Caroline Gurney wrote: "Thirty odd years ago, when I first joined SoG, one of the lessons that Anthony Camp and others drummed into our newbie heads was "Always look at the original record". That remains equally true today but it appears that TNA and some Record Offices have forgotten it." I totally agree always look at the original record - and if we cannot see the original (for which there could be many reasons) do cite the source of the "copy" And if we can see the original record - if possible, look at other original records from the same collection - for by comparing records made at the same time we can get insights into what might be missing which could be as interesting as what has survived I had a useful reminder "about reliability, authenticity, chain of custody, gaps, absences and silences" from the presentation by Maureen Callahan (link below) "The Value of Archival Description Considered" http://icantiemyownshoes.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/the-value-of-archival-description-considered/ Even in the area of newspapers and other printed sources it is good to keep an eye out for different digital versions ideally from different collections - they may be identical - but they may not (again for quite a number of reasons). Very Best Regards Richard Heaton

Richard Heaton wrote: > totally agree always look at the original record - and if we cannot see > the original (for which there could be many reasons) do cite the source of > the "copy" I well remember one instance in Durham Archives where I had to insist on seeing the original record: transcriptions existed - two of them - the IGI and a local transcription, both of which gave an unnamed infant AINSLEY baptism as "male". Not so - in the original record no sex of the infant was given - assumptions had been made and the record distorted. And another - a "good" IGI transcription of a North Riding parish - which simply omitted my great grandmother... There in the original, gone in transcription! Like most competent genealogists i always emphasise the importance of the original when talking to beginners - and not necessarily believing that *that* is the absolute truth either! My mentor when I started some 40 years ago hammered into me "they ALL tell lies....and many of them lie about the lies they tell..." Hugh