Why Double or Triple Checking Facts is Important in
Ancestral Investigations by Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook
When researching your ancestors, it is crucial to your
research that you find their correct vital statistics. You need to know
their full name, birth date and location, marriage date and location, death
date and location, and the full name of their parents. In order to insure
that your vital statistics are correct, it is critically important for you
to stay organized and check and re-check your facts based on a variety of
sources.
When
researching your ancestors, it is crucial to your research that you find
their correct vital statistics. You need to know their full name, birth date
and location, marriage date and location, death date and location, and the
full name of their parents. In order to insure that your vital statistics
are correct, it is critically important for you to stay organized and check
and re-check your facts based on a variety of sources.
The only way to be able to double check your sources is if you keep
complete, accurate, and organized notes. Notes should be taken on loose-leaf
paper, which can be combined into three-ring binders, or kept in bound
notebooks so that all of your notes will stay together. It is also a good
idea to develop a personal system for labelling your notes. On a part of
each piece of paper, such as the upper-right-hand corner, include pertinent
information, such as the surname of the family or individual you are taking
notes on, the location where you are taking the notes so that you can return
there later if necessary, and the date on which you are taking the notes.
Different surnames should be kept on separate pieces of paper. If your notes
mention more than one surname, create a duplicate under the other
surname(s). Try to not recopy your notes too much in order to decrease
errors. Also, don't forget to cite your sources, including title, author,
date of publication, and other pertinent details about where you found your
information. Your genealogical findings will not be considered reliable if
you can't prove that you got it from a reliable source, and all your hard
work will be for not. Also, if you cite your sources well, then if you find
conflicting information, you can double-check the original source to see who
or what is in error. Finally, you may also want to consult a source again
for more information.
When taking notes, you can abbreviate words, but you must be thorough about
certain details and include full names whenever possible. When writing
names, enclose maiden names in parentheses and place before married names.
Enclose nicknames in quotes and place after the first name. Finally, aliases
can be included following surnames by placing them inside parentheses after
the abbreviation "a.k.a.", which means "also known as." It is helpful, even
essential, to make a list of alternate names and alternate spellings of
names for all of your ancestors. In index searches that require the correct
spelling of names, such as the Social Security Death Index, being aware of
alternate spellings and names can help you locate your ancestor. Names can
be tricky in other ways as well. Alternate spellings of certain names, such
as Gale (Gail) or Francis (Frances), could indicate whether the ancestor
being referred to is male or female. Therefore, it is important to write
names in your notes exactly as you see them to ensure they are spelled
correctly. In addition, other names you may assume are female were actually
also used for males in the past, such as Mildred and Beverly. Finally, women
can have changing surnames as a result of marriage. You will want to keep
track of all of your female ancestors' surnames, including their maiden
names. If you don't know an ancestor's married or maiden name indicate that
with empty parentheses or a question mark when you writer her name.
Place names and dates require just as much thoroughness and accuracy as
people's names. When you are taking notes, record full place names,
including county, city, and state. For example, some states may have cities
and counties with the same or similar names. When writing about places, also
include any references that are made to geographic landmarks. Record dates
by beginning with the day, spelling out the month, and ending with the full
year. For example, writing the date as "12 February 1895" makes it clear and
correct. The typical abbreviation for dates, such as "12/2/95," can lead to
confusion regarding which number is the month and which is the day (i.e.
whether the date is December 2 or February 12) and what the correct century
is (1895 or 1795?). Finally, carefully check your notes before you end each
research session, and make sure they are completely clear. There's no
telling when or if you will be able to consult the source or sources again.