I don't have to alert those who visit this board NOT to believe everything you find on the internet - far from it! We're all pretty knowledgeable - yet, things like this scare me when I realize that plenty of folk (including school kids!) will utilize sites like this - simply because of the name -

While researching something else today, I found a site which states,

".... The remains of Lewis Powell, at least his skull, were found later by a team of archeologists digging for Civil War artifacts. The skull was re-interred and properly buried next to his mother’s remains in the Geneva Cemetery in Seminole County, Florida."

Please webmasters - check your FACTS before you publish!

It just gets scarier and scarier....

http://www.civilwaracademy.com/lewis-powell.html

Betty, for those of us who are new to this forum, please fill us in on how Lewis Powell's skull was actually found.

Betty, you would think that in todays age of internet and data literally at your fingertips, people would have the luxury of getting the facts relatively easy. The problem is, anyone can post anything. People are lazy enough to grab the first thing that pops up and run with it as fact. I can some what understand that people are lazy and school kids may be gullable to accept this. After all, the first thing that pops up should be the most viewed and therefore most acredited. What I can't forgive, is when the media or a show claiming to be about history does this. Research is important. The internet is both a blessing and a curse.

It's called recycling the trash.

One of the saddest things to me is to see some of these history forums that claim to be run by experts in the field and then allow spurious and/or speculative postings to be made without concern for facts or questioning of the information. Some moderators even thank the poster for contributing - which leads one to even question the knowledge of the expert.

One can speculate on what documentable evidence might suggest, but wild theories without anything to back them up can be very harmful to newbies in the field.

Does this mean that Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were really not half brothers?

(02-26-2014, 09:05 PM)brtmchl Wrote: Research is important. The internet is both a blessing and a curse.

So true, Mike. I wonder how many folks read this and think they know the whole story. (Has Walley World re-opened?)

I agree! In college, we weren't even allowed to use Wiki....

Just too many spurious things, and yes, Mike. You made a great point - too many folk are just too plain lazy to even attempt to get the facts right! Makes one wonder.... Yes, the internet is both a blessing and curse. Remember, that awful Powell show comes on again tonight.....

Quote:Betty, for those of us who are new to this forum, please fill us in on how Lewis Powell's skull was actually found.

OK - for those who don't know, Powell's skull was found by a Smithsonian anthropologist, Stuart Speaker, back in 1992. It was "resting" among Native American skulls which were being sorted for return to their native tribes for reburial. Mr. Speaker noted that there was one Caucasian skull and did research to discover that this was the "cranium of Lewis Payne, implicated in the assassination of President Lincoln." He immediately contacted Mr. Hall, Mike Kauffman and the Surratt House. Laurie notified me and we all went up to the Smithsonian to see and verify Mr. Powell's remains. Really weird is the fact that stenciled on Powell's forehead were the numbers "422"... his birthday sans the year....

Powell's living relatives were notified and after about two years, the remains were shipped to Florida where he was "reunited" in a burial service with his family.

Is there anything you can do Betty about the misinformation posted on the particular website you saw this on?

(02-27-2014, 06:35 AM)BettyO Wrote: Powell's living relatives were notified and after about two years, the remains were shipped to Florida where he was "reunited" in a burial service with his family.

Only two years, that's relatively fast for the government.

The owner of the web site mentioned he was receptive to corrections to the info he posted. Please let us know how it goes.

Thanks, y'all. I'm going to contact him....

Also, Betty found that the rest of Powell's remains are buried in Rock Creek Cemetery.