Understanding the Use of Sources

Not having sources to document where you found information on your ancestors in genealogy is like Superman wearing his alter ego Clark Kent's glasses, useless. Without the use of sources, information in a genealogical report is nothing more than hearsay. The more sources a genealogy report presents, the more credible the report. Many beginning genealogists do not understand sources though. The more a genealogist understands the differences between sources and the information derived from sources the more likely a genealogist will create a credible genealogy report.

Sources tell people how you know specific information about your ancestors, and prove the relationships between you and your ancestors. Two types of sources exist, original and derivative sources. According to Louise St. Denis of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, an original source is a source created at or about the time an event occurred and was reported by a participant or witness of the event. A derivative source is any source not considered an original source. These sources are based on a prior source and are less reliable than original sources. Original sources will bring more credibility to your genealogy, while derivative sources provide you with clues to making reasonable genealogical conclusions. The genealogist will run across both types of sources throughout their research. Understanding the differences between sources is important when making conclusions about how the information found relates to your ancestors (St. Denis, 2004).

Original and derivative sources can contain two types of information, primary and secondary. Primary information, like original sources, has more probability of being accurate. Primary information is defined as a statement of knowledge by a witness or a participant to the event in question, such as a birth or death. This information may be reported at the time of the event or later. This information can be erroneous, inadvertently or deliberately. Secondary information has a higher probability of being inaccurate, because the information is a statement of knowledge reported by an individual whom was not a witness of or participant in the event (St. Denis, 2004).

The rule of thumb for genealogists is to have three sources for each genealogical fact. One of the three sources must be an original source. For example, my grandfather died on 17 Dec 1993. His death certificate, if created at the time of his death, would be an original source with primary information. His obituary in the newspaper would be a derivative source with secondary information. The information was not created by an individual who witnessed or participated in the death and the information on his death came from relatives who tell the newspaper what to print. A memorial card from my grandfather’s funeral with the date of death is also considered a derivative source with secondary information.

By examining sources and the information gleaned from sources throughout one’s research, the genealogist will learn to write genealogical reports in a professional and logical manner. Even if a genealogist is researching their family tree as a hobby and has no intention of publishing a report, providing sources and understanding the information derived from sources gives the report credibility. Sources are the roots of the tree which link ancestors together. The information from those sources allows the genealogist to climb the family tree branch by branch without falling off or going in the wrong direction.

Reference

St. Denis, L. (2004). Methodology-part 1: Getting started. Toronto, Ontario: National

Institute for Genealogical Studies.