The document discusses what constitutes a source in genealogical research and provides examples of source records. It defines a source as a record that establishes key facts about an ancestor's life. Sources should identify the individual, type of record, location, and key contents to allow other researchers to find the same information. Sample sources discussed include census records, marriage records from a city clerk's office, birth certificates, and cemetery records. The document notes some discrepancies that can occur between different source records for the same individual. It also discusses evaluating sources and lists the most, less, and least accurate types of records.

1. Genealogy 102

2. What is a Source?
One definition of a source - by James Tanner:
“A source is a person, book, document or other
information provider that is used to establish a
name, date, place or event in an ancestor's life.”
Another definition – by Bill Buchanan:
“A source should identify the individual, the type of
source record, where the record is found, and the
key contents of the record. It should allow other
researchers to find the same source.”

3. What is a Source?
Sample Sources - FamilySearch
United States Census, 1910, index and images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M5WM-QX3 :
accessed 17 Oct 2013),
Benjamin C Haviland in household of Virgil C Haviland, Catskill,
Greene, New York, United States;
citing sheet , family 246,
NARA microfilm publication T624,
FHL microfilm 1374963

4. What is a Source?
Sample Sources – City Clerk's office
Marriage Record No. 3465
Office of the City Clerk
Municipal Building
Manhattan
The City of New York
Date of marriage: October 19, 1942 11:13 AM 1942

5. What is a Source?
Sample Sources – City Clerk's office
LDS Film #1953615;
State of New York certificate and record of birth (Borough of
Manhattan) 1898-1909
Microfilm of original records at the New York City Municipal
Archives in New York City.
publication: Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical
Society of Utah, 1994
Certificate #34156, 1899

6. Determining the accuracy of
the information I find.
Evaluate the records
What are the most accurate records?
What are less accurate records?
What are the least accurate records?

7. Evaluate the Record

8. Most Accurate Records

9. Less Accurate Records

10. Least Accurate Records

11. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records
contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death

12. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death

13. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
–
(Death records are not the best source for birth and names of parents
but better than nothing)
deaths roll #287 (0961511)
vol 438 p 696
date of death: Nov 28, 1893
place of death, residence: Royalston
Maria Eaton, female, widow
age: 75y, 8m
cause of death: accidental from falling down stairs
occupation: housekeeper
birthplace: Bennington
parents: David & Sally Wright
birthplace: unknown
Citation:
Massachusetts Death Records, 18411915", index and images, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org); from
Massachusetts State Archives. "Deaths,
1841-1971". Massachusetts Division of
Vital Statistics, State House, Boston,
Massachusetts. FHL microfilm. Family
History

14. Public Record Sources
Cemetery records
Discrepancies Between
Tombstone & Cemetery Record
Wm H. Hocumb – Wm Holcumb
Maria R. Eaton – Myra Eaton
d. Nov 28 - d. Nov 24

15. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
–
(Death records are not the best for birth and names of parents but better
than nothing)
•
Church records
•
Cemetery records
Discrepancies between
Tombstone & Cemetery Record
Age 72 – Age 66

16. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records

17. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census

18. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
–
(Death records are not the best for birth and names of parents but better
than nothing)
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census
•
Immigration

19. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain
primary information for birth, marriage,
death
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census
•
Immigration
•
Probate Records

20. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for
birth, marriage, death
–
(Death records are not the best for birth and names of parents but better
than nothing)
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census
•
Immigration
•
Probate Records
•
Land Records - see case study at genealogyblog.com/?p=23386

21. Public Record Sources
•
Birth, marriage & death records
contain primary information
for birth, marriage, death
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census
•
Immigration
•
Probate Records
•
Land Records
•
City Directories
1939

22. Public Record Sources
• Birth, marriage & death records contain
primary information for birth, marriage, death
●
(Death records are not the best for birth and
names of parents but better than nothing)
•
Cemetery records
•
Church records
•
Census
•
Immigration
•
Probate Records
•
Land Records
•
City Directories
• Newspapers - obituaries, marriage
announcements or accounts are great for
adding to your knowledge of your family.

23. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
Historical Records – Many online
–
FamilySearch Catalog – Use Catalog to order microfilm
–
FamilySearch Wiki – Use the FamilySearch Wiki to find out what records are
available in different places and how to access them
–
Write letters or email to clerk's offices, archives, historical societies, ...
Ancestry.com
–
Historical Records – Many online
–
Ancestry Wiki – Redbook, The Source, information about many other sources
& tips for doing research
Redbook and The Source
are also available at the Family History Center

24. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
Historical Records – Many online

25. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
Historical Records – Many online

26. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
FamilySearch Catalog – Use Catalog to order microfilm
Redbook and The Source
are also available at the Family History Center

27. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
FamilySearch Catalog – Use Catalog to order microfilm

28. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
FamilySearch Wiki – Use the FamilySearch Wiki to find out what records are
available in different places and how to access them
Redbook and The Source
are also available at the Family History Center

29. Public Record Sources
FamilySearch.org
–
FamilySearch Wiki – Use the FamilySearch Wiki to find out what records are
available in different places and how to access them

30. Public Record Sources
More free Websites to check out
•
Ancestry.com - historical records, free in the *Family History Center Premium Websites & CRRL
•
billiongraves.com - photograph or transcribe tombstones, search for ancestors
•
cyndislist.com - more than 262,790 links to other internet resources
•
davidrumsey.com - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
•
FamilySearch.org - free historical records & Family Tree
•
findagrave.com - look for ancestors’ graves, request photos or submit information
•
Heritage Quest - free census records, Freedman’s Bank, etc through librarypoint.org from CRRL
with library card number OR free in *Family History Center Premium Websites
•
usgenweb.org - genealogical websites for every state and county in the US - some better than
others
•
worldgenweb.org - genealogical websites for other countries
•
www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm - Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

31. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
1. Source the record
... you need to know where the record comes from and who
supplied the information. How can you evaluate the validity of
the evidence if you don’t know where the information and who
supplied it? If the info comes from your crazy great aunt it may
not be valid. Or it may be. But you have an idea of whether you
should trust it or not.

32. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
2. Examine the image, not just the index.
Never, ever, ever attach a record without looking at the image if
the image is available. Not everything on the image is included in
the search index. (The search index is there to help you find the
image.) You might miss something. Just the other day I was
looking at my great uncle’s 1940 census record and noticed he
had a supplemental line at the bottom. Low and below it told me
that my great uncles father (my great grandfather) served in the
Spanish American War and World War I. If I had just attached
the record without thoroughly examining the image, I might have
missed an important clue.

33. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
3. List all points of genealogical importance.
It is amazing how writing something down helps you understand it. It is too
easy to glance at something and not really grasp it. But if you write every little
bit of genealogical data in a record, you might find something you missed.
When was the record recorded? Name each person listed on the record no
matter how significant. Every date, location and relationship you find. Any
assumptions you might have. (Oh, and write down that something is
assumption.) If everything is written down, it is easy to review later.

34. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
4. What questions do you have?
… now that you’ve looked at the image and gathered everything
you can find, what new questions do you have? Do you know
who all the people are on the document? Do you know why that
document was created? Then you can create a plan on how to
answer them.

35. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
5. File it so you can find it again later.
… Put the information you wrote down somewhere you could
find it. You can put it in a Word file, or a Story on Ancestry online
trees. And if you have Family Tree Maker, then you can put it in
the notes files. And there it is whenever you need it.

36. Public Record Sources
Five Things You Should Do With Every Record
Posted by Anne Gillespie Mitchell on October 29, 2013 in Ancestry.com
Try this on your latest brick wall. Gather all the records you have
for a person and go through them and do all five steps for each
record. You may have the answer right in front of you. Or you
may have asked the right question that will lead you to the
answer.
http://goo.gl/jF66Cp