Sources

If you have spent any time at all on new family search, you soon realize that there is a ton of really rotten research posted there. While there is an easy way to document where the information came from, not many people have done that. As you correct your family data on nFS, be sure to document your sources. As I mentioned in the posting on documention, you should list where you got your information---whether it is from a solid source or not. Evaluating the sources is a great way to tell if information can be trusted or if more research needs to be done. Here are some hints.

Primary Sources: Obvious. A first hand account from a person involved in the event. It is best if it was recorded near the time the event occurred. A primary source is generally considered one of the most accurate sources---but not always. In the late 1800's, Judy Persinger copied information into her precious family Bible. She asked her father-in-law, William, for information on his three marriages. Later, a researcher found a marriage bann for William and his first wife, about 1790. It didn't match the date in the Bible. Polly had been gone for many years, not there to remind William about their anniversary, so he had gotten it mixed up in his old age. And my dear husband, present at the births of our five children and their subsequent birthday parties, couldn't tell you the birth day or year for any of them. For some obscure reason, he can tell you that we used my china for the first time on February 4th. So if I ever needed to document that, he'd be perfect.

Secondary Source: A secondary source would be information from someone who is not an eye witness or was removed from the event. There is opportunity for the information to be misunderstood or changed. Such a source may be all you can find and should not be discounted. If, however, there is conflicting information documented from a Primary Source, it should take precedence over a secondary source. An example: A friend reported that she had misspelled her name her entire life and didn't know it until she had gotten a certified copy of her birth certificate to apply for social security. Her mother had taught her to write her name----Mom was a primary source since she was the one who chose it. The hospital clerk, the recorder at the state, even Dad, could have entered in the wrong spelling. So while a birth certificate is usually considered a very accurate source, I feel that Mom knew best.

Original and Compiled Records: Always look for the original record if you can find it. We have a tendency to get lazy when we search online. Search for a census record on ancestry.com or other site and you will come up with an index. This is a compiled record. Someone looked at the original record and tried to copy down what it said. Their intention was good and they tried to be as accurate as possible. But if you have ever done indexing, you know what a hard task that is! Mistakes enter in. Be sure to take the little time required to click on the original record and see what you think it says. Better yet, save a copy and attach it to your PAF file. Sometimes when you know a little bit about the person, you can decipher the hen scratches of the census taker better than someone unfamiliar with the family. Always note whether you looked at the actual census or at the index. It can be embarrassing if someone calls you on it later.

Sometimes it is tricky to figure it all out. I found a marriage record in an old book in the Cassia County Courthouse for my great aunt Meg in 1879. The book was hand written by --oh, dear, I have forgotten his first name---Mr. Weatherman, the first recorder in Cassia County. I assumed it was a Primary source. Later I learned that our county was part of Owyhee County at the time of their marriage and that Mr. Weatherman had traveled to Silver City where he carefully handcopied all of the Cassia County records from the original Owyhee book. We visited Silver City many years ago. It was a daunting drive in our pickup, and not an easy task for a man on a horse. And as careful as I am sure he was, he may have made a mistake. The original records are in the Owyhee county courthouse in Murphy, Idaho. Twin Falls County was created from Cassia County, so they likewise have copied records of their early events, and Cassia County has the originals. I probably won't make it to Murphy to check their early marriage records, but I did change the notes in my sources to explain that it was a copy of the original record. It really made me appreciate Mr. Weatherman and all of those others who so carefully recorded the information we are seeking now.