Do you have ancestors with the last name of Back,
or Bach, who came from southeastern Kentucky?
Then you have probably heard about
"The Back-Bach Genealogical Society."
The name of that club comes from the fact
that some members of the family
spell their last name as "Back,"
while others spell it as "Bach."
However, not one member of that club
was a genealogist, or knew anything
about proper genealogical research.
They just pretended to be genealogists.
In 1994, they published a genealogy book
about their family. It was called,
A Back Family History: The Story
of a Major Branch of the Back/Bach Family.
But the genealogy it contained was inaccurate.
In fact, they knew that it was inaccurate,
long before they published it.
The book claimed that their Back (Bach) family,
who was from southeastern Kentucky,
descends from Harman Back,
who immigrated from Freudenberg, Germany,
and settled in Little Fork, Virginia.
However, they had absolutely no proof of it,
because it most certainly was not true.
Everyone in the Back (Bach) family,
who was from southeastern Kentucky,
already knew the actual genealogy of their family,
because it had been well-documented,
and passed down, within the family,
for hundreds and hundreds of years.
And it did not include Harman Back!
And so, when that inaccurate genealogy book
came out, members of the family,
who were not part of that little club,
were justifiably outraged.
Members of The Back-Bach Genealogical Society
were deservedly criticized for creating
that inaccurate genealogy book,
for all the shocking lies they told,
and for all the illegal things they did,
trying to "prove" their inaccurate genealogy.
They were shunned by the rest of the family,
who referred to them as, "Back-Bach people."
So...why did members of
The Back-Bach Genealogical Society
do such a terrible thing to their own family?
It was actually quite simple...
they thought they would "get rich quick,"
by pretending to "prove" that that they
descended from Harman Back,
who was being researched by the
incredibly profitable Germanna Foundation.
(This is explained, in detail, on this website.)
They may also have wanted to join DAR
(Daughters of the American Revolution), so
they had to "prove" they descended from
someone who was involved in
The Revolutionary War,
and Harman Back was.
Sadly, there are still some "Back-Bach people"
around today, telling the same, preposterous lie,
that their family descends from Harman Back.
One of them even claims she has "DNA proof"
that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern
Kentucky descends from Harman Back!
But, she staged her online "DNA Project,"
in order to falsify the results.
It's just another scam, created to
"prove" that same inaccurate genealogy.
Before telling you all about the inaccurate genealogy of the family, you should know that there is just one book available, which provides the ACCURATE genealogy of the family. The author used to use PayPal to sell her book, but one of the "Back-Bach people" (Karen) actually used PayPal to try to cheat the author out of money, and steal 3 copies of her book. So, the author no longer uses PayPal. The author tried using Amazon and Ebay, to sell her book, but when she did, the "Back-Bach people" then viciously attacked the listing of the book with false, negative reviews. The "Back-Bach people" are truly sick.
If you would like a copy of the book, you can buy it directly from the author. Mail a check for $45, payable to "Bach," to this address: P.O. Box 233, New Boston, Texas 75570. Be sure to include your name and address, or where you want the book to be shipped to.
The inaccurate genealogy was actually created, many years ago, by a man named Troy Lee Back.
Troy Lee Back: He was born in 1904, in southeastern Kentucky, in a little community called, "Carr Fork," which is in Perry County. He never even graduated from high school. In 1927, he married his cousin, Margaret Brashear. By 1930, they were living in Betsy Layne, Kentucky, which was a "coal camp," not too far away. A coal camp was a small settlement of people, where most of the men worked in the nearby coal mine, and they usually lived in one of the small houses provided by the coal company. They were paid in "scrip," which was similar to money, but it could only be spent at the local company store. Both Troy and his wife worked at the company store. By 1940, Troy and his family were living back in Perry County. They lived in Vicco, and Troy worked as a coal miner, for a coal company in Vicco.
Coal mining was very dangerous and dirty work. The U.S. Bureau of Mines required that every mine appoint a "Safety Director," in their mine, to insure that safety procedures were followed. Troy soon became the Safety Director at his mine. After a few years, Troy was tired of working so hard, and so he applied for a clerical job, at the headquarters for the Bureau of Mines, up in Washington, D.C. He got the job, in 1946, and so he and his family moved up to Arlington, Virginia, which was a suburb of Washington.
His job was a very simple clerical position, and so he had lots of free time. He decided to research the genealogy of his mother's/wife's family, the Brashear family, and write a book about it (with Leon Brashear), because he already knew the genealogy of his father's family, the Back (Bach) family. That was because his father's genealogy had been passed down, within his family, for hundreds of years, along with information in the old Bach Family Bible (actually, a Catechism). In fact, back then, the entire Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky knew all about their family's actual genealogy.
The Back (Bach) family's actual genealogy: They knew that their family had originally come from Thuringia, Germany, because, back in 1762, one of their ancestors had written into the old Bach Family Bible the following statement: "We came from Thuringia." They also knew that their ancestors were related to the famous musical composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition, they knew that, after their ancestors arrived in America, in 1740, they first settled in the far southern part of what soon became Culpeper County, Virginia, near the Robinson River, where the immigrant in their family (John Henry Back) built and repaired gristmills. That area was known as "The Robinson River Valley," and it later became Madison County, in 1792.
Furthermore, they knew that one of the sons of the immigrant, Joseph Back (1745-1819), had married Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), around 1773. Her parents (Nicholaus Hoffman and Barbara Elisabetha Koestnerin Hoffman) had died, when she was young, and she was then adopted by Samuel Maggard (1716-1778) and his wife; that's why researchers hyphenate her maiden name to be, "Hoffman-Maggard." In fact, Samuel Maggard's grandson, Samuel Maggard (1774-1855), became best friends with Joseph and Elizabeth's son, John Back (1774-1854), and he even migrated to southeastern Kentucky with them, around 1791. John Back later married Catherine Robertson, and Catherine's sister Rebecca Robertson married John's best friend, Samuel Maggard.
Joseph Back and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back later left Virginia, and they migrated to southeastern Kentucky, around 1791, with their children, including John Back (1774-1854); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871). Henry Back became Troy Lee Back's great grandfather.
Joseph Back, his family, and young Samuel Maggard, first settled along Quicksand Creek, in a place later known as "The Round Bottom," in what is now Breathitt County. Joseph and his wife established the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Most of the descendants of their son John Back (1774-1854) later lived in Breathitt County; most of the descendants of their daughter Mary Back (1777-1807) later lived in Menifee County; and most of the descendants of their son Henry Back (1785-1871), including Troy Lee Back, later lived in Letcher County and Perry County. The Back (Bach) family was very well known, and highly respected, throughout southeastern Kentucky. They still are.
The family reunions: Troy Lee Back had attended the annual Back (Bach) family reunions, ever since they started, in 1933, just like most members of the family had. Over 500 people attended the reunions; often, more than that. The reunions were lots of fun, and everyone looked forward to them. They were held on Miles Back's farm, every year, usually on the first Sunday of September. His farm was located in the little community of Quicksand, in Breathitt County, near where the Back (Bach) family had first settled, in 1791. The family's genealogy was always discussed at the reunions, and the old Bach Family Bible was passed around. The reunions were reported in the local newspapers, and many of those articles also featured an outline of the family's genealogy, including their connection to the famous musical composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.
And so, even after Troy had moved up to Washington, D.C., in 1946, he still returned to Quicksand, Kentucky, every year, to attend the annual Back (Bach) family reunion. In fact, Troy's name was even mentioned in many of the newspaper articles, as being there, including in 1957 and 1960 (see below). He was even elected the First Vice President of the Back (Bach) Family Reunion, in 1960. Therefore, there is no doubt whatsoever that Troy Lee Back knew the actual genealogy of his Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, just like everyone else in the family did.
Troy attended the 1957 Back (Bach) Family Reunion, in Quicksand, Kentucky (Breathitt County), just like he had done, ever since the reunions had started, back in 1933, even though he had moved away, in 1946, to Arlington, Virginia, and was then working in Washington, D.C.
Troy attended the 1960 Back (Bach) Family Reunion, in Quicksand, Kentucky (Breathitt County) as well. He was actually elected the "First Vice President," of that year's Family Reunion, because he had told people that he was writing a book about the genealogy of his mother's/wife's family, which he brazenly claimed made him "a genealogy expert." (It most certainly did not.)
As mentioned above, while Troy was living in Arlington, Virginia, he had decided to research the genealogy of his mother's/wife's family, the Brashear family. While he was looking for information about the Brashear family, he stumbled upon The Germanna Foundation, in the spring of 1956. Since they were located, just two hours south of his house, he drove down there one day.
The Germanna Foundation: They are a genealogical organization, located in Locust Grove, Virginia. They research the ancestors, and the descendants, of several German immigrants, who had settled into northern Virginia, in the early 1700s. Those German immigrants had mainly lived in two small settlements: Germanna, along the Rapidan River (8 miles northeast of Locust Grove); and Little Fork, along the Rappahannock River (30 miles north of Locust Grove). Members of The Germanna Foundation primarily consist of many of the descendants of those German immigrants.
But when Troy got there, in the spring of 1956, he found out that they didn't have any information on the Brashear family. However, he could not believe how much money they made, from selling genealogy. He was really impressed, and he immediately began wondering how he could take advantage of that.
Dr. Benjamin Holtzclaw: One of the people that Troy met at The Germanna Foundation was Dr. Holtzclaw, who was their Historian. He told Troy that he was familiar with several people with the last name of Back, who had lived in Culpeper County. One of them was Harman Back, who was from Freudenberg, Germany, and who had settled into Little Fork, in 1739. Harman was one of the ancestors that they were researching, at The Germanna Foundation, although they didn't have any information about his descendants.
Dr. Holtzclaw also told Troy about John Back (1738-1794) and his brother, Henry Back (1740-1809). He told Troy that those two brothers had married two sisters, Margaret Hoffman and Elizabeth Hoffman, who were the daughters of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg. He showed Troy some documents, including a copy of John Hoffman's Family Bible, in which Mr. Hoffman had listed the names and dates of birth of all of his children. Troy suddenly noticed Elizabeth Hoffman's date of birth, who was the woman who had married Henry Back (1740-1809). The date was July 13, 1746. He knew that he had seen that date of birth before. He soon realized that it was the same date of birth, for a woman named "Elizabeth Back," on a gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery, back in southeastern Kentucky! Everyone in Troy's family believed that the woman who was buried there was Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, the wife of Joseph Back (1745-1819), and that they were the people who had founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
However, the Hoffman Family Bible seemed to prove that Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the daughter of John Hoffman, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), was actually buried in The Maggard Cemetery, not Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, the wife of Joseph Back (1745-1819). So, Troy then went back to his house in Arlington, in order to think things through, and to decide what to do.
Dr. Wilgus Bach: It is important to know that, Dr. Wilgus Bach (1887-1936), who had lived in Breathitt County, all of his life, and who had been fascinated with the genealogy of his family for a long time, happened to find the actual, and original, gravestone of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), in The Maggard Cemetery, in 1922. It was a very small gravestone, and it only had her name on it, as "Elizabeth Back," and her year of death on it, which was "1826." Because she was his great, great grandmother, and she was the matriarch of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, Dr. Bach decided to honor her by making a larger gravestone for her, with more information on it. Unfortunately, he made two small errors in the inscription. First, he had her date of birth inscribed on the new gravestone as, "July 13, 1746," because he had seen that date of birth written into the old Bach Family Bible for a woman named "Elizabeth Back." Dr. Bach had assumed that was Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back. However, that woman, whose name and date of birth was in the old Bach Family Bible, was, in fact, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the daughter of John Hoffman, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809). Her name and date of birth were written into the old Bach Family Bible because she had married into their family, the family that was headed by John Henry Back, an immigrant from Thuringia, Germany. Henry Back (1740-1809) was his son, as was John Back (1738-1794), and Joseph Back (1745-1819). But, Dr. Bach did not realize that the Bible entry was actually describing Elizabeth Hoffman Back, not Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back.
Second, Dr. Bach had her place of birth inscribed on the new gravestone as, "Thuringia, Germany," because he had seen an old, handwritten statement in the old Bach Family Bible that said, "We came from Thuringia." He assumed that referred to Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, and her husband Joseph Back. But it didn't. They were both born in what later became Madison County, Virginia. That old, handwritten statement referred to Joseph's father (John Henry Back), and his ancestors, who were all born in Thuringia. But, Dr. Bach did not realize that either.
So, because Dr. Bach had made an error in the inscription on that new gravestone he had made, back in 1922, for her date of birth, it later caused a great deal of confusion, starting in 1956.
Apparently, Troy never considered the possibility that Dr. Bach had simply made an error on the inscription, nor did he care. He was too busy trying to figure out how to convince The Germanna Foundation that he descended from Harman Back, so that he could make a lot of money and "get rich," by selling a book about a genealogy that would connect him and his family, to one of The Germanna Foundation's ancestors.
The inaccurate genealogy was born: Troy soon came up with a story (an inaccurate genealogy), to connect himself, and his Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, to Harman Back. He started with the two brothers that Dr. Holtzclaw at The Germanna Foundation had told him about: John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809).
And then, Troy simply created some lies about them. His first lie was that those two brothers were the sons of Harman Back (they weren't). His second lie was that he descended from one of those two brothers, Henry Back (he didn't).
