Quick Genealogy Hint (30 May 2017)

Often when reading newspaper obituaries, wedding and engagement announcements there may be errors as far as relationships listed in the articles. An example of errors was found in a couple wedding and engagement announcements that I was perusing the other day. Johnny Smith was getting married to Janie Jones. Johnny's step-father, Joe Doe Sr., was listed as father of the groom and there was no mention of biological father. Johnny has a half-brother who is a Joe Doe Jr. The article mentions that Joe Doe was the best man. There was no mention of Junior or Senior after the name of Joe Doe. Since I personally know this family, I know that Joe Doe Sr. was also the best man because Joe Doe Jr. was deployed with the military. Confused yet?

An obituary I had gone over listed a woman's grandchildren. Well, actually her natural grandchildren were listed, 1 of her 3 step-grandchildren was listed and there was no indication that the included 1 was not biological. A non-related, non adopted person was listed as grandchild when in fact this person was an honorary grandchild since no legal adoption had taken place.

Rule of thumb--If these newspaper articles seem "fishy" then they very well might be. Do not accept as truth until you have found more reliable documentation, preferably a primary source.

Another thing, if you are responsible for providing information for obituaries, wedding and engagement announcements, then lets stick to the facts.

Happy hunting!

Sharon

Quick Genealogy Hint (25 May 2017)

Today's hint is about assigning a family position to a family member. For example, I'm looking at an individual's profile, let's call him John Quincy Doe, and notice that through research I have discovered he has another child called Frederick Barney Doe. So, I enter this new person, Frederick, as child of John Quincy Doe. On Ancestry, one is able to go to John Quincy Doe's page and enter new individuals according to their relationship to JQD e.g. child, spouse or parent.

One day when I was working on my tree, I noticed that a close relative had been assigned the wrong relationship. She was assigned as her father's spouse. Imagine the disservice done to the individuals reputations if future genealogists took this information at face value.

Wishing you happy days climbing your family tree.

Sharon

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Quick Genealogy Hint

I have decided to post hints on doing genealogical research.  Every now and then, I run across examples of what-not-to-do when documenting your tree.I am not an expert by any means although, I do have a degree in history and was taught a bit about researching. I plan to every now and then post a hint, one at a time so not to overwhelm.

Today's hint--

Women are always entered on a tree by their maiden name NOT married name. 

Happy Hunting,

Sharon

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