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20
Sep
Documents Reliability
Debby

In my upcoming lecture at OCCGS (Orange County California Genealogical Society) I discuss the importance of looking at documents with an open mind to the reliability and possible problems with their content.

Any document can have omissions, accidental or  intentional mistakes.  Even if a document is certified, it does not guarantee its reliability.  Using a combination of documents can help add validity to a piece of information/a fact.  Will all information have conclusive answers, no, but researchers can document their findings and possible issues with the results.

So when an piece of information looks out of place, go back and check the other documents to see if they are reliable.

Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills goes into great detail on the analysis of documents and what to watch out for.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , ,  40 Comments
01
Jun
Importing Data – Beware
Debby

I was recently asked to review a family tree to see what I thought of the research so far.  I looked at the names and dates for logic and then I started looking at the places and dates.

Now as much as I wish I could be in two places at once at times, there is no way that in 1860, someone could be in New York and in Texas on the same day, and in two different weddings.  The couple in question had common names and were married in New York.  This was recorded as the primary fact.  A secondary fact was listed that the same couple were married in Texas on the same day.

Somewhere in the data a mistake was made.  Using the other data recorded in the family tree and the sources used, it was determined that the New York location was the correct location, and a merge from data received online was the culprit for the second entry.

When you find data online, please do not import it into your tree without reviewing it first.  Everyone makes mistakes and you do not want those mistakes added to your tree.  The Genealogist’s Internet by Peter Christian has a great section on Good Practice for family trees found online.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , , ,  35 Comments
07
Apr
Timelines
Debby

Knowing when [what dates or period] to search for a particular event for a person is just as important as knowing where to search.  By making a simple timeline of when the person appears in a record group can narrow down the search of the next event.

For example, if I know that a father was a witness to his son’s marriage in 1847, but was listed as deceased on his daughter’s marriage certificate in 1851, the time span is narrowed to a five year window.

Another great thing to add to a timeline is a listing of world, regional, and local events occurring at the time being researched.  I have troubles keeping all the wars and historical events straight, so by using a timeline, I can better calculate why a particular person might not be where I thought they should be.

In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Loretto Dennis Szucs, timelines and other first steps are explained in great details.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , ,  One Comment
24
Mar
FYI – KEN=KY
Debby

Abbreviations and acronyms are everywhere and depending on the context, they can mean different things to different people.  When I entered the working world, every time I started a new career there was a whole new list of abbreviations to learn.  Genealogy is no different.

Abbreviations and Acronyms: Guide for Family Historians by Kip Sperry has provided me with a starting point with some of these.  Now, if everyone could be consistent and abbreviations could only be used once, that would be wonderful.  Not going to happen, and with that, I still have to look at the context to determine what the abbreviation is referring to.  So instead of thinking all genealogists were using a Global Positioning System (GPS) they were actually following the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).

And yes, Kentucky can be seen as KEN or KY in different records.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , , , , , ,  2 Comments
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