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Archiver > GENMTD > 2002-11 > 1036391960


From: "Kit McChesney" <>
Subject: [GM] Re: Appropriate Sources and Re: Software flaws
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2002 22:39:31 -0800


Diana--

My basic rule of thumb is to find as many original sources
(documents) as possible. The census images on Ancestry are the same
images as you find in the microfilms; sometimes they are harder to
read, I've found, if they haven't been scanned carefully (happens
sometimes) and you may one day find yourself having to go to the
archives to see the image on film. I started, as did many of the
folks who are on the list, before these images were available
online, and we'd all trek over to the archives and sit in the dark
for days on end and transcribe information from filmed images, so me
of them in great condition, some of them scratchy and blurry, but
this was how it was done. Now I feel fortunate to be able to access
all these wonderful images online at any time I wish, and this has
improved my work tremendously. I can check my sources again and
again as I find more information about my ancestor, or my ancestors'
neighbors, etc. As everyone knows, historical research of this kind
requires repeated visits to the source material, because as the
story unfolds, so does your understanding of the context of your
ancestors' lives, and so you are always going back to look again, to
fill in the details, to check one more time to see if that person
who lived next door to your great-great grandfather was indeed the
father of your great-great grandmother, or somesuch situation.

There are many great books recommended by the folks on the list that
will explain good methods. But the best method to follow is to
gather as much as you can so that you can make educated,
common-sense comparisons. I think if you consider yourself a
detective, take on the Hetty Wainthropp or Hercule Poirot persona
when you do your research, then you'll be fine, and you'll have
great fun, which is, after all, the primary purpose of doing all
this in the first place (at least that's why I do it!) I am no
professional genealogist, either, though I do have a master's degree
in art history, but you don't need to be a pro. Curiosity and
patience diligence and imagination make a good genealogist. I have
traced my family history back in some lines to the mid-17th century;
some I can't get farther back than the late 1900s. Familiarize
yourself with all the documentary sources available, question every
interpreted source you receive (this is secondary material--things
that have been reported to you by someone else, for which you
haven't seen the original documents), or try your best to check it
yourself. If someone says, "James Jones was naturalized in 1809, in
Boston," or whatever, go and find that record, or have someone send
you a copy, so you can see it for yourself, and see what else may be
recorded on that document. Details that may interest one person may
not interest another. A mere mention of a naturalization
application's date is like stripping the meat off the skeleton;
often those documents contain material about the ancestor's place of
birth, and other information. The tiniest tidbit of information can
later bloom into a full-blown story. And those records are amazing
documents, and are integral parts of our history as immigrants to
this country. Each one is worth examining.

Again, the main thing is to have fun. If you're enjoying your work,
you'll be a great genealogist, certified or professional or not.

Happy Hunting!

Kit McChesney

"Kit McChesney" <>

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