A Genealogy 101 No No
While at Rootstech, a woman asked me for some help with a problem in her research. I took a look at what she had and although her question was related to finding a newspaper. I thought it would be good to see the documentation she had on the person in question, so I could be a little bit more informed. I asked her what documents she had and her reply was... "I dont have documentation, someone else does." She had used the information from a family tree that had been posted on the Internet, but had not taken a look at or verified the documentation. I told her about the old saying "Genealogy without Documentation is Mythology" and she said she had heard that before. I encouraged her to look at the documentation and evaluate it before continuing her research. It is much better to take your time and get it right. I was able to give her a name of someone I knew who might be able to address her newspaper question, so at least she did not go away empty handed and I hope that she will take my advice and verify the information in her family tree.Posted family trees can be a GREAT help to your research, especially if you are presented with a brick wall in your research, but they should be considered as a tool in your research. We are all human and are prone to making mistakes. If the tree you find has any errors in it and you copy the information contained within, then you will perpetuate the errors especially if you also post your family tree for others to see. If you build a tree off of a mistake then not only have you spent a lot of time and money in vain, but you now have inaccurate information in your family tree and are doing a dishonor to your ancestors.
If you find a family tree that you think is part of your family tree, make sure you acquire those documents associated with it. If there is no documentation, contact the person who posted the tree and ask what documentation they have. Some people may not have documentation as they also copied information. If there is no documentation, then you will have to find the proof that is needed. If they do have documentation, examine it and verify that it is correct. Make sure you provide sources for all your documentation, to include the family tree in which you acquired it. Writing your sources is another topic onto itself. If this message reaches only one person and hits home, then this post was well worth it. You can save yourself a lot of headaches by taking your time in your research. GOOD LUCK!
