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| Example tree -- I'm not related to Martha or George! |
Of course I'm NOT going to copy anything without confirming for myself, but I do want to see whether other trees have something I don't have.
For example, when I buy a birth cert or a marriage license or some other record, I scan it and post on my Ancestry tree. Sure, I paid for it, but why keep it to myself? After all, I'm sharing with folks who are researching my family. Stands to reason that others might post their purchased documents, too (and I've been lucky enough to find some, thank you).
The same goes for scanning and posting family photos, sometimes with visible dates or other original captions. I add these to my trees and I really appreciate when others are generous enough to share with the rest of us.
So the first thing I do is check the sources on any tree I'm browsing. If the source is only another family tree (X marks the spot on the sample at top), I ignore. I'm looking for a substantive source.
If I see something like the SAR application in the source list above, I gladly click to see what I can learn. I want to actually view the document for myself, because indexing and transcriptions aren't always accurate, let alone complete.
Also I check the "facts" to see whether there is a scan of a document added as media for, say, a marriage, as in the example at top. Maybe I've never seen that media before and it's worth examining...
If so, I download the scan, blow it up to read if necessary, and scrutinize. Credible sources I follow up on and add to my tree once I've verified that the ancestor mentioned belongs to my family.
#Genealogy
#familyhistory
I follow the same method. Even trees that are totally wrong occasionally have a great document attached which relates to a person I'm researching.
ReplyDeleteYup, there are some great finds if we sift through carefully! And I pay it forward by posting whatever I've purchased or researched to help others who are looking for my ancestors. Thanks for your note.
DeleteI do this too. Both ways. For me, “history” belongs to everybody, including family history, so I’m not possessive about photos and documents, and attach what Ive got. And I always look at the suggested trees for clues, which I only use if they’re documented or I can find a document to support it (other family trees as a cite, don’t count). It has occasionally helped immensely. And by now I know, just by seeing their work so frequently, of certain people whose work/ research ability I trust more than others.
ReplyDeleteVery good point, Jo--certain researchers seem to be more meticulous in citing sources and checking details than others. I agree that these trees are really good sources of clues!
DeleteMarian, I do the same thing. I used to ignore those trees but I have learned to look at the sourced trees & look at items like census records, military records, etc. Facts that related to my trees are super to find.
ReplyDelete