73,385
edits
Determining If a Source is Relevant (view source)
Revision as of 21:37, 13 November 2008
, 13 November 2008word
(add links) |
(word) |
||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
'''Look for unique [[Identify What You Know#Types of Genealogical Information|identifiers]].''' Look for at least '''two or three unique data''' or identifiers shared by both the new source, and what you already know. | '''Look for unique [[Identify What You Know#Types of Genealogical Information|identifiers]].''' Look for at least '''two or three unique data''' or identifiers shared by both the new source, and what you already know. | ||
'''Relatives as identifiers.''' The [[Research a Family in Community Context|relatives and friends in close proximity]] are among the most unique and best identifiers. For example, if a person named ''Fox'' married someone named ''Pace'', those two surnames appearing together in records as married would usually be so unique you could be confident you had identified the same couple. Likewise, parents, siblings, children, and sometimes neighbors appearing together can be convincing evidence a new source is about the correct | '''Relatives as identifiers.''' The [[Research a Family in Community Context|relatives and friends in close proximity]] are among the most unique and best identifiers. For example, if a person named ''Fox'' married someone named ''Pace'', those two surnames appearing together in records as married would usually be so unique you could be confident you had identified the same couple. Likewise, parents, siblings, children, and sometimes neighbors appearing together can be convincing evidence a new source is about the correct ancestor. | ||
'''Specific data are best.''' The more specific the data are, the better. | '''Other identifiers. '''Unique similar names, or a group of names in close proximity, unique similar dates, unique similar places, and unique similar sources can all be used as identifiers to help judge whether a new found source is likely to be about a given ancestor. | ||
'''Specific data are best.''' The more specific and exact the data are, the better. | |||
'''Vague or incomplete data.''' Be especially cautious when the only matching information is vague or incomplete. A common name, or a year-only date, or a state-only (and sometimes county-only) identifier may not be unique enough. | '''Vague or incomplete data.''' Be especially cautious when the only matching information is vague or incomplete. A common name, or a year-only date, or a state-only (and sometimes county-only) identifier may not be unique enough. | ||
| Line 19: | Line 21: | ||
'''Minor discrepancies''' do not prevent a match, and are to be expected. But it is a genealogist's responsibility to acknowledge and explain [[Contradictions and discrepancies|discrepancies and contradictory evidence]]. | '''Minor discrepancies''' do not prevent a match, and are to be expected. But it is a genealogist's responsibility to acknowledge and explain [[Contradictions and discrepancies|discrepancies and contradictory evidence]]. | ||
'''Preliminary follow up.''' Once you decide to accept a new source a relevant or not, explain your decision on your [[Research Logs|research log]]. If the source seems possibly relevant, [[ | '''Preliminary follow up.''' Once you decide to accept a new source a relevant or not, explain your decision on your [[Research Logs|research log]]. If the source seems possibly relevant, [[Copying Sources|photocopy the document]], and add the new information from the new source as [[Adding a Custom Event to a PAF Family Group Record|new event(s) on the ancestor's family group record]]. Be sure to add a [[Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)|source citation footnote]] for each event. In the footnote add a short preliminary evaluation of the source. [[Document AS YOU GO!|File the source photocopy and updated family group record]] in their correct places. | ||
'''Later final analysis.''' Later, after you have [[ | '''Later final analysis.''' Later, after you have [[Genealogical Proof Standard|thoroughly researched]] all the parents, siblings, and children of the ancestor, it is important to reconsider your preliminary acceptance of a source as relevant. When almost all that can be gathered about the family is assembled, correlated, corroborated, and analyzed in its totality, you are in a better position to make a final judgment about the relevance of an individual source. | ||
[[Category:Research_Analysis]] | [[Category:Research_Analysis]] | ||