Lessons Learned: Sources

Before we go any further, we need to discuss the most important aspect of good genealogy: sources. A source is “any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin.” My source for that? Dictionary.com. The source from which you obtain your information matters. Three hundred years from now, which of the following would you be more apt to trust to get your date of birth correct: your birth certificate or Billie Jean’s family tree that she copied from Cindy Lou’s family tree on sketchygenealogy.com?

There are two types of sources: primary sources and secondary sources.

Primary sources are the records that were generated at the time an event occurred. There are The Big Three: vital records, which are records of birth, marriage, and death created by the government, families, or churches. There are also other primary sources, such as census records, military records, naturalization & passenger records, land records, and probate records. You want to always use a primary source whenever possible.

Secondary sources are documents that were not created at the time an event occurred. Some examples of secondary sources are published genealogies, town and local histories, periodicals, atlases, and biographies. The problem with secondary sources is that, because they were not created at the time an event occurred, they can be and are often inaccurate. With that said, a secondary source can be incredibly helpful by revealing new information about your ancestors; however, try to use this information only as a jumping-off point and keep looking for corroborating primary sources. Unfortunately, sometimes you just will not be able to locate a primary source, especially the further back in time you go. In those instances, I try to find as many secondary sources as possible to corroborate a fact.

Now here’s a twist: some primary sources can also be secondary sources. For example a death record is a primary source for a death because it was created at the time the death occurred. However, death records also record the decedent’s birth date and the names of the decedent’s parents. Those details are provided by an informant, usually a family member, often long after events have taken place and, in my experience, are often incorrect.

What I don’t consider to be sources: family stories and family trees.

Despite my last post, where I waxed philosophical on the importance of talking to your family members about your family history, be wary of family legends. It seems like every family has a distant grandmother who was a “Cherokee princess,” or an Aunt Edna who insists that you are all descended from European royalty. These assertions are wrong 99% of the time. What can you do with your family legend? Have fun disproving it utilizing primary and secondary sources.

Next are the family trees. They are available everywhere online and many beginners use them exclusively. Don’t make this mistake. Most of the family trees I find online are totally inaccurate. All it takes is for one person to publish an erroneous “fact.” That “fact” is then copied by another person and disseminated all across the internet. Rinse and repeat until that inaccurate information becomes a part of hundreds of publically-available family trees. Always remember Internet Rule Number One: just because it’s published online does not make it a fact!

That’s not to say that another person’s family tree doesn’t have its place. When I first got into genealogy, I used family trees as a jumping-off point in my research. Another person’s family tree often introduced me to the names of an ancestor’s parents. However, I did not did simply slap the parents’ names on my tree! Instead, I researched those names using primary and secondary sources in order to reach a well reasoned conclusion. Sometimes I’d get lucky; other times I feel like someone pulled some random names from their bum.

In conclusion, if you use another person’s tree, immediately look at their sources. You’ll generally find that there are none. However, a broken clock is right twice a day, and sometimes you will get lucky and find some solid information, but only after vetting that information using primary and secondary sources! Never take an unsourced family tree at face value!

One final note: always cite your sources! Also, document! document! document! I, personally, don’t believe you can keep too many notes or that those notes can be too detailed. Because I am detailed and thorough in my documentation, it comes in handy when I’ve taken a hiatus from genealogy and need to refresh my recollection. Furthermore, while documenting your family history, keep future generations in mind. If someone passed their genealogical work down to you, wouldn’t you want to see their sources and notes? I certainly would.

Now that you know the types of sources for which to look, you are equipped to follow genealogical best practices: the Genealogical Proof Standard. Good luck and have fun!

The Genealogical Proof Standard

1. Reasonably exhaustive research has been conducted;
2. Each statement of facts has a complete and accurate source situation;
3. The evidence is reliable and has been skillfully correlated and interpreted;
4. Any contradictory evidence has been resolved; and,
5. The conclusion has been soundly reasoned and coherently written.