Hoax Busting
Sharon Sergeant investigates, to set the record straight
Get the Flash Player to see this media.
In the video above, Sharon Sergeant (MET’83) reveals the methods and motivation for her form of historical detective work, focusing on one compelling case.
Sharon Sergeant has become widely known as a hoax buster, using forensic skills she’s honed over 20 years to debunk three fraudulent Holocaust memoirs. Sergeant’s tools include photographic timelines and databases — vital records, census reports, property deeds, maps, newspaper interviews, obituaries, phone directories — and living relatives. Skype, online records, and blogs have also broadened her reach; DNA testing is an option if she needs it.
“The generic view of genealogy is that it is about tracing relatives,” says Sergeant (MET’83), an adjunct faculty member in BU’s genealogical research program and a board member and former programs director with the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. “It’s evolved.”
A former college dropout who raised a family and worked in computer engineering before discovering genealogy, Sergeant was drawn to these cases because they offered a rare opportunity to set the record straight on what she believed were unconscionable attempts to exploit human tragedy for personal gain.
“I knew the solution would have two benefits,” she says. “It would illustrate the methodology in a high-profile case, whatever the results were, and it would raise awareness for other Holocaust families about what could be done with modern genealogy techniques and records access. I viewed it as an opportunity for the profession.”
Caleb Daniloff can be reached at cdanilof@bu.edu.
For an in-depth profile of Sergeant, see the summer 2009 issue of Bostonia magazine.
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.