to fall off the Mayflower. The entertainer Mitch Miller is a distant cousin. And the spelling of my last name was changed from Eisenstadt to Eisenstodt at Ellis Island. All families pass down stories of their collective pasts — some true and some not-so-true. Your job as a genealogist is to separate fact from fiction. To give you a head start, we've identified eight common family history myths. Avoid these beginner traps, and your research will be smoother sailing.

Myth #1