Just thought that I would pass along some info on LDS records that it took me years to learn. Most of you probably already know that many of the files are submitted by researchers and like many doing genealogy -- some are good researchers and some are less than good. Some are happy just collecting names and dates and some won't submit anything without a source for the material. BUT when using the IGI portion of the records if you see a B, a C or a M in the Batch number -- that info was taken from an actual Birth, Christening or Marriage Record -- church or county records. It is still helpful to gaze upon the actual record yourself because you know the family better and can sometimes understand the spelling of a name rather than guessing at the spelling in old records. At least you know a date and a location to get an actual record. So look for those letters when working in IGI files and as far as the ancestral files-- CAUTION. Take care. Marilyn

Do you remember the old IGI files that were on microfiche? Do you think that it is true that all of that is now on their computer site? ----- Original Message ----- From: <gneolog@aol.com> To: <germanna_colonies@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 8:22 AM Subject: [GERMANNA] LDS records > Just thought that I would pass along some info on LDS records that it took > me years to learn. Most of you probably already know that many of the > files are submitted by researchers and like many doing genealogy -- some > are good researchers and some are less than good. Some are happy just > collecting names and dates and some won't submit anything without a source > for the material. BUT when using the IGI portion of the records if you see > a B, a C or a M in the Batch number -- that info was taken from an actual > Birth, Christening or Marriage Record -- church or county records. It is > still helpful to gaze upon the actual record yourself because you know the > family better and can sometimes understand the spelling of a name rather > than guessing at the spelling in old records. At least you know a date and > a location to get an actual record. So look for those letters when working > in IGI files and as far as the ancestral files-- CAUTION. Take care. > Marilyn > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GERMANNA_COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

---- Sherry Nay <snay2@verizon.net> wrote: Do you remember the old IGI files that were on microfiche? Do you think that it is true that all of that is now on their computer site? Sherry, Yes, to the first question, and No, to the second. Why No to the second. Human error in transmitting. All who have used the old IGI files on microfiche and then went to the original records know that there were human error in transcribing. Then, putting them online caused some other errors to creep in. However, this is not very frequently. It just pays to stick to: Check the orginial record yourself. This is why I have ordered the microfilm of Schwaigern. I have heard the Willert for Wilhoite/Wilheit, etc., for years. It just doesn't make sense to me. I beleive and trust my dear friend Elke's statements, but I want to see for myself. One would think the Kraichgau has been studied to death. My friends at the Family History Center are use to hearing me muttering things like: "That's what I thought!" "I can't believe this!" and all those other things we say when a mystery becomes clear or at least somewhat clearing. A number of us have been staring at the village of the first Walckh in Flinsbach. Almost all of us agreed that the entry in the Flinsbach churchbook was Oberzarten was correct. Well, it is for today's unified German. However, I was looking at it the other day and slapped my forehead as the Welsh do. It was written in the churchbook in the form for the times in that area. Obertzarten! The "tz" became clear as I had just been working on my Katz family which is spelled both Katz and Kaz in the village today. It was all Katz back from the 1400s up into the 1800s. Cary