When I search for kin at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi and other places and find certain information and they show their Source but their source in incorrect. How do you know what information is correct? RE; One Individual b abt 1829 [his father died 1828] He married in 1829. Sources: 1.. Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was Note: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=37812&pid=-1350969327 Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne Kane" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:20 AM Subject: Re: [PALANCAS] PALANCAS Digest, Vol 4, Issue 52 > Joan is correct. A "source" is where I obtained information. > "Documentation" is what I have to back it up for proof. > > Anne > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Paul I sure wouldn't rely on family trees. Especially undocumented ones. My cousin put some completely wrong information into the LDS files, and now people are picking up on that and thinking it's correct. You need tombstone information, wills, land records, birth/death certificates, marriage certificates, bible records, military service records. Those type of documents are better. However, even they can be in error. They are all only as trustworthy as the person who gave the information. For example, a son or grandson or nephew, etc. might provide the information for a death certificate and he/she might not be sure but will give some number, and there you have a bad reference on an official document. Get as much evidence as you can and go with the general consensus. Court documents are a little better. WEST wrote: > When I search for kin at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi > and other places and find certain information and they show their Source but > their source in incorrect. > How do you know what information is correct? > > RE; One Individual b abt 1829 [his father died 1828] He married in 1829. > > > > Sources: > 1.. Title: Ancestry Family Trees > Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. > Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. > Note: > This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree > files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. > Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information > since this source citation was created. > Page: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family > Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those > files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed > information since this source citation was > Note: > Text: > http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=37812&pid=-1350969327 > > > Paul > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Anne Kane" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:20 AM > Subject: Re: [PALANCAS] PALANCAS Digest, Vol 4, Issue 52 > > > >> Joan is correct. A "source" is where I obtained information. >> "Documentation" is what I have to back it up for proof. >> >> Anne >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

I use the sources as a jumping off point and either request the original document specified or contact the owner of the tree and see where he/she got their documentation. I have found with one particular person that shared a common name and birth year with an unrelated person 2 states away that One World Tree conglomerated them into one person. Actually, I can think of 2 times this situation has occurred. If you look at each tree individually, you will see the differences [and be able to contact the particular poster]. But if you add them in, from Ancestry and even Roots Web, I think, it adds all data. That means that instead of 2 separate marriages, they have marriage one and marriage 2 for a single person. If you are finding info on Roots Web, chances are you can find the sources fairly easily as well. WEST wrote: > When I search for kin at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi > and other places and find certain information and they show their Source but > their source in incorrect. > How do you know what information is correct? > > RE; One Individual b abt 1829 [his father died 1828] He married in 1829. > > > > Sources: > 1.. Title: Ancestry Family Trees > Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. > Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. > Note: > This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree > files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. > Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information > since this source citation was created. > Page: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family > Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those > files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed > information since this source citation was > Note: > Text: > http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=37812&pid=-1350969327 > > > Paul > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Anne Kane" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:20 AM > Subject: Re: [PALANCAS] PALANCAS Digest, Vol 4, Issue 52 > > > >> Joan is correct. A "source" is where I obtained information. >> "Documentation" is what I have to back it up for proof. >> >> Anne >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.45/2045 - Release Date: 04/07/09 06:41:00 > >

This is the key question. "How do you know what information is correct? I suggest reading Elizabeth Shown Mills' Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian. She has other books also, which will help to know how to properly analyze and cite your sources and documentation. On page 18 of Evidence! she lists 13 guidelines for documentation. Those which I think apply to this discussion are: 1. Any statement of fact that is not common knowledge must carry its own individual statement of source. 2. Source notes hae two purposes: to record the specific location of each piece of data and to record details that affect the use or evaluation of that data. 9. We should not cite sources we have not used; it is both risky and unethical to "borrow notes" from other other writers. [so if you use an ancestry.com tree, you cite that tree, not the sources within the tree. If you use and evaluate those sources, only then can you cite them] 13. Citing a source is not an end to itself; our real goal is to have the best possible source to cite. [Many sources are deficient, but can provide an avenue to a better source. Always seek out the better source.] {for example; Aunt Mabel may have said grandpa was buried in xyz cemetery. Yes, she is a source. But seek out the better source which is the cemetery records} I believe it is so important for us to take our hobby of genealogy to a higher level and be as professional as we can. Suzanne Historian Genealogist