Mormon Bloggers

Family historians and genealogists are the record keepers of our generation. It is our responsibility to gather, organize and accurately record our family history. What does this mean? It means that as we gather and record our family’s history it is of prime importance to document our facts and conclusions. At the risk of repeating myself, I will say again that every fact on a family group record or every fact in our genealogical database must be attached to a complete source citation. It is not enough to simply state that the information came from grandma. Every citation must be complete with meaningful details. A simple test of completeness is to ask yourself this question: “If I show someone this citation, will they be able to get back to the record or person from which the original information was recorded?”. Basic citations include a title, author, publisher and location, date of publication, page number. I would also suggest that you add where you examined the record,... Read the rest of this entry »

We use evidence to prove facts. Providing reliable evidence is especially important when documenting family history. Good evidence helps us to avoid duplication, resolve conflicts and provide the most accurate information in our records. Direct Evidence – Addresses a particular matter, clearly answers the question and stands alone.Indirect Evidence – Circumstantial information, requires us to come to conclusions and does not stand alone.Primary Source – An original record that contains first-hand testimony of an eyewitness.Secondary Source – All evidence which is inferior to primary evidence. Reliable conclusions are made based on the weight of the evidence not the quantity of evidence.  Read More →