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Archiver > APG > 2002-08 > 1030041653


From: "Mills" <>
Subject: [APG] Certified vs. uncertified
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 13:50:42 -0500


Donna Gruber wrote:
> It seems to me that this is more important than certified or uncertified.
> IMO a certified document can be either primary or secondary, depending on
> the circumstances of the certified document's creation.
>
> Now, if we could just convince everyone of the benefits of careful
analysis
> of *all* the data on a document. <g>

Agreed! It's the "careful analysis of *all* data" that counts! A blanket
classification of "primary source" or "secondary source" is really
meaningless in genealogy, and the birth and death certificates under
discussion are quintessential examples. How can we validly classify, say, a
death certificate as a "primary source" when it customarily contains
secondhand information (names of parents, birthplaces, etc.). And the points
that Dick, Donna, and others have raised, as to whether a "certified copy"
is more "primary" than a photocopy underscores the futility of the argument
we're wrestling with.

The only way to sort out these differences is to separate the FORM of the
document from the CONTENT that it contains -- that is:

FORM: Physically, the record is either an ORIGINAL or a DERIVATIVE -- with
copies straddling the line between the two classes, based upon our analysis
of the faithfulness of the image.

CONTENT: The information within the document is either PRIMARY, SECONDARY,
or both! Therefore, as Donna says, we have to carefully analyze each
information statement within the document, considering whether the informant
would have firsthand or secondhand knowledge on that particular point.

Admittedly, none of this is as easy as simply calling something a "primary
source" and deciding we can accept what it's said because (gee whillikers!)
it's a PRIMARY SOURCE! But, nobody ever said genealogical research was
easy -- at least not on this forum <g>.

Elizabeth

===============================
Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
Author, *Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the
Family Historian*
Editor, *National Genealogical Society Quarterly*
Editor, *Professional Genealogy: A Manual for
Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers & Librarians*


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