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From: "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>
Subject: [Genealogy Bits and Pieces] Don’t Forget the Fundamentals
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 18:08:57 -0700

Youve finally had the breakthrough youve been waiting for. That family
line you thought must have appeared out of thin air has been located in a
book, or in a database you found. And suddenly you have five, maybe seven
generations of new information taking your pedigree back to the middle ages.

Now your enthusiasm is elevated. You are excited about this family line, and
youre sure you can push it back even further. You can hardly wait to get to
the library, or back to your computer and give chase once again. Dont!

Im not saying your enthusiasm is misplaced. But, just because youve had
some success you shouldnt throw out the fundamentals of good research. Sure
you want to make even more progress. But, take some time to make sure of
what you have before you go off on what could be a fruitless journey.

Avoid further frustration by taking time to evaluate what you have found. Go
over it just as you should have done when you first began your genealogical
research.

Check the dates to make sure they match up. This is a good way to see if
someone else has matched up people from the same generation (the father or
mother is too young to have children), or if they have missed a generation
(the father or mother is too old to have children). If you see a problem
with dates, check the source to see if it was just a typo, or if the
underlying research was bad.

Look at the names. It is quite common for sons to be named for fathers, and
for daughters to be named for mothers. But, if you see a father and mother
with the same names as son and daughter-in-law, look a little closer. At
times, some genealogists have been frustrated with trying to place a family
they are sure belongs, but havent been able to fit in properly. So, they
have just put the family in twice to fill the gap.

Check out the localities involved. Our ancestors could be very mobile, so
quite a bit of movement should be expected. But, there are warning signs of
poor research. For example, if all of the children were born in one locality
every two or three years, while a single child (often the one you would be
descended from) was born in a different town a hundred miles away, you
should be leery. This may have been an attempt to "graft" an ancestor into a
known line that has no connection to the right one.

Even when you are convinced the research is good, check as many of the facts
as possible to see if there is something that was not seen by a previous
researcher.

For example, if the information on a family was derived solely from a will
or other probate record, it may be missing mention of children or other
relatives who had died prior to that time. Data on these people might be
found in other records, such as census schedules or church registers.
Or, if information came from a family Bible, it may be missing localities.
Again, church registers may help supply the missing data.

Once you have done the "fundamentals", go ahead full speed with your
attempts to find more of the family line. Without the fundamentals, you
might just wind up spinning your wheels.


Sally Rolls Pavia
Sun City, AZ

List Owner:
"Without genealogy, the study of history is lifeless."
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• [Genealogy Bits and Pieces] Don’t Forget the Fundamentals by "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>