Even though Troy simply claimed that those two brothers were the sons of Harman Back, he had no proof of it, because it wasn't true. Troy hoped that The Germanna Foundation, and everyone else, wouldn't notice that he had no proof. He also hoped that they wouldn't notice that Little Fork, Virginia (where Harman Back lived), was in the far northern part of Culpeper County, Virginia; and that the Robinson River Valley (where John and Henry Back lived, and where Margaret and Elizabeth Hoffman lived) was in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, near the Robinson River, 25 miles away. In fact, Margaret and Elizabeth's father, John Hoffman, owned 3,525 acres along, and near, the Robinson River, and he was well-documented as living there.
The fact that those two brothers had married those two sisters, was actually well-known, among most genealogy researchers in Virginia, including The Germanna Foundation. So, Troy simply built his lies upon that well-known fact.
Next, Troy claimed that, after Henry Back (1740-1809) died, in 1809, his elderly and frail, 63-year-old widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, suddenly moved all the way down to the dangerous wilderness of southeastern Kentucky, 500 miles away, where she had never even been before, and where she didn't know anyone, with her (alleged) children, and she founded his Back (Bach) family there. Not only was that was ridiculous, he had no proof of that either, because it wasn't true. But Troy hoped that The Germanna Foundation, and everyone else, wouldn't notice that either. (In fact, after Elizabeth's husband Henry had died, she and her son Aaron moved a short distance away, to Rockingham County, Virginia, to live next to her widowed sister Margaret. That can easily be proven by the 1810 Census Report; the Rockingham County Tax Lists, from 1810-1815; and her son Aaron's 1816 land deed, when he sold her 50 acres there. Elizabeth died in Rockingham County, Virginia, around 1815; she never went to Kentucky.)
Troy further claimed that Elizabeth Hoffman Back's sons included John Back (1774-1854), who later married Catherine Robertson, in 1795; and Henry Back (1785-1871), who later married Susannah Maggard, in 1814. Of course, Troy also had no proof that John and Henry were her sons, because they weren't. (John Back and Henry Back were actually the sons of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, and her husband Joseph Back, who were Troy's actual ancestors.)
And then, finally, Troy said that he descended from Henry Back (1785-1871) and his wife Susannah Maggard, which was the only part of his story that was true. (Henry and Susannah actually were Troy's great grandparents. However, Henry was actually the son of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back and her husband Joseph Back, not Elizabeth Hoffman Back and her husband Henry Back.)
So, that was the story (the inaccurate genealogy) that Troy created, in order to "prove" that he, and the rest of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, descended from Harman Back. But it was all a lie. And because it was all a lie, he had absolutely no proof of any of it.
Troy returned to The Germanna Foundation: When Troy went back there, in the summer of 1956, he told his story (the inaccurate genealogy) to Dr. Holtzclaw, claiming that it was all true. But Dr. Holtzclaw was very suspicious of Troy's story. Dr. Holtzclaw knew that the old Bach Family Bible, which had belonged to the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, for generations, contained a handwritten statement, from 1762, on the book's flyleaf (the last page), which said, "We came from Thuringia." Dr. Holtzclaw had even seen that statement in that old book himself (as had Dr. Wilgus Bach). He was also aware that Thuringia was nowhere near Freudenberg, where Harman Back was from. Because of that, and because Troy had no proof of any of his claims, Dr. Holtzclaw did not believe that Troy's ancestors were descendants of Harman Back.
However, Troy was absolutely determined to make the people at The Germanna Foundation believe him. So, over the next few years, he kept going back to The Germanna Foundation, over and over. He met with lots of other people there, and he told them his story (the inaccurate genealogy). Troy was incredibly persistent. After awhile, many people at The Germanna Foundation began to believe him, because they wanted to believe him. That's because they were so anxious, to have any information about Harman Back's descendants, just so they could sell them memberships in their club, sell them their books, and sell them tickets to their meetings, that they would believe just about anything. After a few years, members of The Germanna Foundation pressured Dr. Holtzclaw to believe Troy, "for the financial good" of the organization. In other words, Dr. Holtzclaw was bullied by other members of The Germanna Foundation into believing Troy.
Troy also returned to his family's reunions: During that same period of time, Troy also continued going to his family reunions, down in southeastern Kentucky. He let people know that he had found "some new research" about the family's ancestors, but at first, he was very vague about it.
By 1958, he had convinced a few people at his family reunions that the woman who was buried in The Maggard Cemetery was Elizabeth Hoffman Back (the wife of Henry Back), and not Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (the wife of Joseph Back). He did that by telling them about John Hoffman's Family Bible. He noted how Elizabeth's date of birth in her father's Bible was the same, exact date of birth that was on that gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery, and since everyone knew that she had married Henry Back (1740-1809), Troy claimed that Elizabeth Hoffman Back must have founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, not Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back and Joseph Back. Apparently, nobody even considered the possibility that Dr. Bach had simply made an error on the inscription.
However, Troy specifically never told the people at his family reunions about the other part of his inaccurate genealogy, which was that Henry Back (1740-1809) was (allegedly) the son of Harman Back, from Freudenberg. Troy wanted them to hear that, directly from The Germanna Foundation, later on, in order to make it seem as if it came from them. That would make it seem more credible. In fact, he specifically told the people at his family reunions that Henry Back's father was not known. Back then, people at the family reunions were not aware that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a brother to Joseph Back (1745-1819), which meant that Henry Back's father was actually John Henry Back (from Thuringia).
The 1960 Germanna Foundation conference: Troy had been telling a few people at his family reunions about The Germanna Foundation, including Pearl Day Bach, who was the Historian for the Back (Bach) family reunions, and two of his cousins, Madison T. Bach and Grannis Bach. Troy talked all three of them into going to The Germanna Foundation's annual meeting with him, in the summer of 1960. All three of them became members of The Germanna Foundation as well, and their names were included in The 1956-1966 Germanna Memorial Foundation Membership Roster (available online). While they were at that 1960 meeting, members of The Germanna Foundation told them that Henry Back (1740-1809), the husband of Elizabeth Hoffman Back, was a son of Harman Back. So...Troy finally did it! After four years of lying to the people at The Germanna Foundation, they finally "believed" him (even though he had no proof), and so they openly declared that it was true. Neither Pearl, nor Madison, nor Grannis, had any idea that everything the people at The Germanna Foundation were telling them had come directly from Troy, without any proof whatsoever.
Pearl Day Bach: So, for the next few years (1960-1965), at the Back (Bach) family reunions, Pearl Day Bach told the attendees that the family descended from Harman Back, through his son Henry Back (1740-1809), and that it was Henry's wife Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) who was actually buried in The Maggard Cemetery. She did that because of what The Germanna Foundation had told her, at their meeting. But the majority of the family didn't believe it, especially since Troy was then suddenly begging everyone for money, so he could write a genealogy book about it. (Why did he need any money? Just write it!) More importantly, the majority of the family was not going to simply throw out the genealogy that they had known, for hundreds of years, just because of something that Troy Lee Back had said.
PLEASE NOTE: By 1966, Pearl Day Bach had figured out that Troy had been lying. She probably found the 1810 Census Report, proving that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, with her son Aaron, after her husband Henry had died. Pearl quit going to the Back (Bach) family reunions, and Troy stopped going to them as well.
Dr. Holtzclaw's books: Meanwhile, in 1962, Troy found out that Dr. Holtzclaw was working on a small book about John Hoffman. It would be titled, The Germanna Record, Number Three. Troy was able to convince Dr. Holtzclaw to include his inaccurate genealogy in that book, because Dr. Holtzclaw had been told to include it, by the other members of The Germanna Foundation. So, when that small book was published, in 1963, Troy took several copies down to southeastern Kentucky, where he waved them around as being the "proof" of his inaccurate genealogy.
Right after that, Troy found out that Dr. Holtzclaw had been working on a massive historical book, for quite some time, about all of the German immigrant families who had settled into Little Fork and Germanna, including Harman Back. It would be titled, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia, 1714-1750, and it would be published in 1964.
Troy literally begged Dr. Holtzclaw to include his claims about Harman Back, in his upcoming historical book, but Dr. Holtzclaw was very hesitant to do so. However, because Dr. Holtzclaw was under so much pressure from the other members of The Germanna Foundation, he had no choice. Yet, Dr. Holtzclaw also wrote in his historical book that he "had difficulties" with Troy's claims. He wrote that he believed there were two Back (Bach) families: one family was from Freudenberg (who settled in Little Fork, and was headed by Harman Back); and the other family was from Thuringia (who settled in the Robinson River Valley, 25 miles south of Little Fork, and was headed by John Henry Back). That was actually 100% correct. Even more important, Dr. Holtzclaw wrote in his book that, "There is no proof that John and Henry Back were the sons of Harman Back of the Little Fork group."
However, because Troy was able to at least get something about his inaccurate genealogy, into Dr. Holtzclaw's massive historical book, that was actually the real beginning of the inaccurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. But Troy knew that he had not fooled Dr. Holtzclaw. Dr. Holtzclaw died in 1986. Click here for more information about him.
The ship Oliver: One of the more peculiar members of The Germanna Foundation, John Blankenbaker, created the lie that Harman Back had sailed to America, on the ship Oliver, because that voyage was so dramatic, which made it such a "good story." Blankenbaker used that "good story," to "establish himself as an expert on the immigrant ships." He still uses that lie about the ship Oliver, to bring in lots of money for The Germanna Foundation. However, it was decisively proven, back in 1905, that Harman Back had actually sailed to America on the ship The Union Galley. Click here for proof of that. (On that website, scroll down to the bottom of that site and read the PDF, about the ship Oliver.)
After Troy was able to get his inaccurate genealogy included in Dr. Holtzclaw's booklet, in 1963, and in his massive historical book, in 1964, he realized that he would have to do three things, in order to move forward with his plan to "get rich quick," by selling an inaccurate genealogy book about his Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky.
Troy's plan: First, Troy knew that he would have to wait until Dr. Holtzclaw died, before he could publish his inaccurate genealogy book. That's because Troy knew that Dr. Holtzclaw didn't believe his inaccurate genealogy, and so he would most certainly speak out strongly against his inaccurate genealogy book, if he was still alive. (Dr. Holtzclaw died in 1986.)
Second, Troy knew that he would have to claim that his inaccurate genealogy was the same genealogy that Dr. Holtzclaw had supported. However, he could also only do that, after Dr. Holtzclaw had died. And so, many years later, after Dr. Holtzclaw had died, when the inaccurate genealogy book was finally published by The Back-Bach Genealogical Society, in 1994, on the Acknowledgements Page of the book, they gave "special appreciation" to Dr. Holtzclaw, "whose earlier research and extensive documentation helped to make this book possible." The implication was that their inaccurate genealogy was the same genealogy that Dr. Holtzclaw had supported. Of course, that was a blatant lie.
Third, Troy knew that he was going to have to eliminate all proof of the actual genealogy of his own Back (Bach) family, in southeastern Kentucky, before he could publish his inaccurate genealogy book. That's because he couldn't risk having any proof of the actual genealogy of his family coming out, because that would expose the fact that his inaccurate genealogy truly was inaccurate
Troy retired: Troy turned 65 years old, in 1969, and so he retired from his government job, with a hefty pension. By 1970, he and his family had left Arlington, Virginia, and they had moved back to southeastern Kentucky. As soon as they got back there, Troy went to see Amanda Bach. She was the widow of Dr. Wilgus Bach, and she had something that Troy wanted.
Troy vandalized the old Bach Family Bible: Troy knew that the first thing that he had to get rid of was that old, handwritten statement, from 1762, that was on the flyleaf of the old Bach Family Bible, which said, "We came from Thuringia." That was because Dr. Holtzclaw had said that the handwritten statement was his main objection to Troy's inaccurate genealogy, because Harman Back was from Freudenberg.
That old Family Bible had been purchased, back in 1762, by John Henry Back, who was the father of Joseph Back (1745-1819); Joseph was the founder of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, and Troy's actual great, great grandfather. John Henry Back had been known as Johann Heinrich Bach, back in Thuringia, Germany, and he had bought that Bible from his cousin, Johann Christian Bach, who was a son of Johann Sebastian Bach. (It is suspected that Johann Christian Bach had inherited that Bible from Johann Sebastian Bach.)
When Joseph Back and his family migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, they took that old Bach Family Bible with them. Joseph Back died in 1819, and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, died in 1826. (She was buried in The Maggard Cemetery, but it is not known where her husband Joseph was buried.) The old Bach Family Bible then passed down to their son John Back (1774-1854). After John died, in 1854, the old Family Bible was then passed around to each of his children, every year or so; and then, later, it was passed around to each of their children (John's grandchildren), every year or so.
By 1911, the family of Henry "Snoot" Back (1849-1911) had possession of the old Family Bible; "Snoot" was a grandson of John Back (1774-1854). When "Snoot" died, in 1911, his family gave the old Family Bible to Dr. Wilgus Bach, because they knew that he was researching and studying the genealogy of the Back (Bach) family. In fact, Dr. Bach had written, in his genealogy book, that he had also seen the old handwritten statement, "We came from Thuringia," on the flyleaf of the old Bach Family Bible. (It has been documented that countless other people in the family had seen it as well.)
