Bermuda Grass, Family History and the FamilySearch Family Tree

• Bermuda Grass, Horticulture, a textbook for high schools and normals, including plant propagation; (1922) (14775476554).jpg Created: 31 December 1921

When I was very young, I was given the task of pulling some Bermuda grass out of a flower bed while I was living in Phoenix, Arizona. It was summer and the ground was stone hard. Bermuda grass is an interesting plant. Here is a description from Wikipedia: Cynodon dactylon.

Cynodon dactylon, also known as Vilfa stellata dūrvā grass, Dhoob, Bermuda grass, dubo, dog's tooth grass, Bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, arugampul, grama, wiregrass and scutch grass, is a grass that originated in the Middle East. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasive species there. It is presumed to have arrived in North America from Bermuda, resulting in its common name. In Bermuda it has been known as crab grass.

Additionally, as noted in the Wikipedia article,

It has a deep root system; in drought situations with penetrable soil, the root system can grow to over 2 metres (6.6 ft) deep, though most of the root mass is less than 60 centimetres (24 in) under the surface. The grass creeps along the ground and roots wherever a node touches the ground, forming a dense mat. C. dactylon reproduces through seeds, runners, and rhizomes. Growth begins at temperatures above 15 °C (59 °F) with optimum growth between 24 and 37 °C (75 and 99 °F); in winter, the grass becomes dormant and turns brown. Growth is promoted by full sun and retarded by full shade, e.g., close to tree trunks.

Once Bermuda grass gets established it is almost impossible to eradicate. What does this have to do with family history and genealogy? Well, we have inherited a weed patch called the FamilySearch.org Family Tree and we are trying to turn it into a beautiful garden.  When I was faced with digging up Bermuda I did not know or realize that trying to dig it up in very hard ground was nearly impossible, even for an adult. Now, I am faced with the online equivalent of Bermuda grass, i.e. over 100 years of unverified and unsourced family history in the form of a family tree. The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer (Quote Investigator).

Actually, pulling out Bermuda grass is simple compared to cleaning up the Family Tree. With weeds, there is a beginning and an end. Hmm. Did I just write that? There is no end to either Bermuda grass or cleaning up the Family Tree. But pulling out the Bermuda grass is still easier and far more simple than cleaning up the Family Tree. The problem is that many users think the Bermuda grass IS the Family Tree. They can't see the weeds (inaccuracies, duplicates) at all.

In most of Southern Arizona, Bermuda grass is actually cultivated as a lawn grass. It only becomes a weed when it gets into places where it is not wanted. Unfortunately, here the analogy breaks down. The entire Family Tree is a place where we do not want the weeds (like Bermuda grass) to grow. Let's think of the Family Tree as our flower garden. No weeds.