Fact Or Fiction: How To Know When You Have A True Lead
December 1st, 2008

In your Family Research

Deciding to create a family genealogy requires knowing where to search and how to find accurate information. One of the problems that will occur when recording family history is finding leads that do not hold true about your history. Because of this, it is important to know when you have a true lead in your family research and when it is simply more information that you can set aside. There are several ways to help you in determining whether your family research is fact or fiction.

The first thing that will help you recognize whether your family research is true is by noticing the type of evidence that is being used in your information. Direct evidence is recorded information that does not need any interpretation or further research. This is the best way to know that you have a family lead. If you have direct evidence, it will clearly fit into other evidence that you have found. It will also not need any interpretation with the date that it was recorded and with the people or events that were occurring. Indirect evidence, however, is usually information found from circumstances. This is second hand information and does not lead directly to your family history and will require more effort and search.

Finding the basic facts for your genealogy not only includes finding primary sources and knowing which ones are valid, but also documenting accurate facts. When comparing information, always look into records that you know will be applicable to your search. Marriage records, baptisms, burials, minutes, military pensions, etc. are all types of accurate information that can be used as primary sources. These will help you to build a foundation when documenting your genealogical history. From here, you will be able to link other sources from magazines and newspapers to your genealogy.

Another thing to look at when deciphering between true or false information with your family is the sources that you are using. Every source, whether it is on a website or from a newspaper, should have certain sightings attached to it in order to ensure that it is the right quality. The first type of sources that you should use are recorded when the event of your ancestor has taken place. These are the best ways to find leads with your family research. You will recognize certain dates and people in these types of sources that can help lead to the right conclusions. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are records that were put down after a significant amount of time passed with the history. While these can help fill in some holes or gaps with your research, they will also require more time and effort to find more substantial facts.

The information that is received from the sources should always have information attached to the sources that proves that the evidence is not being generated falsely. This means that you should be able to document all of the information that you find from the genealogy source that you are using. Names, dates, websites, etc. should all have complete documentation. If they don't, then they are probably not direct links to your lineage.

After you have discovered a certain amount of evidence and decided on whether the information is accurate or not, then you can begin interpreting the data. With everything that you have found, there are gaps and holes that can be filled in. This will lead to more accurate and consistent information about your family history. It will also allow you to find contradictory information that you may have thought was direct or secondary evidence before. When you find leads, it is important to decide what the gaps are that need to be filled in, which allows you to validate the information about your ancestry.

By doing thorough investigations of genealogy information, you will be more likely to find the accurate information needed. Documenting sources, comparing information, filling in gaps of information, and finding primary sources will all help to ensure that you are finding factual information about your genealogy. By not investigating and looking into the details of your family history, you may run into false information or sources that will move you in the wrong direction when discovering your genealogy

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