After Dr. Bach was given the old Bach Family Bible, in 1911, he took it over to his father's store, "The Hiram Bach Grocery Store," which was not far from Quicksand, because his father maintained a small museum, up on the second floor of his store, where he displayed all sorts of artifacts, antiques, and old documents. The old Bach Family Bible stayed there, on the second floor of that store, for many years. Anyone could go there and look at it, and many people did. It was also taken over to the annual family reunions, every fall, so that people could look at it.
When Dr. Bach died suddenly, in 1936, his father Hiram Bach gave the old Bach Family Bible to Dr. Bach's widow, Amanda Bach, and she then kept it at her house. She continued to let anyone come over and look at the old book, anytime they wanted. She even let people take it to their own home for a few days. And she also made sure that it was taken over to the annual family reunions, every fall.
So, when Troy Back went to visit Amanda Bach, in 1970, he secretly took along a razor blade, which he had hidden in his pocket. He asked Amanda if he could see the old Bach Family Bible, and so she got it out for him. When she left the room for a few minutes, Troy pulled out that razor blade, and he actually cut out (and ripped out) that old handwritten statement, from 1762, from the flyleaf, which said, "We came from Thuringia." He put that piece of paper in his pocket, along with the razor blade. When Troy got home, he simply threw that piece of paper away. Amanda didn't know what he had done, until a few months later, when another family member went to see her, and wanted to see the old book; they noticed that the handwritten statement had been ripped out of the book. (This has also been well documented.)
Amanda Bach died in 1977. Many years later, in 2009, one of her descendants donated the old Bach Family Bible to the Breathitt County Library, in Jackson, Kentucky. The library has since digitized all the pages, including the flyleaf page (the last page), and they have put all the pages on their website. Click here to see that flyleaf page. (Scroll down to the bottom of the pages; it is on page 363.) You can clearly see where that section of the flyleaf, which contained that handwritten statement, has been ripped out.
The old Bach Family Bible contains lots of very old, handwritten notes, which prove the actual genealogy of the family. One of those notes (from 1787) proves that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, married into the family of John Henry Back (not the family of Harman Back). That's because her name, and date of birth, were written into John Henry Back's old Bach Family Bible, because she had married into his family (not Harman Back's family). She had married Henry Back (1740-1809), who was a son of John Henry Back, not Harman Back. (Her name and that exact date of birth were also written into her father's Family Bible, proving that this was the same woman.)
Another old, handwritten note in the old Bach Family Bible, also from 1787, proves that John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871) were the grandchildren of John Henry Back (not Harman Back). The names, and dates of birth, of those three children were written into John Henry Back's old Bach Family Bible, because they were members of his family (not Harman Back's family). They were the children of Joseph Back (1745-1819), who was a son of John Henry Back.
Those two old, handwritten notes from 1787 are on the same page of the old Bach Family Bible. They can also be seen on the library's website. Click here to see that page (page 292).
There is another old, handwritten note, in the old Bach Family Bible, from 1836, written by John Back (1774-1854). He listed his name and date of birth, along with the names and dates of birth of his wife (Catherine Robertson), and each of their children. It also proves that John Back (1774-1854) descends from John Henry Back (not Harman Back), because it was in John Henry Back's old Bach Family Bible. That old, handwritten note can also be seen on the library's website. Click here to see that page (page 38).
Troy ruined Dr. Wilgus Bach's book: The second thing that Troy needed to get rid of was the actual genealogy of his Back (Bach) family that was in Dr. Wilgus Bach's book.
Dr. Bach had been fascinated with the genealogy of his Back (Bach) family. So, he spent many years, in the early 1900s, interviewing scores of elderly people, in southeastern Kentucky, and writing down what they had said. He also collected copies of numerous old documents, from both Kentucky and Virginia, which included information about members of the Back (Bach) family. He put all of that information into his book. His book confirmed the actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, which was the same genealogy that everyone in the family already knew. But it was the details that Dr. Bach had accumulated, about the family, that were so interesting and so valuable.
Right after Amanda Bach died, in 1977, her family donated Dr. Bach's genealogy book (the only copy) to The Kentucky Historical Society, in Frankfort. They thought that it would be safe there, and that it would become a valuable resource for anyone interested in the family's genealogy.
Unfortunately, just a few weeks after the book was donated to The Kentucky Historical Society, Troy heard that it had been donated there, and so he quickly went to that facility, up in Frankfort. He asked the staff if he could see Dr. Bach's book, and so it was handed to him. And then, while Troy sat alone, somewhere in that building, he pulled out an ink pen, and a bottle of "White Out," from his briefcase, and he changed Dr. Bach's accurate research, to reflect the inaccurate genealogy that he had created. Troy ruined Dr. Bach's book. For example, wherever Dr. Bach had written the name "Joseph Back," as being the founder of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, Troy crossed it out and wrote "Henry Back" next to it (because he falsely claimed that Henry's widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, had founded his family in southeastern Kentucky). Troy also used "White Out" to cover up other valuable and accurate information in the book as well. ("White out" was not invented until 1951, and since Dr. Bach had died in 1936, it's quite obvious that he didn't use it.)
In addition, Troy actually inserted a piece of paper into Dr. Bach's book that he had brought with him. It was typed, and it described his inaccurate genealogy. It even had Troy's name and address on it, which proves that he was the one who had ruined Dr. Bach's remarkable book. (This has been documented as well.)
It's also quite obvious that Troy also removed a large number of pages from Dr. Bach's book, stuffed them into his briefcase, left the facility with them, and then later, threw them away. Nobody will ever know the extent of valuable research and information that Troy destroyed, in Dr. Bach's book, and also removed from his book. It's all gone now, forever.
Many years later, when the inaccurate genealogy book was finally published, members of The Back-Bach Genealogical Society actually referred to the changes that Troy had made, in Dr. Bach's book, as being "proof" that their inaccurate genealogy was correct! On the Acknowledgements Page of the book, they also gave "special appreciation" to Dr. Bach, "whose earlier research and extensive documentation helped to make this book possible" (just like they had done to Dr. Holtzclaw). The implication was also that their inaccurate genealogy was the same genealogy that Dr. Bach had supported. Of course, that was also a blatant lie. It was truly outrageous.
As a matter of fact, The Back-Bach Genealogical Society included the names of numerous people on their Acknowledgements Page, who most definitely did not support their inaccurate genealogy and who wanted nothing to do them, including Wardie and Hazel Craft, Josephine Wheeler Bach, and David Risner. (David Risner had initially supported The Back-Bach Genealogical Society, but he later quit the little club. He said that he had a guilty conscience about what they had done. He told several people, including Tilden Bach, that Reedus Back, the so-called "president" of the little club, had admitted to him that their genealogy was all wrong, and that Reedus and his cohorts had known that it was all wrong, long before the book was published.)
Around 1980: By that time, Troy realized that he needed to involve more people, to help him destroy even more evidence of his family's actual genealogy. So he enlisted the help of Custer Back, who was his first half-cousin (they had the same grandfather, but different grandmothers); Kenneth Back, who was Custer's son; and Dexter Dixon, who was Custer's friend. However, not one of those three men had any knowledge about proper genealogical research either.
Libraries were raided: Over the next decade or so, from about 1980 until about 1990, Troy and his cohorts actually went into every library and historical society, in Kentucky and Virginia, and they removed (stole) books and documents, which proved the family's actual genealogy, and then they just threw those items away. If they were caught, trying to get a particular book or document, out of any building, they just went back later, and they used an ink pen, to simply cross out the actual genealogy, in those books and documents, and then they wrote in their inaccurate genealogy. The most common thing they did was cross out the name of "Joseph Back" (the man who actually founded their family in southeastern Kentucky), and then they wrote in the name of "Henry Back" (whose widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, they falsely claimed founded their family in southeastern Kentucky). That vandalism was so rampant, throughout the Kentucky Library System, that some librarians still talk about it, to this day. (This has also been well documented.)
The Maggard Cemetery: But, the worst thing that Troy and his cohorts did, was in The Maggard Cemetery, in Letcher County, Kentucky. There, in the fall of 1988, Troy and Custer actually pulled up the old gravestone, from the ground, of their own great, great, grandmother, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), and then they threw it over the hill. (That was actually her second gravestone; it was the one that Dr. Wilgus Bach had made, in 1922.) Then, they replaced it with a fake gravestone that Troy had made (see the picture below), which described Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746). She was the widow of Henry Back (1740-1809), who was the son of John Henry Back. However, Troy had falsely claimed that Henry Back (1740-1809) was the son of Harman Back. Troy had also falsely claimed that, after Henry died, his widow Elizabeth had moved all the way down to southeastern Kentucky and founded his family there, and then she died there. That fake gravestone was meant to "prove" all of that. But it proved nothing. Click here for documented, and proven, information about Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746).
Troy and Custer actually placed that new, fake gravestone on top of the remains of their own great, great grandmother! It was truly evil. It was also illegal, because it violated several state laws.
In fact, Custer Back actually admitted that they were going to remove Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone, and replace it, in an article that he was able to get published, in The Filson Club History Quarterly (Vol. 62, No. 4, Oct. 1988, p. 467-473). Custer wrote, towards the end of his article, "Action has been taken to replace the marker at Elizabeth's grave..." (see that part of the article below). His bizarre, seven-page article went into great detail, describing the inaccurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, which his cousin Troy Lee Back had created. Custer also wrote how he and his cohorts were going to use that (inaccurate) genealogy, to "correct" their family's (actual) genealogy. However, he did not provide even one piece of evidence that proved the inaccurate genealogy (because there wasn't any). The only reason that Custer was able to get that article published was because he had claimed, in the first paragraph, that his article was "correcting" some errors made by Harry Caudill, who had written an article for The Mountain Eagle newspaper, the year before, on August 5, 1987. Mr. Caudill was a very prominent man, in southeastern Kentucky, and so the media there usually printed just about anything concerning him.
Many years later, after The Back-Bach Genealogical Society had published their inaccurate genealogy book, they actually referred to that fake gravestone that Troy had made, in 1988, as being "proof" that their inaccurate genealogy was correct. That was absolutely astonishing.
Sadly, that fake gravestone for Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) is still there, in The Maggard Cemetery, on top of the remains of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826). It is such a disgrace. The fact is, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) actually died in, and was buried in, Rockingham County, Virginia; she never went to Kentucky, and she was never buried in The Maggard Cemetery.
Memory Hill: Shortly after Troy and Custer threw Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone over the hill, it was retrieved by Wardie Craft and his wife Hazel Bach Craft, who took it back to their museum in Caney, Kentucky. (Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back was Hazel's great, great, great, great grandmother.) Their museum was actually their home, and it was called, "Memory Hill." Behind their museum was The Memory Hill Cemetery, and so they placed Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone back there. Troy and Custer found out about that, and they were furious. One day, when Wardie and Hazel were not home, Troy sent a stone mason over to The Memory Hill Cemetery, and had him carve the word, "INCORRECT," in big, bold, black letters, across the bottom of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone. (How despicable can you get!)
Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone is probably still at The Memory Hill Cemetery. Click here to see a picture of it.
Someone needs to take her gravestone back to The Maggard Cemetery, and put it back in the ground, where it belongs, over her remains...and get rid of that fake gravestone for Elizabeth Hoffman Back.
What else?: Unfortunately, there is no way to know what other precious family artifacts, books, or historical documents, that the members of The Back-Bach Genealogical Society destroyed. But clearly, they eliminated a significant amount of their own family's actual genealogy (both in Kentucky and Virginia), because there is not much left of it today. They did all of those terrible things, so that nothing would stand in their way of selling their inaccurate genealogy book, and "getting rich quick."
Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809). After Henry died, she moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, to live near her widowed sister Margaret; Elizabeth died there, in 1815.
Elizabeth never moved to Kentucky, and she is not buried in The Maggard Cemetery. This is a fake gravestone that was made, to try to "prove" the inaccurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
In 1987, The Mountain Eagle newspaper, in Whitesburg, Kentucky, published an article by Harry Caudill, about the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Some of what he wrote in that article was correct, but some of it was just absurd speculation.
Mr. Caudill was a highly respected and prominent man, in southeastern Kentucky. So, Custer Back used that fact, as an excuse, to get his "response" to Mr. Caudill's article, printed, in the Filson Club History Quarterly, in 1988 (see above). But, in his article, Custer simply described that inaccurate genealogy of his family. In the last paragraph, Custer sarcastically wrote that the Back (Bach) family should thank Mr. Caudill for giving Custer the opportunity to describe the "true ancestry" of his family, but there was nothing "true" about what he wrote, except that he was going to (illegally) remove his ancestor's own gravestone.
In 1986: In November of 1986, Dr. Holtzclaw died, which Troy had anxiously been waiting for. Troy then knew that he was finally "free" to aggressively pursue writing and publishing the inaccurate genealogy book that was going to "make him rich."
In 1987: In 1987, a man named Bud Phillips came to southeastern Kentucky, because he was doing research for a genealogy book that he was writing about his mother's ancestors (the Maggard family). Bud soon met Troy, and Troy told him all about his inaccurate genealogy of his Back (Bach) family. Unfortunately, Bud believed Troy, and so he included Troy's inaccurate genealogy, in his 1991 book, Coming Down Cumberland. A few years later, Bud found out that Troy had been lying, but by then, his book had already been published. Bud was not happy about that at all.
