Hi, Thelma.  :-)  Thanks for the note;   I am still alert, walking and
taking nourishment, soft as it must be !!!  Thanks for asking.   hahaha.
 
Hey, Poldi, my address is [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>  
 
As do all, I surely endorse the fine and extensive works of Elizabeth Shown
Mills. In addition to her suggestions, I would advise all to  look back at
your own life. except for the few records now in the State Archives and the
Fed.  Archives, virtually every record you left of yourself was  made in the
courthouse or other offices of the county in which you then resided.  Your
ancestors did the same. So what, you ask??   
 
Many of those records or copies of such yet remain within that residence
county courthouse or local archives.  While most such records once were
there, many are missing.  Some have been trashed, stolen, destroyed by fires
or water (or Yankees), considered confidential, abstracted and made into
book form and then destroyed, or fell into rules that allowed disposal or
destruction after some period of time had passed.  
 
Beyond those county sources, you locally will find records such as family
recollections, poor house and lunatic asylums, sheriff's records, land
grants, deeds and mortgages, library sources, "club" records (VFW, G.A.R.,
etc.), newspapers, vets' records, marriages, deaths, births, elections,
churches, school records, and polls of voters, tax records, civil and
criminal case records and entries, and any other State and Federal offices
in which your ancestor may have done business.  So, while millions upon
millions of those records remain in those courthouses or other county
offices and a few are yet to be found in the archives of that State of
residence, some will not be found anywhere.
 
So, note that there may be found immigration, citizenship,several sorts of
governmental grants, veterans' records and other unique State requirements
and facilities, and the offices of those, any of which may supply you with
valuable information.  Remember too that some  few of such records may have
been forwarded to that State Archives, and now and then  may also be found
in the National Archives or other Federal offices.  
 
OK, then, what to do with those sources??  It is critical that you establish
the "wheres" of an ancestor or family; go to Google or some other search
engine and seek such as "genealogy Hamilton County Ohio records", note what
they list as yet being in existence, find a simple book of general history
of that "where" city, county or town, find a map of the area (there are
zillions).  
 
Then search such as "genealogical historical societies Marion County Ohio"
and perhaps search "Franklin county Ohio veterans' records".  By then, you
will have a list of "where" sources and writings and usually where you may
find those records. Then it is time to hunt those down by internet, emails,
phone calls, and visits with relatives, and societies.  
 
In summary, before you attack specific problems, you must know "where" the
records you need were once or now are kept. To simply type a name of someone
into Google or such like is the very long and difficult way to search.
Sorta' like aiming your shotgun from the back door toward the woods, hoping
to kill game for supper; if you are very, very lucky, you will kill
something; if not, you have wasted ammunition and time.  The better way is
to walk into the woods, search for likely sites for game, then watch and
shoot there when an animal shows its face.
 
So goes genealogical research; you may be extremely fortunate and find
somebody simply by "Googling" their name or asking some stranger who may or
may not be accurate and who also is searching, but you will surely do better
and move ahead more quickly by first trying to locate "where" your records
were/are, what records still exist, and from there moving on.
 
Genealogy, like politics, is LOCAL !!!!      
 
 

  _____  

From: Thelma Glover [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 11:36 AM
To: paul drake
Subject: Fw: [VA-ROOTS] reliable sources


Paul, let these people know you are still riding the range.  : -)
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Poldi Tonin <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 8:58 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] reliable sources

Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Been waiting for you to bring your
expertise and vast knowledge to the discussion.
Thank you for sharing these 5 points which are can be viewed as the basics
of research toolkit.

Hopefully everyone will read all the case studies published in the National
Genealogical Society Quarterly.
These case studies utilize the standards you have mentioned and espoused in
your many lectures and publications.

Another topic: Do you have any news regarding Paul Drake? Nel and  I have
been searching for him and fear the worse.....
Nel and I would appreciate any news you may have for him.

Poldi Tonin .









On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 3:22 PM, Elizabeth Shown Mills
<[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>wrote> >wrote:

> Steve wrote:
> >Reliable Sources....great topic.  Anyone know of any?
> >No need to go on about primary or secondary sources, . . .
> >So I do get a little un-nerved when someone expresses their perfection in
> genealogy research, because it just ain't so.  You can do your best, but
> that is just it, YOUR best.
>
>
> Steve,
>
> You are correct. No source is perfect. Fortunately, there are guidelines
> that help immensely in our effort to sort chaff from wheat, so that 'our
> best' becomes far more reliable. Unfortunately, those who do not bother to
> learn those guidelines are the ones who create all the problems this
thread
> has bemoaned for several days.
>
> How to reach them and teach them is the real issue, IMO. We all know
> 'family
> trees' to which we'd like to take Bunyan's axe, chopping them into
> smithereens, and setting fire to the sawdust. But like a phoenix, they
keep
> arising from the ashes.
>
> The solution, IMO, is not to bash Ancestry, FamilySearch, or similar sites
> who---beyond those trees---offer us a wonderful world of real records. My
> own experience aligns with that of Nel and Clay. The best way to change
the
> dynamics is to teach the newcomers by example: making sure that *we*
follow
> sound genealogical practices and then putting our work out there, online,
> so
> that others can see what quality work looks like.
>
>
> You pointed out a litany of real problems that exist with records we would
> love to 'rely on.'  I would add that no type of source is generically
> "reliable" or "unreliable." Virtually all are a mixed bag of assertions of
> various quality.
>
> Equally important, those terms "primary source" and "secondary source" are
> outdated and unworkable for genealogists. Genealogical research today is
> far
> more reliable when we separate the physical form of a source from the
> information within the source and evaluate each by its own kind of
> criteria.
>
> In pursuit of that illusive state called 'our best,' most genealogists I
> have known across the decades find that their 'best' becomes far better
> when
> they follow five basic practices:
>
> 1.
> Learn the principles of textual analysis and evidence analysis; then apply
> them to each piece of information we add to our files.
>
> 2.
> Use derivative sources for the wonderful clues they can provide, but then
> seek out the original records to verify the accuracy of what the
derivative
> sources assert.
>
> 3.
> Dissect every source into individual assertions. Then, evaluate ***each
> individual assertion,*** applying all the relevant criteria, such as
>
> ---whether the informant had firsthand or secondhand knowledge of the
> information asserted (that is, primary or secondary ***information***).
> ---whether the informant had cause for bias or a reason to fudge the
facts.
> ---whether the informant recorded the information at the time the event
> occurred, or many years later after memories dimmed.
> ---whether the source itself is an original document or a derivative such
> as
> transcripts, abstracts, and compilations/histories.
> ---&c &c &c!
>
> 4.
> Do reasonably exhaustive research for each person to better ensure the
> soundness of our interpretations and conclusions. As Nel said (using
> different words), any document left unconsulted is a ticking time bomb
just
> waiting to explode all our premature theories.
>
> ... and, of course ....
>
> 5. Document every single assertion that we make--and if we can't cite a
> specific document that contains direct evidence to support our assertion,
> then support it with a proof argument that assembles all the indirect
> evidence leading to our conclusion.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> 

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