Abby Connolly
Most viewers in Chelsey’s comments agreed with her, believing that since the descendant did not ask Chelsey to seek out this diary and most likely doesn’t even know she has it.
Some users disagreed, commenting that now Chelsey has an obligation to send it to the family and that they have a right to know what is in the diary.
“That’s not really your decision,” commented one user. “It’s not your family. How do you know what they can handle and what they can’t?”
Chelsey made a few additional videos on TikTok to give her viewers more context as to why she would not be sending the diary.
Chelsey revealed that the only living descendant is an 86-year-old man who is dying. He has no family and will most likely pass away very soon.
“If I think an artifact will cause modern-day controversy amongst living relatives, upend a family, or will just ruin someone’s life, I will not return that specific item,” says Chelsey in one of her videos.
Chelsey mentions that the diary included dreadful things written about the 86-year-old man’s father and that if he were to read it, it could break his heart.
“When it comes to genealogy and ancestry, there are some things best left unknown,” says Chelsey in a video.
“My job is not to enter someone’s life unexpectedly and cause them pain.”
To view some of Chelsey’s TikTok videos, visit the link here.
@chelseyibrown Reply to @maddog724 #genealogy #ancestry #myheritage #historytime #historytok #storytime
