Documenting Your Sources
 
     “Why should I worry about Documentation?”  “I’m just doing this for myself, besides no one else is ever going to seepicture of book bcg standards manual this.” Maybe that’s what you’re thinking, but as the old saying goes, “you’ve got another think coming.” Eventually, someone else in your family will become afflicted with the genealogy bug and be just as obsessed as you are, and some how or some way, they’re going to hear about you.    

  picture of a family tree chart  If you’re still alive, trust me, they’re going to come knocking, and want to have a look at your genealogy research. If you’re not alive, your children will be contacted and asked if they still have your research and would they possibly share that information. Believe me, when a person is tracing their family history they will do almost anything to get their hands on information that will make their search easier.

 
     But to get back to why you should document your sources, let’s suppose you came across two people with the same name, but the one you think is your relative really isn't. Everything about this person seemed to fit what you thought you knew or had been told about this particular relative and because you didn’t follow through and document everything, you now have a branch in your family tree that doesn’t belong. Just think of all the time and effort the next person to use your information will have to spend to correct your mistake.  Besides avoiding errors, there are other reasons to document your research.


    How do you know the information you have comes from reliable sources? You’re probably thinking, “What kind of questionpicture of census record is that?” “I’m going to use official documents and you can’t get anymore reliable than that.”   Maybe, but you still should question where the information came from. Just because the information came from an official document doesn’t mean that it’s accurate.

    Treat all of your information the same by asking where it came from. If it did come from an official document say so, for instance, if it came from a census record list the Census (1870), the Enumeration District (E.D.) number from the Soundex, the census page number, the dwelling number, the family number etc. I would caution you though, not to rely on census records totally because they are full of errors due to many things to numerous to mention.
 
     You never know when you might need to use a source again so get in the habit of citing your sources from the very start of your research. There are many reasons why you need to document your sources and probably no one explains why better than Elizabeth Shown Mills. I would suggest reading her book, Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian. By thoroughly documenting your research you are letting those that follow know what your sources are based on and how you acquired your information. Now go out and have some fun.



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