Before we go
any further I need to stress emphatically that every piece of
information that you find and every word, date or quote needs to be
sourced. The more detailed your sourcing is, the more valuable it will
be to you in the future.
Don't make the
mistake of thinking you will remember where you heard something or found
something. You may today but in 5 years chances are you will still be
working on your genealogy and you won't have a clue where you found that
piece of information unless you write it down.
Write down the
page, the book, the location of the book or the website exactly. If you
hear family stories, write down who told them to you or who they are
quoting. These stories are important but trying to identify them later
when the source may no longer be with us can be frustrating.
You will want to
try to find primary sources as often as possible. In my next post I will
define what a primary source is and the importance of finding and
verifying all sources.
I know you are
probably ready to get started but a few minutes spent preparing and
learning about how to make sure what you find is valid will save you
hours of frustration later on. Just bear with me for now, it will be
worth the effort.
#sourcing #genealogy #genealogyresearch
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