Hello fellow HILL listers: Please allow me to give you another word of caution about published family histories that use "secondary" sources. These books are often compilations of the research of others, and often these other researchers are wrong. Just because the book can be found in a library doesn't mean that the data isn't HIGHLY questionable. Before you buy a book, question the author on the source documentation. Before you go on the recommendation of someone promoting a book, ask if the sources are "primary" or "secondary". Rely mainly on "primary" hard data...census information, will abstracts, deed abstracts, birth and marriage records, etc., and be VERY careful with books written that do not site these "primary" type sources (even Bible data can be questionable...it totally depends on the date of the Bible and who wrote it in the Bible). If the book that is being recommended to you sites "secondary" data or the research of others...proceed with extreme caution and use it ONLY as a starting point. We have ALL possibly been guilty (yes me too) of propogating bad data. It happens, but the best way to make up for all the bad data that we have all possibly sent around and exchanged, is to set our own standards higher, ask questions, look for cited sources, and learn the distinct difference between "primary" data and "secondary" data. Probably the best advise ever given to me was to go to the library and do your own research, starting with your parents, and find at least ONE hard fact allowing you to make a written (one sentence) statement of proof for each generation one by one, all the way back. If you must rely on a secondary source to make a connection, find out what their "primary" source was for the connection, go look at the document (or get a copy) yourself, and cite THAT in your research. By all means, if you do post your own compilations on the web, include a brief statement of where your research came from, and how reliable it is. This may be an near impossible request, because I can't even find the researcher's or compiler's actual name and address on most research I get emailed to me. Insist on knowing what you're getting, and don't be fooled by a fancy hard-bound cover, or a fancy web page. Byron Hill HILL-Admin

I totally agree and thank you for reminding everyone. I am working with a fellow researching cousin now that published a book. We have a common immigrant ancestor. He and his wife had six children. They each had children. Here is the problem. If I had just typed in the book into my handy little computer program and not searched for myself I would have missed some very important information. One example is that I found children that were listed on census records that were not included in her book because they died at an early age. One ancestors clearly states that she had 10 children and only 7 were living at that time. I was able to look back and find the names of two of her deceased children. I may never find a name of the third child that died, I understand that if a child is stillborn or dies in infancy that there may be no name or no record of that child. In this case there was good documentation that this child existed and I can honor that and at least include that in my information. Martha Texas

HOOOOOO!!! You are so right~~~!! I recently found out that I have been given as the "source" of some incorrect data [in another family line]. I wrote to a person 30 yrs ago, telling them that I had found this data and was wondering if it connected to my line----but that I'd let her know if it did. I finally [after about 10 yrs of searching] proved it to be wrong, and found the correct connection, which I sent to her---but she never acknowledged it... Now I have discovered that she wrote a book and gave my name as reference/source for the incorrect data.... We don't live at the same address anymore, so maybe I can claim it isn't me??? Doris....A Texan in Georgia..... Still shaking the family tree and dodging the nuts after 30+ years! IBSSG ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 9:35 AM Subject: [HILL-L] Family History Books (a word of caution) Hello fellow HILL listers: Please allow me to give you another word of caution about published family histories that use "secondary" sources. These books are often compilations of the research of others, and often these other researchers are wrong. Just because the book can be found in a library doesn't mean that the data isn't HIGHLY questionable. Before you buy a book, question the author on the source documentation. Before you go on the recommendation of someone promoting a book, ask if the sources are "primary" or "secondary". Rely mainly on "primary" hard data...census information, will abstracts, deed abstracts, birth and marriage records, etc., and be VERY careful with books written that do not site these "primary" type sources (even Bible data can be questionable...it totally depends on the date of the Bible and who wrote it in the Bible). If the book that is being recommended to you sites "secondary" data or the research of others...proceed with extreme caution and use it ONLY as a starting point. We have ALL possibly been guilty (yes me too) of propogating bad data. It happens, but the best way to make up for all the bad data that we have all possibly sent around and exchanged, is to set our own standards higher, ask questions, look for cited sources, and learn the distinct difference between "primary" data and "secondary" data. Probably the best advise ever given to me was to go to the library and do your own research, starting with your parents, and find at least ONE hard fact allowing you to make a written (one sentence) statement of proof for each generation one by one, all the way back. If you must rely on a secondary source to make a connection, find out what their "primary" source was for the connection, go look at the document (or get a copy) yourself, and cite THAT in your research. By all means, if you do post your own compilations on the web, include a brief statement of where your research came from, and how reliable it is. This may be an near impossible request, because I can't even find the researcher's or compiler's actual name and address on most research I get emailed to me. Insist on knowing what you're getting, and don't be fooled by a fancy hard-bound cover, or a fancy web page. Byron Hill HILL-Admin --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.370 / Virus Database: 205 - Release Date: 6/5/2002