The fraudulent Leona Dalton Obituary
Compare this with Leona Dalton's published obituary.
Finally! — We have found evidence that Bea Elizabeth Dalton is the daughter of James Lewis Dalton and Adeline Lee Younger. But, not so fast. Is it legitimate? What is the source? Where is the original record?
You may run across this "Memorial Obituary" written by Billy Murl Phillips using the nom de plume "Bill Dalton Phillips". It may be changed a bit, but it will look something like the below.
Memorial Obituary
Leona Randolph Dalton
Leona outlived all of her brothers and sisters. She died in the Huskille Rest Home in Kingfisher, OK on 18 Apr 1964 at the age of 88 years. Leona came to Kingfisher Indian Territory with her folks in a covered wagon as a teenager in 1890. She had been a member of the First Christian Church since 1902 and it was from there that the burial services were held. She was buried in the Dalton family plot in Kingfisher, OK. Her survivors were her nephews; Roy Clute, Charles Coleman Dalton and Jack Phillips.
Wow! If Jack Phillips is a nephew of of Leona Dalton, then Bea Elizabeth Phillips must be her sister. This proves it!
Once again – what is the source of this "obituary"? In what periodical does it appear, and when? Or, as with the rest of this farce, is it just another creation of one "Bill Dalton Phillips", a man who does not exist, at least not by that name?
For proof see – Leona Dalton's published obituary.
The "sources" for this memorial:
- Do a Google Search for "Charles Coleman Dalton and Jack Phillips" (include the quotation marks or just click on the link above).
- Dalton Genealogical Society vol. 4, no. 7, July 2001 listed under "2. Dalton Gang Collection". (This is the content submitted by a man using the false name "Bill Dalton Phillips" which shows his grandmother being a daughter of Lewis and Adeline Dalton, hence the reference to Jack PHILLIPS).
- Dalton Gang Ancestors - Dalton Gang Family
- Dalton Gang Ancestors
- findagrave.com
- a worldconnect.rootsweb.com genealogy
Genealogical Fraud is Easy to Do
You just have to be willing to lie with a straight face.
The scheming con man takes advantage of the trust of others. Make up a believable story and post it to newsgroups, bulletin boards and other on-line repositories. Type a fake genealogy and send it to people. Create fake correspondence and documents to use as "proof". If the person is determined, they might even write articles for reputable Journals (e.g. the Dalton Genealogical Society Journal). This particular individual is very determined. He has forged at least one death certificate and supplied false nformation to the state of Oklahoma to amend other death certificates, he fabricated or altered a Bible record with false information and has replaced tombstones to which he added inscriptions "proving" his false ancestry.
To the real estate agent, the mantra is "location, location, location".
To the genealogist, it is "verify, verify, verify".