In 1988: As discussed above, in the fall of 1988, Troy and his cousin Custer committed the ultimate act of evil, when they shamefully desecrated the grave of their very own great, great grandmother, in The Maggard Cemetery.
Troy and his cohorts actually thought that people would believe that the fake gravestone they erected in The Maggard Cemetery "proved" that Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), had come to Kentucky, and founded their Back (Bach) family there. They also thought that, if they simply claimed, in their inaccurate genealogy book, that her husband Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back, without providing any proof, people would believe it. They further thought that, if they simply claimed, in their inaccurate genealogy book, that Elizabeth and Henry Back's children included John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871), also, without providing any proof, people would believe that too.
Their arrogance was incredibly brazen, especially when they knew full well that their inaccurate genealogy was all wrong, and they already knew the actual genealogy of their own family. They were absolutely blinded by greed, believing that they were going to "get rich quick," by selling a book, which "proved" that their family descended from Harman Back, simply because he was being researched by the incredibly profitable Germanna Foundation.
By 1989: After Troy had removed the proof that his family was from Thuringia, Germany, from the old Bach Family Bible; and after he had removed the actual genealogy of his family, from Dr. Wilgus Bach's genealogy book; and after he and his cohorts had either removed all of the books and documents that contained the actual genealogy of their family, from all of the libraries and historical societies, in Kentucky and Virginia, or had altered what was in them; and after he and his cousin Custer Back had removed their great, great grandmother's gravestone from The Maggard Cemetery and replaced it with a fake one, he felt confident that all of the proof of the actual genealogy of his own family (or at least 99% of it) had been eliminated. (However, he forgot, or he was unable, to steal the microfilms of the old newspapers from all the libraries and historical societies; they are still there. They contain articles about the family reunions, many of which discuss the actual genealogy of the family.)
Troy then set up "The Book Committee," consisting of himself, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter. They soon asked several other members of the family to join them, and they started holding meetings, in order to talk about how to proceed with writing and publishing the inaccurate genealogy book. Troy had everyone convinced that they were all going to "get rich" by selling that book.
Reedus Back: In the spring of 1990, Troy enlisted the help of another family member, Reedus Back, to help with the writing and publishing of the book, simply because Reedus had a Ph.D. (Reedus was also Troy's first half-cousin; they had the same grandfather, but different grandmothers.)
However, Reedus had never held a real job in his life; he had spent his life in academia. He had a Ph.D., but it was in education, and from what was then a second-rate school. Reedus also had no knowledge about proper genealogical research, nor did he know anything about early American history, German immigration, or book publishing. At his mediocre college, he was only known for "turning storage rooms into classrooms," which was extremely odd. But because Reedus had a Ph.D., Troy wanted him involved, simply because he thought that Reedus' degree would lend credibility to the inaccurate genealogy book. But what Troy didn't know was that bringing Reedus onboard would turn out to be a huge mistake, not only for him, but also for Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter.
"The Back-Bach Genealogical Society" was created: Reedus quickly put himself in charge of "The Book Committee." He simply took over the entire book project, in a very aggressive and obnoxious manner. Yet, he later told people that he was "asked to take on the responsibility of getting the project completed."
One of the first things that Reedus did was to get rid of Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter. That's because he wanted the proceeds from selling the book, all for himself. He began getting rid of those four men by simply not inviting any of them to the meetings of "The Book Committee." Reedus continually told the rest of the people in the meetings that they were all going to "get rich," from selling the inaccurate genealogy book, even though he knew that none of them would ever get a cent.
Reedus was extremely manipulative, and a real backstabber. Within just a year or two, he had forced Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter, completely out of "The Book Committee," insuring that he would be able to keep all the money, from selling the book, for himself. By 1992, Kenneth and Dexter had actually moved to Ohio, and Custer had actually moved to California! In other words, whatever Reedus had done to them was so brazen, and so outrageous, that those three men actually left Kentucky! As for Troy, his health had become so bad that, by 1992, he was no longer even able to leave the house; he died, a few years later.
After Reedus had effectively gotten rid of the four founders, who had done all of the initial work (creating the story of the inaccurate genealogy, coordinating with The Germanna Foundation, and removing the evidence of the actual genealogy), he formed a new, little club that he called, "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," on June 16, 1993. He gave his new, little club that impressive-sounding name, just to make it appear as if real genealogists were involved. But, of course, no genealogist was ever involved.
Reedus made himself the "president" of his new, little club, and he began inviting lots of people to join, so that they could do all of the actual work. (Reedus had lots of experience, from his career in education, knowing how to entice other people to do all of the actual work, while he later took credit for it.)
Reedus began leading the meetings, and telling the members what to do. He tried to make the meetings seem so official and so important, by following "parliamentary procedures." This means that decisions were made by first having someone propose an idea, and then, someone else "moved it." And then, if a third person "seconded the motion," the idea passed. They actually wrote pages and pages of rules and bylaws. Even more bizarre, they even wrote a constitution!
They also elected other "officers," including a vice president, a treasurer, a secretary, and a financial secretary. Why a financial secretary was needed, in addition to a treasurer, is not known. They were obviously expecting a massive amount of money to be pouring in, from the sale of the inaccurate genealogy book! Reedus announced that the treasurer and the financial secretary were bonded, "for the protection" of their little club, but there is no proof that a bond was ever obtained.
Reedus also set up several committees, including a Membership Committee, and a Steering Committee. They voted on everything, no matter how trivial, or how absurd. They also spent a great deal of time congratulating each other. Reedus even published the minutes of their ridiculous meetings, in newsletters. It was all so foolish, and so childish. But Reedus did all those things, in a desperate attempt to make it appear as if he was running a legitimate and credible organization. However, not one member of that little club was a genealogist, or even a historian. They had no idea what they were doing, but they didn't care. Their only goal was to publish an inaccurate genealogy book, so that they could all "get rich quick." They thought that they would all share in that massive amount of money, because Reedus had led them to believe that. But, in fact, he knew, from the beginning, that he was going to keep all of the income for himself.
More lies: Reedus announced in his newsletters that he was "obtaining a tax number," because he claimed that he was "setting up the organization as a non-profit." But both of those statements were a lie. The Kentucky Secretary of State has no record of The Back-Bach Genealogical Society ever registering as a non-profit, or even as a corporation, a LLC, or a sole proprietorship. Click here (search by Business Name).
And there is no record of The Back-Bach Genealogical Society ever obtaining a tax number, from the Internal Revenue Service either. Click here (search by Organization Name, in the second field). Therefore, because Reedus lied, and The Back-Bach Genealogical Society never was a non-profit (or any type of entity), and they never had a tax number, there was no way that he could have reported any of the income to the Internal Revenue Service. All of the income just went into Reedus' pocket, tax-free.
In November of 1994, Reedus finally published the inaccurate genealogy, in a big, orange book, which he sold for $85 (a 2-volume set). The title of the book was, A Back Family History: The Story of a Major Branch of the Back/Bach Family. He had 500 copies printed. However, Reedus didn't want his name on the cover, as an author, in case someone sued, due to the inaccurate genealogy that it contained. So he put the names of the four original founders (who he had kicked out of the book project, a few years before) on the cover. (He wanted them to take the blame, in any lawsuit!) Reedus' name was inside the book, instead, as "The Coordinator and Director of Publication." (He could then claim that he was simply "coordinating things," and so, he was "not responsibile for anything.")
It is important to note that Reedus never even obtained an ISBN number for the book. All legitimate publishers get an ISBN number for their book; it's how books are identified. Without an ISBN number, the book could not be sold in bookstores. This truly proves that Reedus knew nothing about book publishing either.
In addition to the inaccurate genealogy that the book contained, it was also full of misspelled words, bad grammar, and typos. The carelessness was unbelievable. Moreover, there was absolutely no proof, in the book, that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back, or from Henry Back (1740-1809). The book also featured the same bizarre numbering system, to organize the people, that Troy Lee Back had used in his Brashear book. It was painfully obvious that the book did not conform to any proper genealogical research standards whatsoever. Why anyone would ever believe one word of it remains a mystery.
The book falsely claimed that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from a man named Harman Back (aka Hermann Bach), who was born in 1708, in Freudenberg, Germany, and who came to America in 1738, and later settled in Little Fork, Virginia. The book also falsely claimed that Harman Back sailed to America, on the ship Oliver, but that was not true either. Click here for accurate information about Harman Back.
The book also falsely claimed that Harman Back had four sons, although they altered some of the dates of birth and death, of those four men, to fit in with all of their outrageous lies: Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797); John Back (1738-1794); Henry Back (1740-1809); and Joseph Back (1756-1832).
However, Harman Back only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797).
Below are some facts about Harman Back Jr. (the only son of Harman Back), as well as some facts about the other three men who were not sons of Harman Back:
Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797): It has been conclusively proven, by many Board-Certified genealogists, several respected historians and researchers, and the genealogy experts at DAR, that Harman Back only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797). It has also been proven that neither Harman Back Jr., or any of his descendants, ever migrated to southeastern Kentucky. Click here for accurate information about Harman Back Jr.
John Back (1738-1794): It has also been conclusively proven, by many Board-Certified genealogists, several respected historians and researchers, and the genealogy experts at DAR, that John Back was not the son of Harman Back (or Harman Back Jr.). John was actually the son of John Henry Back (1709-1789), which was a completely different Back family than the Harman Back family. John Henry Back's family lived in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, near the Robinson River, which became Madison County, in 1792. That was 25 miles south of Little Fork. The brother of John Back (1738-1794) was Joseph Back (1745-1819), who migrated to Kentucky, in 1791, and founded the Back (Bach) family there. John Back (1738-1794) married Margaret Hoffman, around 1773, and they had five daughters. Margaret was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg. John Back died in Madison County, Virginia in 1794. Click here for accurate information about John Back (1738-1794).
Henry Back (1740-1809): It has also been conclusively proven, by many Board-Certified genealogists, several respected historians and researchers, and the genealogy experts at DAR, that Henry Back was not the son of Harman Back (or Harman Back Jr.) either. Henry was actually the son of John Henry Back (1709-1789) as well. Henry was the brother of John Back (1738-1794), and he also lived in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, near the Robinson River, which became Madison County, in 1792. Henry Back's other brother was Joseph Back (1745-1819), who migrated to Kentucky, in 1791, and founded the Back (Bach) family there. Henry Back (1740-1809) married Elizabeth Hoffman (who was the sister of Margaret Hoffman, who married Henry's brother John), also around 1773. Henry and Margaret had six sons and two daughters. One of their sons was John Back (born 1776), who migrated to North Carolina in 1798, where he raised a large family; he died, sometime after 1820; he never moved to Kentucky. Another one of their sons was Henry Back Jr. (born 1783), who died around 1805, in Madison County, Virginia; he never moved to Kentucky either. Click here for accurate information about Henry Back (1740-1809) and his actual sons.
It is critical to understand that John Back (born 1776), the actual son of Henry Back (1740-1809), was not the John Back (1774-1854), who migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, with his family, and who later married Catherine Robertson.
It is also critical to understand that Henry Back Jr. (born 1783), the actual son of Henry Back (1740-1809), was not the Henry Back (1785-1871), who migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, with his family, and who later married Susannah Maggard.
Joseph Back (1756-1832): It has also been conclusively proven, by many Board-Certified genealogists, several respected historians and researchers, and the genealogy experts at DAR, that Joseph Back was also not the son of Harman Back. He was actually the son of Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797). However, The Back-Bach Genealogical Society simply backed up Joseph's year of birth to 1742, in order to make it seem more plausible that he was a son of Harman Back. Why they did that is not known, especially since Joseph wrote down his date of birth into his own Family Bible, and so his date of birth was documented. Joseph married Winneford Harper, in 1786, and in 1789, they migrated to what later became Garrard County, Kentucky, with his parents (Harman Back Jr. and his wife Katherine). Click here for accurate information about Joseph Back (1756-1832).
Correct information about Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746): It has also been conclusively proven, by many Board-Certified genealogists, and several respected historians and researchers, that, shortly after Elizabeth's husband Henry Back (1740-1809) died, in 1809, she moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, to live next to her widowed sister Margaret Hoffman Back, who had moved there after her husband, John Back (1738-1794), had died. (Henry Back was a brother of John Back.) This can be confirmed by the fact that Elizabeth was seen in the 1810 Census Report, living in Rockingham County, with her son Aaron, and her two daughters. Elizabeth was also listed in the Tax Lists, in Rockingham County, from 1810 through 1815. (Her sister Margaret was also seen in the Census Reports and Tax Lists, in Rockingham County, until her death, in 1831.) Click here for accurate information about Elizabeth Hoffman Back.
Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), who was the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), and the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, died in 1815, in Rockingham County, Virginia. She never moved to Kentucky. She did not die "after December 12, 1831," in southeastern Kentucky, as was inscribed on that fake gravestone that Troy Back had made for her, in 1988. She was not buried in The Maggard Cemetery, in Letcher County, Kentucky, and she did not establish the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
In fact, Elizabeth's son Aaron Back had bought that land for her to live on, in Rockingham County, on April 10, 1809. Six years later, after Elizabeth had died, in 1815, Aaron sold that land, on August 19, 1816. The fact that Aaron had bought that land for her, and then sold it, was well documented, in that 1816 deed. Click here for information about Aaron Back and that land deed.
Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), NEVER went to southeastern Kentucky; she was NOT buried in The Maggard Cemetery; and she did NOT establish the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
In early 1994, shortly before Reedus Back published his inaccurate genealogy book, he suddenly realized that the people who were living in southeastern Kentucky would never buy his book, because they already knew all about the actual genealogy of their family. That's when Reedus came up with a devious plan to sell his book.
He decided to simply find members of his Back (Bach) family who had been born, and raised, far away from southeastern Kentucky, preferably in other states. He figured that those people probably would not have already heard about the actual genealogy of their family, and so they would probably buy his book.
He found over 400 people, living outside of Kentucky. In the summer of 1994, he sent them an invitation, to attend his "Secret Family Meeting," that he was going to hold, on October 1, 1994, at the Ramanda Hotel, in Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington was over 100 miles away from southeastern Kentucky. Reedus held it there, because he didn't want members of his Bach (Back) family, who lived way down in southeastern Kentucky, to know about it.
In the invitations, Reedus wrote that, "the true ancestry of your Back (Bach) family will finally be revealed," at that "Secret Family Meeting," and how exciting it was going to be. Reedus later bragged, in one of his newsletters, that those attendees, at that October 1, 1994 meeting, had come from 24 different states.
Reedus held his annual "Secret Family Meetings" for four years, from October of 1994, through October of 1997.
However, sometime before the October, 1994 meeting, Reedus was somehow able to push out the other four "authors" (Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter) from the club. Reedus had actually planned on doing that, years before, because he wanted all the money for himself. But, to Reedus' surprise, Custer found out about the 1994 meeting and he showed up anyway. So, Reedus let him give a speech about Harman Back and the ship Oliver.
At those four "Secret Family Meetings," Reedus sold all 500 copies of his inaccurate genealogy book, simply because the attendees didn't know the actual genealogy of their own family. He also sold over 200 "memberships" in his ridiculous, worthless, little club: $20 for a one-year membership, and $100 for a "lifetime" membership!
He even sold memberships in The Germanna Foundation, which he referred to as, "their sister organization." In fact, to this day, The Germanna Foundation is still spewing out that inaccurate genealogy about Harman Back as being true. That's so strange, because they must know it's a lie.
The books were printed in November of 1994. But, a few weeks later, someone in the Back (Bach) family, down in southeastern Kentucky, heard about it, and they were very angry. They found out where the books had been printed, and so they went there and destroyed the plates. That meant that no more copies could be printed.
That's why, in his December, 1994 newsletter, Reedus announced that they were not printing any more copies of the book. However, he simply had a CD made, from his copy of the book. He then had it duplicated, and he began selling CDs for $45 each. He sold thousands of CDs, mainly from a bizarre website that he had set up, which only featured strange pictures of the club's members.
In all of his newsletters, Reedus constantly begged people to get other people to buy a membership in his little club. He wrote that people weren't really a member of the family, unless they bought one of his memberships! Brazenly, he also wrote how much he wanted "to build an ongoing and profitable genealogy business" for himself, by selling memberships, books, trips, and other things. His newsletters also contained pages of corrections to his book, for people born in more recent years. At one point, there were so many corrections needed, that Reedus said he was giving up on providing any more corrections!
1998: In the spring of 1998, Reedus sent out newsletters to members of his Bach (Back) family who lived in southeastern Kentucky. He announced that he, and The Back-Bach Genealogical Society, were suddenly going to be "in charge of" the family reunions, from then on.
Reedus announced that he was moving the reunions, from Miles Back's farm, in Quicksand (where they had been held for nearly 70 years), all the way down to the Pine Mountain Grill restaurant, in Whitesburg, 60 miles away. He also said that he was charging people $25 to attend the reunion, and $20 to join The Back-Bach Genealogical Society. When members of the family in southeastern Kentucky received those newsletters, they were outraged.
Nobody had ever paid money to go to their own family reunion before, and there was no reason to join any club!
So, nobody from southeastern Kentucky went to that "new reunion," in the fall of 1998, or to any of the subsequent ones. The few people who went were from out-of-state, because they had no idea what was really going on.
"New reunions": At his "new reunions," Reedus simply copied what The Germanna Foundation did. Besides selling books, memberships, and tickets to their annual meetings; and begging people to donate items to be auctioned off at the meetings; Reedus also sold trips to Germany, to Freudenberg ($5,000 per person). Reedus headed up all of those trips; and by overcharging people for their trips, he got his trip for free.
The few attendees had to sit quietly, and listen, for over two hours, while Reedus Back loomed over them, from up at the podium, looking down at them, and lecturing them about Harman Back. He also continually solicited the attendees for money. He even had his friends come in, and solicit them for money as well, including a man who tried to sell them Gideon Bibles! (Gideon Bibles are supposed to be given away for free.) And if anyone dared to ask about the actual genealogy of the family, Reedus and his cohorts mocked them, and laughed at them.
Only thirty people attended that first "new reunion," but less and less people went, each year after that. By 2008, nobody showed up, and so the "new reunions" ended.
Reedus Back destroyed
the family reunions, of his own family,
which had been going on for nearly 70 years.
The real damage: But it was that big, orange, inaccurate genealogy book that caused the really serious damage to the family.
That awful book pitted the people who had bought it, and somehow believed what was in it (even though there was absolutely no proof in it, for any of its claims); against the people who knew and supported the actual genealogy of the family. In fact, the division was so strong that, many people who believed the lies in that awful book even stopped speaking to members of their own family who believed the actual genealogy of their family.
Soon, the people who believed the actual genealogy of their family, because there was actual proof of the lineage, called the people who believed the lies in that awful book, "Back-Bach people" (named after The Back-Bach Genealogical Society). That nickname was most certainly a derogatory term. Some people also called The Back-Bach Genealogical Society, "The Back-Bach Illogical Society."
Reedus Back tore his own family apart, with that big, orange, inaccurate genealogy book. There are still a few people around today, who blindly support that inaccurate genealogy; they are still looked down upon, and they are still called, "Back-Bach people."
The "Back-Bach people": These are people who still continue to cling to that inaccurate genealogy, because, either (1) they refuse to admit that they were duped, and they are too lazy to research the facts for themselves; (2) they are simply not very smart; or (3) they like to pretend that they descend from Harman Back, or his alleged son Henry Back (1740-1809), so that they can join DAR (The Daughters of the American Revolution).
Harman Back was said to have "rendered aid" (provided supplies or ammunition) to some of the soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War; however, DAR states that he simply donated some brandy to the soldiers. And the name of Henry Back (1740-1809) was seen on a list of men who might be drafted (called, "The Class No. 95 List"), in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, in the Robinson River Valley, which was 25 miles south of Little Fork. Each area of each county, in Virginia, had to prepare a list of men who could be consideed to be drafted. But, just because a man's name was on one of those lists, that does not mean that he actually had a rifle and fought on the battlefield of war. In fact, there are no records of Henry Back (1740-1809) actually fighting in any battle. (All the other men on the "Class No. 95" list of soldiers also lived in the Robinson River Valley, not way up in Little Fork.) Even though Harman Back and Henry Back (1740-1809) had very minimal (some would say, questionable) involvement with the war, they are considered to be "Patriots," in DAR, which means that their actual descendants "qualify" for membership in DAR (i.e. they can pay DAR $60 a year, for the "privilege" of being a member).
Shortly after Reedus Back, and The Back-Bach Genealogical Society, published the inaccurate genealogy book, he started looking for organizations that he could "use," to promote the book. He found at least three.
Library of Congress: He mailed a copy of the book to The Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C., and then he claimed that, because he had sent a copy there, that somehow meant that The Library of Congress had endorsed the book. Of course, that was ludicrous. Anyone can mail a book to The Library of Congress. The reason that an author mails their book to The Library of Congress is to obtain "catalog data" for their book, which is what all libraries across the country depend upon, in order to index their books. Having catalog data on a book allows it to be included in a library.
Please note that "catalog data" has nothing whatsoever to do with copyright. In order to copyright a book, an author has to first obtain an ISBN number (International Standard Book Number) for their book. An ISBN number is either 10 or 13 digits long, and it is used by bookstores to identify a book. You have to have an ISBN number for a book, in order to sell it in a bookstore. But because Reedus knew nothing about book publishing, and nothing about copyright, he didn't know about ISBN numbers either. He never obtained an ISBN number for his book.
The Family History Library: He also mailed a copy of the book to The Family History Library, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then he claimed that, because he had sent a copy there, that also somehow meant that The Family History Library had endorsed the book. Of course, that was ludicrous as well. In addition, Reedus even claimed that, since the book was in that library, that meant that the genealogy it contained was accurate. But that's absurd! Anyone can mail a book to The Family History Library. That doesn't mean that they endorse the book, or that the genealogy in the book is correct. But those claims were just another example of the manipulative manner in which Reedus Back always operated.
Unfortunately, because the book is actually indexed at The Family History Library, nowadays, many people are fooled into thinking that the book must be a legitimate genealogical resource. But it most certainly isn't. Anyone can send a book there and get it indexed in their catalog. That does not mean that the information in the book is accurate.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR): They were founded in 1890, in Washington, D.C. They maintain a list (a database) of the men who were involved in The Revolutionary War, on the American side, and they refer to those men as, "Patriots." Many of those men were soldiers who actually fought in the war, while others just supported the war effort, generally by providing supplies or ammunition to the American soldiers.
If you are researching your family's genealogy, and you discover that one of your ancestors served in the Revolutionary War, they are probably in DAR's database. And so, if you want to spend about $10-$30, you can buy a copy of the information about your ancestor that DAR has, in that database.
If you want to join DAR, you first have to "apply" for membership. It is a long, complicated process, and you do all the work yourself. You have to completely document your lineage, from yourself, all the way back, in time, to your "Patriot," generation by generation, with "acceptable" documentation. Then you have to find a local DAR "Chapter" near you and contact them. You have to submit your application and genealogical documentation through a local Chapter, not through their headquarters in Washington, D.C. The current application fee is $130. It is not refundable, and so, if they decide that you don't qualify, or if they just don't want you, you don't get your money back. (But they will still keep your genealogical information.) If you do qualify, then you can become a member. That will cost you about $60 a year. Or, you can buy a lifetime membership for about $1,300! (If you ever fail to pay your membership dues, they will quickly kick you out.)
However, after you submit your application and genealogical information to DAR, they will suddenly proclaim that they "own" your information, and so they will then refer to your information as being their "proprietary information." From then on, they will sell your genealogical information for about $10-$30, to anyone who wants to buy it.
Once a woman becomes a member, she can shop in the DAR Insignia online store and buy her DAR "ribbon" ($27-$90). The ribbon is attached to her shirt, on her left shoulder, and it hangs down, several inches. Then she can start buying DAR "pins," to attach to her ribbon! The main pin, the "DAR Official Insignia" pin ($900-$6,300) hangs at the bottom of the ribbon. She can also buy her State pin, her Chapter pin, and her Ancestor pin, as well as all of the commemorative pins that she wants. Most of the pins range in price, from about $50, to about $200. There is also a large number of pins for sale that have to be "earned," either by bringing in new members, by doing specific volunteer work for DAR, or by donating money to DAR.
For example, a member can become a "Sustaining Supporter," by having at least $5 per month automatically deducted from her bank account or credit card. After 12 consecutive months of donations, she will receive a "Sustaining Supporter 1-year" pin for her ribbon! After 5 years of consecutive monthly donations, she will receive a "Sustaining Supporter 5-year" pin for her ribbon!
The entire focus at DAR is to bring in money. Besides selling memberships; selling the genealogical information that people had researched and prepared, on their own, in order to join DAR; and selling ribbons and pins to their members; DAR has also devised lots of other ways to bring in large amounts of money, not only from their members, but also from nonmembers.
For example, members, or nonmembers, can shop in the DAR online store. There are hundreds of overpriced items for sale, from apparel, to jewelry, to books. Or, they can donate to the "President General's Project," which was established in order to build a monument dedicated to DAR, in Washington, D.C. The minimum donation for that is $25. (Why in the world do they need a monument to themselves?) Or, they can donate to the "Guardian Trust Endowment," so that DAR can build up a stash of money, to "maintain their office building in Washington, D.C." (?) Or, they can simply donate to DAR's "General Fund," with a minimum donation of $25. (Where does that money supposedly go?) DAR also pressures you to ask your employer to "match" your donation(s).
Wealthy people (members, or nonmembers) can join DAR's "Founders Club." That's a program in which either you leave your estate to DAR (with a $5,000 minimum), or you name DAR as the beneficiary of your retirement plan. You can even donate stock to them (but only "valuable" stock). They even advise you about how much money to leave to DAR, "depending upon your age." (?)
DAR claims that their membership dues only cover a portion of their operating expenses. With approximately 180,000 members, and with each of them paying $60 a year, that means they bring in nearly $11 million a year, just from their membership dues alone! (Do you really believe that they cannot run their operation on $11 million a year?)
