Talk:Mary Bowser

Recent news (2013): Mistaken Photo
Hi all, This is worth a read. Perhaps the article should be updated accordingly. bobrayner (talk) 23:27, 30 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Hello,
 * I'm delighted to see two of my articles about Bowser cited in this entry. However, if one READS those articles, you will quickly see that nearly everything about Bowser in the wikipedia article is either inaccurate or unverified.  Even claims about the Van Lews (whose lives are better documented, as was generally the case for wealthy whites compared to less well off African Americans) made in this entry are untrue.  And the Thomas McNiven "recollections," while a delightful source for me as a novelist, is not something that historians (myself included) regard as highly accurate.  This, I suppose, is the downside of the Wikipedia -- anything that's ever been "published" can be cited, even if it's highly suspect or completely unfounded.  PLEASE, read the two articles I've written and edit this entry based on what they provide.  You can also find a great C-SPAN program in which Elizabeth Varon and I discuss the challenges in separating fact from rumor when it comes to Bowser.


 * -Lois Leveen — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.246.206.4 (talk) 21:22, 1 July 2013 (UTC)


 * Thank you for pointing out these inaccuracies! The article now includes a section for items like this to be explicitly named as unsubstantiated or untrue, and at least a portion of the items have been removed from the rest of the article. Maintaining a list of claims and sources stating their status will be helpful for future editors and readers. —Verbistheword (talk) 20:29, 4 July 2016 (UTC)