Incredible as it may appear to you, Mr. Holmes, he was honestly convinced that a dreadful fate overhung his family, and certainly the records which he was able to give of his ancestors were not encouraging.

书上的翻译和英文原意是：他从祖辈那里获知的传说确实让人情绪沮丧，那么对应就是上文中的give of...为什么这里的give of会有“获知“的含义呢？

麻烦老师讲解一下。谢谢！