In recent years, in order to attract even more members (more membership dues), DAR has expanded their membership criteria to include descendants of the following: signers of The Declaration of Independence; participants in The Boston Tea Party; defenders of any fortress during the war; refugees of the war; doctors and nurses who tended to any soldier during the war; ministers who were alive then; and people who worked in the government during the war! They have also added "Sons of the American Revolution," for male descendants of any Patriot. They have even added "Forgotten Patriots," for anyone who descends from a Native American, a black person, a person of mixed races, a woman, and even some black slaves, who simply supported America's independence during The Revolutionary War. (They are really going after those membership dues, aren't they!)
DAR uses their "non-profit status" to raise money (not spend their own), in order to erect markers at the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers; to put out small American flags at the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, every Memorial Day; and to erect monuments that memorialize old battlefields where countless men died terrible deaths.
There are three levels of members at DAR: National (at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.); State (every state has a club); and Chapter (most cities within each state have a local club). The women who are in management at DAR, at all three levels, give themselves impressive-sounding titles, to make themselves and their club seem so important. At the National level, each woman in management has the word "General" in her title, as if she is leading soldiers onto the battlefield! For example, the National president of DAR is not just called, "President." She is called, "President General." The presidents at the State and Chapter levels are called, "Regents." (The definition of a regent is someone who rules over a kingdom, when the king is absent!) At all three levels, there is at least one First Vice President (usually there are many, many more), along with a Chaplain, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, an Organization Secretary, a Treasurer, a Registrar, a Historian, a Librarian, a Curator, and a Reporter. (Can you believe that?)
And of course, they have reams and reams of rules, bylaws, and procedures, that every member has to follow. ("Don't wear your ribbon and pins out in public, unless we say so!") Each Chapter has their silly monthly meetings, where they pretend to be so important, and hand out awards to each other. Members are also awarded "pins," which they attach to their "ribbons." The more pins you have, the more important they want you to think you are. So there is a constant contest, among members, to get more and more "pins." (It's similar to a little girl being in the Girl Scouts. She bought a Girl Scout sash, and when she earned badges for various projects, such as learning how to build a campfire, she got a cloth badge which she then sewed onto her sash. Little girls competed, to get as many badges onto their sash as possible. But they actually earned them, for accomplishing real tasks, not for simply donating money to the Girl Scouts, or getting other girls to join.)
DAR is mainly comprised of middle-age women. Many people have noticed that, for some reason, the majority of them are overweight. It is said that many of them act very childish, and are very bossy. They are also extremely protective of their little club; it's almost like a cult. It is all quite bizarre.
DAR is just another one of those pointless genealogical clubs that charge annual membership dues, harass their members to bring in other members, and relentlessly pester people to donate money to them. All they want is your money, while they pretend to be so philanthropic. They try very hard to make people think that their little club is so important, and that their members are better than everyone else. They aren't, of course...it's just a club that collects money from people. DAR appears to be a massive, money-making machine that uses dead soldiers, genealogy, patriotism, and the American flag, to raise money for themselves. (Where does all the money actually go? Have they ever been independently audited?)
Furthermore, it has been documented that, if you voice any legitimate concerns about what DAR is doing, their attorney will mail you a threatening letter, demanding that you never contact them again, or else they will report you to your local police. (Isn't that nice? It's actually quite pathetic.)
Harman Back and Henry Back are "Patriots" in DAR: While Reedus and his cohorts were preparing their inaccurate genealogy book, they discovered that Harman Back, and Henry Back (1740-1809), were listed as "Patriots," in the DAR database. And so, they simply submitted information to DAR, claiming that: (1) Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back; and (2) Henry Back (1740-1809) had sons named John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871). That was how they connected Harman Back, to the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, because everyone knows that John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871) lived and died in southeastern Kentucky. Of course, both of those claims were completely false, and Reedus and his cohorts knew that they were false. They had no evidence whatsoever to support those claims, because those claims were false.
However, DAR accepted their claims as being valid, and they included them in the DAR database. That's because, back then (in the 1980s and 1990s), DAR was not very strict about what information they accepted; they basically accepted whatever was submitted to them. However, nowadays, DAR requires a substantial amount of documented proof, when new information is submitted, and also, when existing information needs to be corrected. Their standards are extremely strict now.
The Back-Bach Genealogical Society claimed that John Back (1774-1854), and his brother Henry Back (1785-1871), were the sons of Henry Back (1740-1809), in the information they submitted to DAR, and in their inaccurate genealogy book, because those two brothers were very well documented as living in southeastern Kentucky.
John Back (1774-1854) had married Catherine Robertson, and they mainly lived in Breathitt County; Henry Back (1785-1871) had married Susannah Maggard, and they mainly lived in Letcher County. Those two men were the "final step," in falsely connecting the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, to Harman Back, through Henry Back (1740-1809).
For many years, that inaccurate information about Harman Back's alleged son Henry Back (1740-1809), and Henry Back's two alleged sons, John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871), remained in DAR's database, and it was presented as being accurate. As a result, many people who actually descend from John Back (1774-1854), and Henry Back (1785-1871), were able to obtain membership in DAR, based upon that inaccurate information.
PLEASE NOTE: In early 2022, DAR finally did extensive research on Harman Back and Henry Back. They firmly concluded that: (1) Harman Back only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr., and Harman Back never had a son named Henry Back (1740-1809); and (2) Henry Back (1740-1809) never had sons named John Back (1774-1854), who married Catherine Robertson; or Henry Back (1785-1871), who married Susannah Maggard. Please see the confirmation letter from DAR, which is shown towards the bottom of this website.
The truth always comes out: Sometime around 2004, the accurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky began to emerge again, through the publication of several well-researched books, written by very credible and highly educated people, who actually utilized The Genealogical Proof Standard. As a result, some of the "Back-Bach people" responded in anger, especially those who had obtained their DAR membership through either John Back (1774-1854), or his brother Henry Back (1785-1871).
A few of the "Back-Bach people" got particularly upset, because they realized that their DAR memberships were suddenly in jeopardy.
Fight back!: One of the "Back-Bach people" who got really upset was a very strange woman who decided to "fight back" against the accurate genealogy of her own family! Obviously, there is something deeply wrong with her.
She decided to "fight back," because she is a member of DAR, and she was afraid that she would be kicked out of DAR, if they found out that she really didn't descend from Harman Back, and that she had lied about her lineage. She was especially worried about being embarrassed, in front of all of her DAR girlfriends.
Using DNA to deceive: So, this strange woman set up what she calls, a "DNA Project," on an online DNA company called, "FamilyTreeDNA.com," and she made herself the "Administrator" of it. She called it, the "Bach to Back Project." She had just one goal in mind...she was absolutely determined to make it appear as if the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky (her own family) descends from Harman Back, by "using" (lying about) DNA tests. After all, everyone has heard about using DNA to prove genealogy, and everyone trusts that DNA tests are accurate. So, she decided that she would use that concept of DNA always being accurate, to fool people into believing that her "Bach to Back Project" contained valid DNA tests, even though she was going to alter the test results, and then lie about what those results meant. She was so excited at the thought of finally being able to "prove" that her Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back!
FamilyTreeDNA.com: First of all, FamilyTreeDNA.com clearly states on their website that their "Projects" are called, "Group Projects," or "Surname Projects." They are not called, "DNA Projects."
The only results that their "Projects" can show is, whether or not, a group of participants, using their DNA test results, probably share a common ancestor, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, usually about 15 generations ago. In fact, FamilyTreeDNA.com even provides charts to use, to analyze that. But this strange woman actually ignores those charts, and claims the common ancestor for her "DNA Project" is just a few generations back.
FamilyTreeDNA.com also states that their "Projects" cannot prove lineage, which means that they cannot prove who someone's father was, generation by generation, going back in time. They even say so, right on their website. But this strange woman claims that her "Bach to Back Project" proves lineage. That is also simply not true.
The "control": The management at FamilyTreeDNA.com has confirmed, in writing, that each of the Administrators of their "Projects" have "complete control" over their own "Project." In fact, the Administrators set up, and operate, their "Projects," without any supervision at all, from the management at FamilyTreeDNA.com. For example, the Administrator is the only person who decides which DNA test kits they want to include, in their "Project," from the company's database of DNA test kits.
Text files: Up until early 2023, the Administrators could also have people send their DNA test results directly to them, by emailing their results to them, in a text file (.txt). And then, the Administrators could upload those text files to their "Project." But that policy was changed, in early 2023, and the Administrators are no longer permitted to upload text files of DNA test results to their "Projects."
However, long before early 2023, this strange woman, as the Administrator of her "Bach to Back Project," obtained DNA test results, from two men who descend from Harman Back (Kit #68731 and Kit #B281410), in a text file (.txt). But before she uploaded those two files to her "Project," she saved them in a very common software computer program called "Windows Notepad," in which she could make any changes she wanted, to those test results. She simply changed some of the STR numbers, in those two men's test results, to match, or closely match, the STR numbers of the DNA test kits that she already had, for men who descend from the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky (including her own brother), in her "Bach to Back Project." When she was done making changes, she then uploaded the text files to her "Bach to Back Project." And voila! All the DNA test results from the descendants of Harman Back matched, or were a close match, to the descendants of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky! In fact, she called some of them, "a perfect match!"
Therefore, she already had her "Bach to Back Project" set up, with her staged results, long before the text file policy was changed, in early 2023.
That's why, ever since early 2023, she now proclaims "how happy she is" that FamilyTreeDNA.com "has such strict rules that must be followed." She repeatedly announces how much she "likes their rules," and that she "follows their rules." (Of course she says that now, now that her staged "Project" is already set up with rigged DNA tests!)
She also falsely claims that the management at FamilyTreeDNA.com "has complete control over all of the Projects," which is a blatant lie. She claims that she is simply an "unpaid volunteer," for her "Bach to Back Project," and that she had nothing to do with setting it up, nothing to do with the DNA tests that are included, and nothing to do with the wording or descriptions on the "Project." That is all a blatant lie. She controls everything about her "Project."
Whose DNA test results are actually in her "Bach to Back Project"?: This is extremely important. The management at FamilyTreeDNA.com has also confirmed, in writing, that the Administrators can create whatever description, or lineage, they want, in order to describe each participant whose DNA test kit is in their "Project," on the Project's "About us/Results" page.
This strange woman only provides extremely vague, and mostly incorrect, descriptions of each participant, on her "About us/Results" page. She only says that some of them are descendants of Harman Back, and some of them are descendants of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. But she doesn't provide the actual name of any participant, because she doesn't want anyone to know who any of the participants actually are. Why not? (It has taken extensive, in-depth research, to determine who they are. Read on.)
She was the one who wrote in the name of "Harman Back" as being the ancestor of each participant!: This is also extremely important. Not only did she not provide the actual descriptions, lineages, or names, of any of the participants, on the "About us/Results" page, she was also the one who wrote in the name of "Harman Back" (or his alleged son "Henry Back"), as being the paternal ancestor of every participant, in the "Paternal Ancestor Name" column, on the Project's "DNA Results/Classic Chart" page!
The management at FamilyTreeDNA.com has also confirmed, in writing, that, as the Administrator, she has the authority, and the ability, to write in whatever names she wants, as the paternal lineage, for each of the DNA participants, in the "Paternal Ancestor Name" column, on the "DNA Results/Classic Chart" page. And she most definitely has done that. However, it is impossible for DNA tests to prove lineage!
How she staged her "DNA Project" to produce the results she wanted: Around 2010, she added her first DNA test kit, to her "Bach to Back Project." It was from the FamilyTreeDNA.com database, and she described the man as being a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. (He was.) It was Kit #195252, which is her own brother, John Lee Back.
In 2011, she obtained her second DNA test kit. It was in a text file (.txt), and she described that man as being a descendant of Harman Back. (He was.) It was Kit #68731, which is Greg Back. (He had taken his DNA test, years before, through the National Geographic Society, and all of those DNA tests were maintained at FamilyTreeDNA.com, in text files.) She changed Greg's STR numbers to closely match the STR numbers of her brother, and then she uploaded Greg's text file to her "Bach to Back Project." At that point, she had actually achieved her sick goal, of "proving that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back," simply because she made the DNA test results of Greg Back match the DNA test results of her brother. But she wanted more "proof."
In 2020, she obtained another DNA test kit in a text file (.txt). She described that man as also being a descendant of Harman Back (He was.) It was Kit #B281410, which is Ronnie Back Lamb. Once again, she simply changed some of his STR numbers, to closely match the STR numbers of her brother, and then she uploaded Ronnie's text file to her "Bach to Back Project."
She also made two duplicate text files of Ronnie Back Lamb's text file, and uploaded them to her "Bach to Back Project" as well. She called them Kit #852765 and Kit #450919. She simply wanted to make it seem as if she had more participants than she really did. However, Kit #852765, Kit #450919, and Kit #B281410 (Ronnie's), are now shown to have DNA test results that are 100% identical, which is impossible. That is even more proof that she has changed STR numbers, and staged her "Project."
In 2022, she added another DNA test kit, from the FamilyTreeDNA.com database, to her "Bach to Back Project." She described that man as being a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. (He was.) It was Kit #B98445, which is Larry Back. (Of course, his STR numbers matched the STR numbers of her brother.)
There is one more kit in her "Bach to Back Project," which is Kit #645783. He does not appear to be in the FamilyTreeDNA.com database, and so she probably got his DNA test results in a text file (.txt), at some point. He may also be a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, but his actual identity has not yet been confirmed. (He may be William Douglas Back.)
