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From:
Subject: [CAMPBELL] Re: Campbell Researcher :)
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 12:29:35 EST


Hi Luke,
This is a job that takes years. Start by researching what you do know. Then
try to rewrite their lives. Where did they live,who did they marry, what
kind of person were they, why are we all nutty enough to do this. Their lives
are a mystery that has to be answered, if you care. As you expand
geographically sometimes you find parents and grandparents.
Starting about 6 or 8 generations back all of a sudden you can no longer
verify that these people are your direct ancestors. No one has a genealogy that
they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Even people with family bibles and
written records have problems with the many ancestors who do the recording.
Census takers make mistakes, put in wrong birth years, misspell names and omit
others. Disasters like fire and floods skew records.
As you continue your understanding of the value if what you are doing helps
you . If possible visit the area that they lived find gravestones question
those in chaege of the records at the graveyard. Little by little answer by
answer it starts to be comlete.
On my own hunt I am stuck 3 centurys back on one of my parents and 450 years
on the other. I have clues to go back futher but I can not be positive. Try
to be as exact as possible. As I said no one is sure.
Try to stay with as few family lines as possible. Your mother and fathers
last names maybe Grandparents last names. When you get stuck sometimes it helps
to research last names of all the people who live around the time and area
that you are questioning. As you work you will find other ideas that help you.
Be carefull that you are not overwhelmed with superfluous material. Some
researchers have so much data that they can not find what they are looking for.
Good Luck, David Campbell
P.S. Are you a Campbell ? I have no David Campbells in my history.

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