Use the Information: Difference between revisions

* '''''Original records''''' tend to be more accurate than compiled records. They were written close in time to the events they record. However, on occasion the recorder may have made a mistake. Infrequently an original record is deliberately falsified, such as "back dating" a marriage to account for the early birth of the first child. Even a source recorded close to the time of the event may have errors.

* '''''Compiled records''''' tend to be easier to use and contain more information. However, they represent a gathering and interpretation of information from one or more other sources. The author may not have had enough information to adequately interpret the other sources. On the other hand, the compiler may have known of errors in the other sources and corrected or explained them in the compilation.<br>

* '''''Finding aids''''' sometimes contain mistakes which can mislead the researcher, such as wrong page numbers in an index.

* '''''Background information''''' is sometimes misinterpreted or applied incorrectly to individual cases. For example, just because most immigrants joined friends or relatives in their new country does not mean your ancestor had relatives when he arrived in his new country. <!--{12093430554684} --> <!--{12093430554685} --><br>

 

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