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Guessing the Easiest to Research Person and Event (view source)
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<span>In order to document a family group record the best genealogists select '''one event''' in '''one person'''’s life to concentrate on at a time. They work on that event until they document it, and/or exhaust '''all''' possibilities trying. They do not research another event until finished with the first. And when they start work on a new event, it is almost always on the '''same''' family group record. This strategy of finishing the documentation on the '''whole''' family before moving on is fundamental. It builds a collection of clues that can be compared and correlated to judge relevance and reliability of the documentation. It is also an important part of understanding the family and its members in their community context.</span> | <span>In order to document a family group record the best genealogists select '''one event''' in '''one person'''’s life to concentrate on at a time. They work on that event until they document it, and/or exhaust '''all''' possibilities trying. They do not research another event until finished with the first. And when they start work on a new event, it is almost always on the '''same''' family group record. This strategy of finishing the documentation on the '''whole''' family before moving on is fundamental. It builds a collection of clues that can be compared and correlated to judge relevance and reliability of the documentation. It is also an important part of understanding the family and its members in their community context.</span> | ||
<span>Start by guessing the event you believe will be the easiest to document. </span><span>The easiest to document is usually the most recent event on the family group with a specific date, place, and source cited. The hardest to document is the earliest possible event not even mentioned on the family group and lacking a date, place, or source citation (all of which you will have to guess).</span> | <span>Start by guessing the event you believe will be the easiest to document.</span><span>The easiest to document is usually the most recent event on the family group with a specific date, place, and source cited. The hardest to document is the earliest possible event not even mentioned on the family group and lacking a date, place, or source citation (all of which you will have to guess).</span> | ||
== <span></span>'''<span>Documentation Hierarchy</span>''' == | == <span></span>'''<span>Documentation Hierarchy</span>''' == | ||
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* <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Several likely events are unmentioned and you must guess they even happened</span> | * <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Several likely events are unmentioned and you must guess they even happened</span> | ||
=== '''''<span>2. Availability of pertinent documents</span>'''''<span></span>'''''' === | === '''''<span>2. Availability of pertinent documents</span>'''''<span></span>''''''''''' === | ||
* <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Home sources, older relatives’ records, easy-to-use databases, and Internet sites</span> | * <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Home sources, older relatives’ records, easy-to-use databases, and Internet sites</span> | ||
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=== '''''<span>3. More recent versus earlier events</span>''''' === | === '''''<span>3. More recent versus earlier events</span>''''' === | ||
=== '''''<span>4. Quality of available documents</span>'''''''<span></span>'' === | === '''''<span>4. Quality of available documents</span>'''''''<span></span>'''' === | ||
''<span> | ''<span></span>''<span><span></span>(See the ''original'' with your ''own'' eyes wherever possible.)</span> | ||
* <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Vital Records/ Town Records/ Civil Registration</span> | * <span><span><span></span></span></span><span>Vital Records/ Town Records/ Civil Registration</span> | ||
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[[How to Get the Best Research Advice|How to Get the Best Research Advice: Focusing Your Research Question]] | [[How to Get the Best Research Advice|How to Get the Best Research Advice: Focusing Your Research Question]] | ||
[[ | [[Rookie Mistakes]] | ||
[[Category:Beginners]] | |||