Peggy, Thank you for an insightful contribution to this thread. Alice Cox Phillips, CG ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peggy Lauritzen" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 2:41 PM Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] Virginia Citations >I have appreciated all of the comments in this thread about the correctness > and incorrectness of the LDS sites. However, I feel I must respond. > > There is a lot of sloppy genealogy all over the internet - and on people's > home computers, in lineage societies, etc. I know it, and you know it - > for we've all seen it. Therefore, as genealogists and family historians > who > care about how our records will go on, we must educate those around us. > > I speak to groups a lot and am frequently a speaker at seminars. One of > the things I am most diligent about is documentation of our own works. > And > - even it can be wrong. Let me give you an example... > > My sister was married 25 JUNE 1960. Just a few years ago, we were going > through her belongings and ran across her marriage certificate. It was > clearly dated 25 JULY 1960! > > What to do? > > I was at the wedding. My other sisters were. We all knew it was in > June. > > But, if someone else were to run across the certificate years from now, > they would enter JULY. It would look like we were wrong and they were > right. > > The same thing can happen in the databases - someone may record one date > and you have a family bible that states another. > > The bottom line is that other people can certainly have it all messed up - > and so can I and so can you. > > In my classes, I tell the students that family histories, legends, oral > interviews, internet sites, etc. are all very important to use as a > springboard to take you back to the original sources. > > The only thing I strongly discourage about the above sources is having > people use them as the absolute truth and adding everything they read > right on > into their database. If they do this, then it continues a long line of > sloppy genealogies. > > And I do mean sloppy! > > > Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG > > In this life we cannot always do great things...but we can do small > things > with great love. > Mother Teresa > > Accredited Genealogist and AG are certification marks of the > International > Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). > Genealogists licensed to use the marks have met the competency standards > of > ICAPGen. > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html