Hello, Kim. You are the type of person from whom one likes to get information. I learned the hard way and I must admit I was very careless some 11 years ago when I printed up my first book of family history, my mother's ancestry. Lured by the glitter of ancient kings and queens, I strayed far off the beaten track of documentation and wandered down all sorts of dreamy byways. It didn't bother me much as my book was a very limited edition not really intended to go beyond family members. Footnotes were few, and I generally just referred generally to sources in the text (but did include a bibliography). Unfortunately, I did wind up with extra copies that wound up in a few libraries. So by the time I got to my second book, my father's ancestry, I was more careful and began citing sources much better. And by the third book, my wife's ancestry, there were footnotes galore, citations throughout the text--as well as the usual biography. When conflicting information popped up, I used all versions and cited all sources. Along the way I did two large volumes of hometown history for public sale, and they are very, very thoroughly documented throughout. My fourth book of family history, in progress, is largely autobiographical and won't require much in the way of documentation. Pleading extenuating circumstances, in my defense I point out that I use no form of genealogical software and have never posted any line of descent onto the Internet. Everything on my computer is in the form of book pages ever in the process of correction and addition. Each book of family history also includes addenda correcting and adding to the previous volumes. I began picking away at some of the history as long as 53 years ago. I'm so old now that much of the stuff I'm currently writing about from memory (back to the 1930s) is pretty historic stuff itself. I recall my father's joy at the Repeal of Prohibition, walked the deck of the USS Constitution in 1934, recall Hitler's rise to power . . . etc. :-) Tom > From: "Kim Verhey" <kverhey@sio.midco.net> > Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:25:10 -0500 > To: WESTALL-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: One World Family Tree > Resent-From: WESTALL-L@rootsweb.com > Resent-Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:25:29 -0600 > > Just wanted to add my view to the previous post. > > I have found many various errors in genealogy data over the years from > seemingly accurate and verifiable sources. For example an official state > death record did not match the death date on a headstone (it was the same > person). Needless to say I use these 3 rules in deciding whether to use the > information. > 1.. verify sources > 2.. verify sources > 3.. verify sources > then if I use the information I "ALWAYS" list the source and sometimes a > footnote. Information garnered from someone else's hard work should always > give due credit to the purveyor of the information. If the info does not list > a source I always view it as suspect. > > Kim Verhey >