Monthly Archives: September 2012

Look At The Time Frame

Always analyze a date in the context of other events taking place at about the same time. In comparing the death date of my great-grandfather with the date the will was brought to court for recording, I realized the dates were close–the date of death was 1 February and the will was brought for recording on 3 February. The time frame was even closer than I thought.

The great-grandfather died on a Saturday and on the following Monday the potential executor brought the will to be recorded. This was the first business day after the ancestor died–meaning that there wasn’t really any delay at all–the executor didn’t mess around.

Why Was The Record Created?

Do you know the original purpose of the record you are using for your research? It most likely was not genealogy. Land deeds were created to transfer real property, tax records were used to document the wealth of an individual so that taxes could be collected, court testimony was used to gather evidence to make a decision in a specific case, etc.

Why a document was created impacts the information it contains and how reliable that information may be perceived for genealogy research.

Don’t Ignore What Doesn’t Agree

If original material disagrees with other records or with your conclusions, do not simply ignore those original records because of the difference. Acknowledge that the other material exists and attempt to determine what might have caused the difference in statements of fact. If the cause cannot be determined and you still have reason to believe the other record to be incorrect, write up the records and reasons used.

Short Marriage at the End?

Are you losing great-grandma at the very end of her life? Is it possible she married very late in life and her last name changed?

Took me a long time to find an ancestor of my wife who married her second husband in her late 60s. I assumed (incorrectly) that when her first husband died when she was in her early 60s that she never remarried. She didn’t disappear, but instead died and was buried under her second husband’s last name.

Compiled Trees Should Not Be Your Only Source

Compiled trees (regardless of the compiler or the book, site, etc.) should not be your only source for a fact, relationship, date of an event, etc. These trees can lead you to other sources and give you research ideas, but do not simply “copy it down because you saw it online.”

At the best, compiled trees provide references to original source materials.

At the worst, they are completely incorrect.

The truth is that most are somewhere in between. Use them as clues.

Note from Site Administrator: And Always, Always, Always document your source. In this case the tree where you obtained the information.