Therefore, by claiming that she has DNA test results from the descendants of Harman Back, and the descendants of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky; and by changing the DNA test results of the descendants of Harman Back to make them match the DNA test results of the descendants of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky; and by writing in the name of "Harman Back" (or his alleged son "Henry Back"), as being the ancestor for each one of the participants, she has effectively staged her "Bach to Back Project," to make it appear as if all of the participants descend from Harman Back.
She also lies about the DYS425 marker, which is one of the STR numbers. She first made sure that all of the participants had no number in that field (called "a null"), and then she claimed how rare it is to have no number at the DYS425 marker. She claims that is further "proof" that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back! But the fact is, having no number at the DYS425 marker is extremely common! It means nothing. All she does is lie.
That is why her "Bach to Back Project" does not "prove" anything.
It is all staged.
The truth: When DNA test results from a group of participants are very similar, the only conclusion that can be made is that the participants probably share a common ancestor, about 15 generations ago, which would be back in the 1500s, or so. That's it. Sometimes, that number of generations can be "projected" to be somewhat less than 15 generations, but the conclusion remains the same...the participants simply share a common ancestor.
Furthermore, her "Bach to Back Project" does not "prove" that, at some point in time, in the 1700s, in America, ancestors of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky suddenly "jumped over" and descended from Harman Back. That would be ridiculous. But she attempts to do that, by adding three sons to Harman Back that he never had. She has included the names of two of those three alleged sons (Joseph and Henry), in the alleged lineage of the participants, in the "Paternal Ancestor Name" column, of her "Bach to Back Project."
She claims that Joseph Back (1756-1832) was Harman's son; but he was actually a son of Harman Back Jr. She also claims that Henry Back (1740-1809) was Harman's son; but he was actually the son of John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was the father of Joseph Back (1745-1819), who founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky!
And then, she claims that two well-known ancestors from the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871), were the sons of Henry Back (1740-1809), but they were actually the sons of Joseph Back (1745-1819). What a mess she has made. What a disgrace she is.
She also likes to claim that her "Bach to Back Project" somehow "proves the existing paper trail" of the genealogies of these two families. NO, IT MOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT! The "paper trail" actually conclusively proves that Harman Back's family came from Freudenberg, and the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky came from Thuringia. The "paper trail" also conclusively proves that Harman Back only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr. The "paper trail" further conclusively proves that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from the immigrant John Henry Back (1709-1789), through his son Joseph Back (1745-1819); and that Joseph Back (1745-1819) married Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard (1755-1826), and their children included John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871). All she does is lie.
Her "Bach to Back Project" is not a "DNA Project."
It absolutely cannot prove lineage. It is a "Surname Project."
It could only prove if the participants share a common ancestor, or not, but it can't even do that, because she changed the STR numbers.
The "Bach to Back Project" is completely staged. It's just another scam, created to "prove" the inaccurate genealogy, just like the inaccurate genealogy book, and the fake gravestone. What she is doing is so wrong, and so evil. Someone needs to step up and put an end to it.
The picture above is a screenshot of a page from this strange woman's own account at FamilyTreeDNA.com. She actually used to provide her user name, and her password, to access this account, on another bizarre website that she set up, which she calls her "Family Kaleidoscope." (What?) Apparently, she publicly provided her user name and password, for her own account at FamilyTreeDNA.com, because she wanted people to get onto her account, and look at the list of her own DNA matches. However, the list actually proves that her "Bach to Back Project" on FamilyTreeDNA.com is completely staged! (She's obviously not very smart, is she.)
"Family Kaleidoscope": On her other bizarre website, this strange woman also falsely claims that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky (her family) descends from Harman Back, through his alleged son Henry Back, with no proof whatsoever (because there isn't any proof, because it isn't true). All she does on her "Family Kaleidoscope" website is present a bunch of documents, misrepresent who is featured on most of them, and then she lies about what those documents mean. She does the same thing, on her "family trees," on Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com. Of course, on all of those websites, she also provides links to her staged "Bach to Back Project" on FamilyTreeDNA.com. It's all a sick circle...using one website full of lies, to "prove" another website full of lies.
Her actual DNA matches: Her actual account at FamilyTreeDNA.com (see the picture above) reveals the list of her actual DNA matches at FamilyTreeDNA.com. This is a confirmed fact. Those matches on that list above are the only people in FamilyTreeDNA.com's database whose DNA matches hers. There are just five people on that list, but three of them (the females) don't count, for this discussion.
The first person on her list is her brother, John Lee Back, who is identified as being a "Full Sibling." The reason that his test kit has the name of "K.J. Back" on it is because those are the initials of this strange woman, and she obviously ordered his DNA test from her account (this account). Her brother is, of course, a very close match to her (mainly through their mother's DNA). The little purple icon by his name shows that she is related to him, through both her mother and her father, proving that he is her full sibling. Both this strange woman and her brother are proven descendants of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
The second person on her list is Larry Back (Larry Wynn Back Jr.), who is also a proven descendant of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Larry Back is a fourth cousin (once removed), to John Lee Back (and this strange woman), and so Larry Back's DNA "male Y chromosome test" is a close match to John Lee Back's DNA "male Y chromosome test," which is why Larry Back is on this list with John Lee Back. Larry Back's great, great, great, great grandfather, and John Lee Back's great, great, great grandfather, was John Back (1774-1854). That makes them fourth cousins (once removed). "Once removed" means that one of them (Larry) has an extra generation, than the other one (John Lee), in order to get back to the common ancestor, which was John Back (1774-1854). In this case, that's mainly because Larry's father was 33 years younger than John Lee's father. FamilyTreeDNA.com determined that the link between Larry Back and John Lee Back was somewhere between "3rd Cousin - 5th Cousin," which is obviously, a fourth cousin.
The other three people on her list are women, who are cousins to this strange woman. Strangely, two of them are identified by three initials, followed by the name of this strange woman. That means that this strange woman also obviously ordered their DNA tests from her account (this account) as well. Why? Why is this strange woman submitting DNA tests, for other people, to FamilyTreeDNA.com, from her account? Why aren't all of those other people submitting their own DNA tests themselves? The company mails you a Q-tip, to swab the inside of your mouth, to obtain your DNA, and then you mail it back to them. Why wouldn't you use your real name to mail your Q-tip back? Why would you have someone else mail your Q-tip back, under their name? This is extremely suspicious, and it shows that this strange woman is definitely up to something.
But because this strange woman's "Bach to Back Project," on FamilyTreeDNA.com, only tests men (the "male Y chromosome test"), the three women on her list above really don't matter, for this discussion.
However, it is critically important to notice that there are only two men (Larry Back and John Lee Back) on her list of DNA matches. Actually, Larry Back's "male Y chromosome test" matches her brother John Lee Back's "male Y chormosome test"; and then her brother is a match to her, mainly through their mother's DNA.
Her list of her DNA matches exposes her fraud!: Her own list of her DNA matches on FamilyTreeDNA.com (shown above) actually proves that her "Bach to Back Project" is a complete fraud. Here's why. Her "Bach to Back Project," on FamilyTreeDNA.com, shows seven men in it, all of whom she claims descend from Harman Back. But her own list of her DNA matches on FamilyTreeDNA.com only has two men in it (shown above). Where are the other five men?
Her "Bach to Back Project," on FamilyTreeDNA.com, shows seven men are in it. However, there are really only five actual men in it, but they are using seven DNA Kits. That's because two of the DNA Kits are duplicates of one of the other DNA Kits. (This strange woman simply made two copies of one of the DNA Kits, and then included them in her "Bach to Back Project," just to make it appear that more people participated in her "DNA Project" than actually did.)
Here is the in-depth explanation. Three of the DNA Kits in her "Bach to Back Project" (#852765, #450919, and #B281410) show results that are 100% identical. Since it is impossible for even two people to have identical DNA, and we know that Kit #B281410 belongs to Ronnie Back Lamb, we can confirm that Kit #852765 and Kit #450919 are simply duplicates of Ronnie's Kit #B281410. Therefore, Kits #852765 and #450919 don't count, which means that there are actually only five men in her "Bach to Back Project."
We also know that Kit #68731 belongs to Greg Back. It is well documented that Ronnie Back Lamb and Greg Back are descendants of Harman Back. So that takes care of four of the five men (John Lee, Larry, Ronnie, and Greg). The last DNA Kit is Kit #645783, and we suspect that it belongs to William Douglas Back, who is also a descendant of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.
So, the remaining questions are: (1) Why aren't the DNA Kits for Ronnie Back Lamb, Greg Back, and William Douglas Back, on the list of her DNA matches above, because they should match her brother, and Larry Back? (2) Why aren't the DNA Kits for Ronnie Back Lamb, Greg Back, and William Douglas Back, in FamilyTreeDNA.com's database? (3) How could the DNA Kits for Ronnie Back Lamb, Greg Back, and William Douglas Back, be in her "Bach to Back Project" on FamilyTreeDNA.com, but yet they are not in FamilyTreeDNA.com's database? The answers are quite simple.
First of all, it's very obvious that, in order for a DNA Kit to be included in a "DNA Project" on FamilyTreeDNA.com, it has to first already be in FamilyTreeDNA.com's database, so that it could be selected to be included in one of their "DNA Projects." So, why aren't those three DNA Kits in FamilyTreeDNA.com's database? It's because this strange woman got each of those three DNA Kits in a text file (.txt), sent directly to her; she didn't get them from FamilyTreeDNA.com's database.
And because she got those three DNA Kits in a text file (.txt), that means that she could open each text file in a simple computer program called, "Microsoft Notepad," where she was able to change any of the STR numbers (called, "markers") that she wanted to, in order to make them match the STR numbers ("markers") of Larry Back and John Lee Back. Granted, she didn't have to change the STR numbers ("markers") for William Douglas Back, because he is a descendant of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. But she most certainly changed the STR numbers ("markers") for Greg Back and Ronnie Back Lamb, because they are descendants of Harman Back, and her goal was to make their DNA test results match the DNA test results of Larry Back and John Lee Back. Then she simply uploaded each of those three text files (.txt) to her "Bach to Back Project."
In 2022, people began to complain to FamilyTreeDNA.com that text files (.txt) were being uploaded to "DNA Projects," and so they made a major change in their policy. As of January 1, 2023, they no longer allowed text files (.txt) to be uploaded to any "DNA Project." However, that didn't matter to this strange woman, because she had already uploaded two altered text files, for two descendants of Harman Back, to her "Bach to Back Project," and so she had already acomplished her goal.
Curiously, since this strange woman has complete control over which DNA Kits to include in her "Bach to Back Project," if a man contacts her and wants to submit his DNA Kit to her "Bach to Back Project," she will first ask him some questions. If he is a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, she will demand to know the man's specific lineage, with proof, so she knows for sure, who he is. And then, she will email him a link, to take a DNA test, to join her "Bach to Back Project." However, if he is a descendant of Harman Back, she will say that she cannot "guarantee" that his DNA Kit will be included in her "Bach to Back Project," and she just emails him a general link to FamilyTreeDNA.com. Of course, if he does take a DNA test, she will never select it from FamilyTreeDNA.com's database, and add it to her "Bach to Back Project," because it won't match anyone else in her Project. This is because she can no longer change the STR numbers ("markers") of a DNA Kit from a descendant of Harman Back, to make them match the STR numbers ("markers") of a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. The only way she would ever add another DNA Kit for "a descendant of Harman Back," would be if she added a DNA Kit from a descendant of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, and then simply claimed that he was a descendant of Harman Back. (She'll probably do that next.)
This strange woman's "Back to Back Project" is one of the biggest frauds that has ever been perpetrated within the world of genealogy.
By the way, this strange woman has also ordered lots of DNA tests, under her name (with some initials attached, so that only she can identify them) on several other DNA websites, besides FamilyTreeDNA.com. Who does that! Obviously, she is up to no good. Why is she doing this? Why is she lying about her own ancestors? What in the world is wrong with her!
There are at least two legitimate websites, which gather people's genealogies (through family trees), and their DNA test results, and then they compare that information with other people's genealogies and DNA test results. But they don't involve an "Administrator," who can alter the results, and deliberately deceive people, like that "DNA Project" described above does. They simply let the facts speak for themselves.
Those two websites are WikiTree.com and GEDmatch.com.
WikiTree.com and GEDmatch.com prove that there is no DNA connection whatsoever between the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky and Harman Back.
Here is how we know that is true. We went to those two websites, and we compared the genealogies (the family trees), and the DNA test results, from two different men.
One man is a known descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky; his name is Larry Wynn Back Jr. He is also known as Larry Back.
The other man is a known descendant of Harman Back; his name is Ronnie Back Lamb. His biological father was Russell Back; but he was adopted by his mother's second husband, Bill Lamb, when he was a young child, and so he is generally known as Ronnie Lamb.
Both of these men have submitted their genealogy (their family tree), and their DNA test results, to WikiTree.com and GEDmatch.com. And both of these men had their DNA tested, at both Ancestry.com and FamilyTreeDNA.com.
Because these two men have already freely and openly provided their names, their genealogies (family trees), their DNA test results, and their email addresses, to several websites online, we are just duplicating that information here. Nobody's privacy is being infringed upon here, because both men have already freely and openly provided all of this information online.
