I Found It On the Internet, So It's Gotta Be True

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on August 5, 2009 at 3:09pm

Sure, I've found bad information before, when I first started working on my Fletcher family, I found a tree on Ancestry where my great great grandfather's uncle was listed as his Grandfather, that threw me for a while. :) I've learned to use family trees as jumping off points, not as 'fact'

In researching the dates for my great great grandfather, I realized the person listed as his grandfather couldn't possibly be correct so, I traced both men back and figured it out. :) I always try to back up information I find online if possible. I have been known to question family genealogy books, or at least question the interpretation of said genealogy book. ;)

Kate

Permalink Reply by Lisa B. Lee on August 6, 2009 at 10:46am

Good for you, Kate. I hope that others will follow your lead, especially when it comes to online family trees. Over the years, they've burned me so many times, I don't even bother with them anymore. Thanks for your comments.

Permalink Reply by Larry Davies on August 5, 2009 at 3:38pm

I don't think bad information is necessarily limited to the internet. I've seen suspect data in books and in public records. Some is obviously incorrect, like a child's birth long after the mother's death. I try to record things as I find them, making notes about the reliability of the source and then look for corroborating information elsewhere. All of it is just evidence from which to draw a conclusion or plan additional research.

Permalink Reply by Lisa B. Lee on August 6, 2009 at 10:51am

Larry (Oh, and congrats, again, for winning July's Got Genealogy Challenge); You're absolutely right, but printed docs, vital records, etc. and all their inaccuracies are things genealogists are trained to discern. In fact, my Golden Rule No. 4 is "Always Document Your Sources, No Matter How Much They Contradict One Another," is designed for exactly the scenario you pointed out. There will always be conflicting and inaccurate information in the resources we find. And when you heap on a large portion of data mis-codings and the like found online, if we're not careful, our family files will start to reek from all the stinky information we've included. I'm SURE, that you'd never do such a thing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, my friend. Your Got Genealogy tote bag was mailed on Monday or Tuesday, should be there any day now. Do men even use tote bags? You can always use it to carry groceries home from the super market.

Permalink Reply by Larry Davies on August 6, 2009 at 2:20pm

Just received the bag - it's great! Thanks and keep up the good work.

Permalink Reply by Sandra Taliaferro on August 5, 2009 at 7:26pm

In searching for the former slave owners of my ancestors, I found some info that I initially accepted as correct. In fact, it had me doubting my own findings. After doing more research, I found I was right all along. A son was attached to the wrong parents in the online info. I continue to see people using this bad information as fact. I am more careful now, and check the facts and sources of information I find.

Permalink Reply by Lisa B. Lee on August 6, 2009 at 10:52am

Sandra;

You experienced the same thing I did with my VERDUN family in Louisiana. I still want to kick myself for having posted that gawd-awful file up there, but worse, for not realizing it until months later, after the damage had already been done. If only ...

Oh, well. At least we know better now, and perhaps others will learn from our mistakes. Thanks for sharing, my friend, and good luck in your research.

Permalink Reply by Tony Stapleton on August 16, 2009 at 9:14am

I started researching my family almost 10 years ago and the first thing I discovered was that a lot of detail that shows up on the net has been added because Uncle.. said so or Mrs.. told me about it.
Now when I find something I note it and then look for a source to properly confirm what is there.
If you are dealing with family to get info, Always check twice if not three times for sources.

Tony Stapleton

Permalink Reply by Lisa B. Lee on August 22, 2009 at 10:50pm

Excellent suggestions, Tony. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your search.

Permalink Reply by Sharon Ray on August 22, 2009 at 9:12am

I have been researching for over 32 years. I have found so much bad information over the years I could write a book. Parents having children when they are under the age of ten or not even born yet. Combining three different families into one giant family tree because they have the same names. Even after being told by someone else that they weren't the same family. That one has caused me no end of trouble. Everytime I post a query about that one of my ancestors I get referred to that mess.

I always tell people to go back to the original source whenever possible when using transcriptions of records. I have found a lot of problems with typos in given names changing genders. Particularly a Jane to a James.

I have limited time to research so I don't usually spend a lot of time on online genealogy posted by others without sources. I have spent a lot of time tracking down ways to get online documents, especially for free.

Permalink Reply by Lisa B. Lee on August 22, 2009 at 10:52pm

Sharon;

Sounds like we've been researching the same family. I feel your pain, literally. Reading about your experiences made me wince. OUCH! I'm glad you have such a positive attitude about this and thanks for the tip about Jane to James (I haven't seen that one ... yet).

I hope some of our members can learn from the mistakes we've all made. Good luck to you and thanks for sharing.