To a genealogist, what is a 'black sheep'? By definition, it means a family relative or family branch considered by the rest of the family as less desirable, immoral or disreputable. Originally it meant when a sheep was born with black wool, that wool couldn't be used because it was difficult to dye, so a black sheep was undesirable.

Many times today a black sheep ancestor is also thought of as a criminal or an outlaw and some family historians are reluctant to include or mention such a relative. Due to decades of such individuals being ignored, sometimes merely for odd behavior or even mental disorders, these family 'black sheep' just as anyone today with similar problems should not be shun.
Individuals may feel that making note of an ancestor's behavior might reflect poorly on the present generation.

Not so, when you realize that each individual today is their own person, a product of other individuals and environments. Plus you certainly wouldn't be alone in having a 'black sheep' ancestor or two. Most family branches have a least one family relative who stepped outside the norm of society.

Scandalous behavior has varied over the years. Today, marriage between a woman who was raised Catholic and a man raised as a Protestant wouldn't raise an eyebrow. However, for decades that would have been reason enough for both families to ignore the young couple, not offer their blessings or even try to dissolve the marriage.

Certain actions such as murders, child rape and treason can still cause a family not to include that individual on the family tree. These are known as 'family skeletons hidden in a closet', such horrible events that most people in the family do not want known. However, very few events are not recorded somewhere; court documents, civil and criminal trials, newspapers, county records, journals, orphanages, asylums or state vital records, etc.

That is where a true genealogist comes in to take the time to investigate those old family secrets, those tall tales and separate fact from fiction. It is possible the family secret about a great uncle being a horse thief is inaccurate. By checking into county court records where an incident took place and reviewing local newspapers, it may surface that the uncle was actually acquired of all charges, it was just a matter of mistaken identity.

On the other hand, the researcher could find out the family tales were all true and possibly worst because the details were never discussed by the family. However, that uncle was still a family member, one who was a brother to your grandparents and possibly a father to one of your cousins.

There could have some reasonable explanation for his thieve. That reason might even be uncovered by investigating the circumstances; did the uncle have to feed his family, did he need to reach a sick friend or relative or was he being unlawfully chased and had to escape? The possibilities are endless. Each so called 'black sheep' of the family should be scrutinized as much as possible to do them justice at least in the eyes of their descendants.

It can be an adventure learning more about any dubious family character. Many times there can be actually more documents and records on an individual with problems with the courts or law than the law-abiding citizen. There are several Internet web sites just for this purpose that can be of assistance in your research. For North American and United Kingdom ancestors look at, http://www.blacksheepancestors.com. Here are records related to prisoners, executions, asylums and even the Salem Witch Trials.

For prisoners just in the United States review the site, http://www.ancestorhunt.com/genealogical_prison_records.htm. It is broken down into individual states and which databases are available online.

For ancestors just in the United Kingdom, http://www.blacksheepindex.co.uk
this site covers everything from villains, police, railway men, miners, textile mill workers, clergy and medical personnel. It is a listing of indexes to newspapers, journals and other records, not copies of the actual records.

Many English convicts were sent to the British penal colony of Georgia (and other colonies) in North America between 1718 until 1776, just because they were in debt. This practice was moved to Australia after the American Revolution, where a one-way passage to a prison in Australia branded the individual and his family. Many times their crime may have been petty thievery or even a supporter of the Irish Rebellion. This practice ran from 1783 to 1863. In Australia today, having a colonial convict ancestor is embraced as part of their heritage.

When you calculate the hundreds of ancestors you have, just in direct lineage, yes, you can have a couple 'black sheep' scattered along the way but they are truly nothing to fear. Instead, embrace their uniqueness, their individual approach to life or have the compassion to understand their torment of any illness not readily accepted by their society. Each ancestor has a distinctive place in the family's history, history that can not be ignored or forgotten.