But before we go to WikiTree.com and GEDmatch.com, let's first go to a very popular website called, FindAGrave.com, so that we can clearly see the Family Tree for each man, which each of these men have actually created themselves.
You do not have to pay a fee, or sign up for an account, in order to view a person's information on FindAGrave.com. When you are viewing a person's information (called a "memorial"), you can easily click on their father's name, to view their father's information. And then, you can click on their father's name, to view their father's information, and so on, going up the family tree.
Let's start with Larry Wynn Back Jr. His father was Larry Wynn Back Sr. Click here to see Larry Wynn Back Sr.'s memorial on FindAGrave.com. Larry Jr. actually maintains that memorial for his father, and he is mentioned in his father's obituary as being his son. (Larry Jr. goes by the nickname of "Bone Digger," on FindAGrave.) Everyone in the family knows that Larry Jr. is Larry Sr.'s son. Simply click on Larry Sr.'s father, Price Burnum Back, to see his father, and then keep on clicking, on each man's father, until you get up to John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was born in Thuringia, Germany. His son Joseph Back (1745-1819) migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, and established the Back (Bach) family there. Larry Back is obviously a descendant of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky.
Now, let's go to Ronnie Back Lamb. His biological father was Russell Lee Back; Ronnie's parents divorced when he was young and his mother's second husband, Bill Lamb, adopted Ronnie and gave him his last name. Click here to see Russell Lee Back's memorial on FindAGrave.com. Ronnie actually created that memorial for his father, which is quite obvious. Simply click on Russell's father, Thomas Jennings Back, to see his father, and then keep on clicking, on each man's father, until you get up to Harman Back (1708-1789), who was born in Freudenberg, Germany. His son Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797) migrated to central Kentucky, in 1789, and established his Back family there. Ronnie Lamb is obviously a descendant of Harman Back. (None of Harman Back's descendants went back to the original spelling of "Bach," but many of John Henry Back's descendants did.)
FindAGrave.com makes it very clear that these two men, Larry Back and Ronnie Lamb, descend from two very different families. And it is also very clear that those two families are not related, and that one family does not descend from the other family.
Now, let's take a look at the genealogies (family trees) of these two men, with their DNA test results attached, on WikiTree.com and GEDmatch.com, which will definitively prove that these two men are not related by DNA, and that one family does not descend from the other.
You do not have to pay a fee, in order to view a person's information on WikiTree.com, but you do need to sign up for an account (it's free), in order to view a person's information
WikiTree.com also provides genealogies of people (with family trees). But it also includes DNA test results of hundreds of thousands of people, using test kits from several different companies, including 23andMe.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritageDNA.com.
WikiTree.com has over 33 million profiles of people, with 11 million of them connected by DNA test results. The website works in a very open, and very transparent way. They show the actual names of the DNA participants, and they let people see all the information for themselves, including who took which DNA tests. Quite often, the DNA kit numbers are provided as well.
So, please go to WikiTree.com and create an account. Click here.
Let's start with Larry Wynn Back Jr. After you sign in, at the top of the home page, type in "Larry W. Back." Lots of names will come up, but his profile should be the first one, so click that one. On the next screen, at the top right, you can see that his WikiTree number is "Back-1616." You can also see that he has taken DNA tests at Ancestry.com and FamilyTreeDNA.com. Once again, you can click on his father's name (Larry Wynn Back Sr.), and keep on clicking, on each man's father, until you get up to John Henry Back (1709-1789). It's the same, accurate family tree that is on FindAGrave.com.
But on this website, we are more interested in Larry's DNA test results. So, click here to see Larry Jr.'s Ancestry test results, compared to all the other people who took a DNA test on Ancestry. You will discover that there is not one person on that list who descends from Harman Back (including Ronnie Back Lamb). Then, click here to see Larry Jr.'s FamilyTreeDNA test results, compared to all the other people who took a DNA test on FamilyTreeDNA. You will also discover that there is not one person on that list who descends from Harman Back (including Ronnie Back Lamb).
Now, let's go to Ronnie Back Lamb. At the top of the home page, type in "Ronnie Lamb." Lots of names will come up, but his profile should be the first one, so click that one. On the next screen, at the top right, you can see that his WikiTree number is "Lamb-4539." You can see that he has also taken DNA tests at Ancestry.com and FamilyTreeDNA.com. And once again, you can click on his father's name (Russell Back), and keep on clicking, on each man's father, until you get up to Harman Back (1708-1789). It's also the same, accurate family tree that is on FindAGrave.com.
But we are also more interested in Ronnie's DNA test results. So, click here to see Ronnie's Ancestry test results, compared to all the other people who took a DNA test on Ancestry. You will discover that there is not one person on that list who descends from John Henry Back (including Larry Wynn Back Jr.). Then, click here to see Ronnie's FamilyTreeDNA test results, compared to all the other people who took a DNA test on FamilyTreeDNA. You will also discover that there is not one person on that list who descends from John Henry Back (including Larry Back).
Connection Finder: On WikiTree.com, there is one more way to check if Larry Wynn Back Jr. and Ronnie Back Lamb are related by DNA, or share a paternal ancestor. Just go to the "WikiTree Connection Finder." Click here. Then enter the WikiTree numbers for each man ("Back-1616" and "Lamb-4539"). Next, select "Connection through a common paternal-line ancestor." Then click "Find Connection." The result will say, "No Connection Found." That's because these two men are NOT related by DNA, and they do NOT share a paternal ancestor.
Some people say that WikiTree.com may not always be correct. They say that you need to use GEDmatch.com, and use a "GEDmatch number," so that you can truly verify DNA results. So, let's do that.
A GEDmatch number is actually a combination of all of the different types of DNA tests, from all of the main DNA testing companies, including 23andMe.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritageDNA.com. So, by comparing GEDmatch numbers, you will be getting even more accurate results.
GEDmatch.com works closely with law enforcement, to locate criminals, using DNA, so you know that their accuracy has got to be extremely high. Just like WikiTree.com, GEDmatch.com also provides genealogies of people (with family trees), and it also includes DNA test results of millions of people. GEDmatch.com works in a very open, and very transparent way, as well, although their website is a bit confusing to navigate.
Therefore, you will need the GEDmatch numbers, for both Larry Wynn Back Jr., and Ronnie Back Lamb, in order to compare them, on GEDmatch.com.
Ronnie's GEDmatch number is actually listed, right on his home page, on WikiTree.com. Click here. Over to the right, you will see his GEDmatch number, which is ZP3881114.
However, Larry's GEDmatch number is not listed on his home page, on WikiTree.com. So, you will have to get it from GEDmatch.com.
So, it's now time to go to GEDmatch.com. Click here. You do not have to pay a fee, in order to view information on GEDmatch.com, but you do need to sign up for an account (it's free), in order to view the information.
After you sign in, from the home page, over to the right, under "Information," click "User Lookup." On that page, you can look up anyone in their database, by their GEDmatch number, or by their email address. Larry Back openly and freely shares his email address, on lots of genealogy websites, and so it is not a secret. His email address is: lb52585sc (AT) aol.com. So, just enter his email address, using @, instead of (AT), with no spaces, and click "Display Results." On the next page, there will be a list of all of the DNA kits that have been submitted, using that email address. Larry's kit number is the second one, identified by his name; it is A292841. (His wife is listed above him; his mother is listed below him; and his father is listed below his mother.)
Now, let's go back to that "User Lookup" page again. Just for confirmation, you can enter Ronnie's GEDmatch number, which is ZP3881114, and click "Display Results." On the next page, it shows that his email address is: ronnie.lamb35 (AT) yahoo.com. So, you know that this number actually is his GEDmatch number. (Ronnie Lamb also openly and freely shares his email address online, and so it is not a secret either.) Also please notice, on that page, that Ronnie is known by the name of "Ronnie Back," on GEDmatch.com.
So, now that we have both GEDmatch numbers, for these two men, we can do a comparison of their DNA. From the home page, at the top, click "Free Tools," and then select "Match Both or 1 of 2." When the next screen comes up, enter those two kit numbers (GEDmatch numbers): A292841 (for Larry Back) and ZP3881114 (for Ronnie Lamb, aka Ronnie Back). And then click "Display Results."
On the next page, it shows that there are three types of results, with each type on a separate tab: (1) kits that match Larry (A292841); (2) kits that match Ronnie (ZP3881114); and (3) kits that match both of them. Let's first look at the tab that shows kits that match Larry. The system shows over 3,000 people in that database have some degree of matching DNA with him. The ones at the top of the list have the highest degree of matching (3,587). Those first two people are actually his parents (Larry Wynn Back Sr. and Christa Montag Back). Curiously, you will notice that Ronnie Lamb is not showing up, anywhere, on Larry's list. That means that Ronnie's DNA does not match Larry's DNA at all.
Now let's take a look at the tab that shows kits that match Ronnie. There aren't very many. The closest match, is the man at the top with just 496, which isn't very much. Curiously, you will notice that Larry Back is not showing up, anywhere, on Ronnie's list. That means that Larry's DNA does not match Ronnie's DNA at all either.
On the third tab, there are some people who are remote matches to both Larry and to Ronnie, but they are so remote that they don't really count, and that tab is actually meaningless.
This is curious: The woman who staged that "DNA Project" online has actually submitted her DNA to GEDmatch.com as well. We obtained her GEDmatch number, through her email address, which she openly and freely shares on several websites (including her "DNA Project" website), and so it is not a secret either. Her email address is: gtskjs (AT) gmail.com.
So, under "Information," click "User Lookup," and just enter her email address, using @, instead of (AT), with no spaces, and click "Display Results." On the next page, there will be a list of all of the DNA kits that have been submitted, using that email address. Her kit number is the first one, identified by her name (K**** Back); it is RY3988238. (Also please notice that she has ordered four additional DNA kits, using her name. Why?) Her brother, "J. Back" (Kit number T174739), is listed right below her, and her email address is also his contact email address. (Why? Doesn't he even have his own email address?) Why does he also have Kit #195252?
Then, we ran the same "Match Both or 1 of 2" comparison, comparing her DNA, first to Larry, and then to Ronnie.
We know for a fact that she descends from the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, because she has posted her family tree, online, in several places (including Ancestry.com). Of course, the family tree that she posted is only accurate, up to a certain point in time, when she starts lying, and claims that her great, great, great grandfather, John Back (1774-1854), was a son of Henry Back (1740-1809), when he was actually a son of Joseph Back (1745-1819)! But her lies do not change the truth.
So, it was not surprising that, when we compared her GEDmatch number to Larry's GEDmatch number, she was on his list, and he was on her list. That means they are related, and they share DNA. They are, in fact, fourth cousins (once removed). They both descend from John Back (1774-1854); Larry descends from John's son John, and she descends from John's son Isaac. Also, when we compared her brother's GEDmatch number to Larry's GEDmatch number, her brother was on Larry's list, and Larry was on her brother's list. They are also fourth cousins (once removed).
But when we compared her GEDmatch number to Ronnie's GEDmatch number, she was not on his list, and he was not on her list. (Same for her brother.) Since it has been verified that Ronnie definitely descends from Harman Back, it can be confirmed that she, and her brother, do not descend from Harman Back. How amazing is that! The DNA from yet two more people, from the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, does not match the DNA of a proven descendant of Harman Back! This is even more proof that her "DNA Project" was staged.
The Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky does NOT descend from Harman Back, and actual DNA tests prove it.
The Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky does NOT descend from Harman Back, from Freudenberg, Germany. There is a massive amount of documented evidence that proves this. Why is that so difficult for some people to accept?
There is also plenty of evidence that proves there is no DNA connection either, between the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky and Harman Back. Of course, you have to check actual, legitimate DNA websites, not a phony "DNA Project" that was designed by a strange woman who purposefully staged the results, trying to "prove" an inaccurate genealogy.
Why do some people insist on believing an inaccurate genealogy book, which does not even contain one piece of evidence to prove it? Why do they accept a fake gravestone as being real, when it has been clearly proven to be fake? And why would anyone stage a "DNA Project," trying to "prove" that inaccurate genealogy? Why would anyone do such a horrible thing, especially to their own family? The woman who staged that "DNA Project" should be ashamed of herself...some people say she should be in a mental institution, or in jail.
The actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky is extremely fascinating. They really do descend from the family of Johann Sebastian Bach. That fact should be celebrated, not covered up by an inaccurate genealogy book, a fake gravestone, or a staged "DNA Project."
If you want the actual genealogy of Harman Back, visit this website: HarmanBack.com.
Please also note that, in early 2022, DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) finally researched Harman Back and Henry Back (1740-1809), in great detail. For Harman Back, they confirmed that he only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr.; they also confirmed that he never had a son named Henry Back (1740-1809); and they also confirmed that he died in Little Fork, Virginia, sometime before September 15, 1789. For Henry Back (1740-1809), they confirmed that he was not the father of John Back (1744-1854), who married Catherine Robertson; and they also confirmed that he was not the father of Henry Back (1785-1871), who married Susannah Maggard. Please see the letter from DAR, which is shown below. It clearly confirms their research.
The DAR finally corrected
the inaccurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family,
which was in their database for so many years.
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