Present the family legend, with an honest reference to your sources, so that you are neither exagerating, nor prematurely denying, your family history. You said that Family Legends, even if unproven, are valuable for a couple of important reasons. Answer Family legends give one a little taste of the personality of one's ancestors. For example, even if I am never able to prove our family legend of having ancestors in the Ute Tribe, I am very proud that my ancestors saw a bi-racial heritage as a valuable thing during a time when much of society was plagued with racial prejudice. That is something I can know about my family from the telling of the legend, whether or not the legend is true.
Family legends, like other stories, add color to the family history.
But numbers alone can be boring. Including stories, from both the remote family history and the modern family history, make the report come to life as the reader is given a glimpse of the personalities and lives of your ancestors. If you are able to add family photographs and relics to the stories and data, your genealogy report becomes a fascinating trip into the past. Again, I am not suggesting that anything be called proven that is not proven. The honesty comes with clearly identifying the source of every piece of data, every photograph and every story that you include in your report.