Before embracing the information regarding this transcription of the records from the German Evangelical Church, please read the following article found in the May 2007 USGenWeb Newsletter. This was written by Christine Sweet-Hart, a contributing editor for the Newsletter. It is entitled "The Importance of Viewing Original Records." Christine's article points out some very specific reasons to view and use original sources as
much as possible. See note at the end giving permission to use the Newsletter's article.
The Importance of Viewing Original Records
by Christine Sweet-Hart, Contributing Editor
Good research involves looking at all of the records available for a
particular research project. Great research questions those in secondary or
tertiary formats, and quests for the originals. Beware of compilations,
indexes, and other secondary sources of information whether electronic or
paper, especially those that contain no citation showing where the
information was obtained. Although these sources can provide clues to other
records, they are themselves not good documentary evidence of relationships.
Often the choice of what information is translated into an electronic
database, index, or list format is largely left to the discretion of the
organization, project manager, or individual that is creating the
compilation. Valuable information may be left out due to space or time
constraints, or incorrectly indexed due to ignorance on the part of the
individual transcriber. Many times, this information is the difference
between a brick wall in research and a clue to solving a family history
mystery.
While it is valuable to know when your ancestor died, it is even more
valuable to know the circumstances surrounding their death and who was left
behind. One database of early town death records eliminated the cause of
death and coroners notes. When viewing the originals, it was found within
those notes indications that some people had died by drowning or accidental
falls. Deaths by epidemic illnesses were also in the original records, along
with notes about next of kin and other relations of the deceased. This
information is invaluable when searching for pathways to additional records
for research, and would have been lost without viewing the originals.
In another example, one compiler's zeal to make information available to the
general public for no charge resulted in a large index of vital records from
a well known collection being put on-line but eliminated the actual town
where the event happened, book and page numbers where the original
information was located. It was this information that had made the
collection valuable. Researchers using this information at face value could
possibly be misled into following an incorrect line with no differentiating
town associations for people with the same name.
The "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850" collection is a great example of
why finding original records or supporting documentation for your findings
is important. Many people fail to read the "front matter" in these books
that explains that the information is taken from a variety of sources, not
all from civil records which did not exist officially in Massachusetts until
1841. Many of these records are taken from church, bible, and other family
papers. While these original sources may not exist anymore, they provide
clues to further records or family members, in the case of the owners of the
bibles recorded, that can be pursued.
When using any secondary or tertiary record source, it is important to look
for pathways to the original records, read any information that tells what
the compilation contains and does not contain, and if the original records
are not available, obtain other documentation to corroborate your findings.
Viewing the original records can also bring unexpected benefits.... Imagine
the surprise of one researcher when browsing microfilmed copies of actual
census records and realizing that the enumerator, not listed in the
abstracts of the records, was actually a relative! There are many reasons to
view original records when researching, but the most important one is that
it is just good research practice.
(c) 2007, The USGenWeb Project. Permission to reprint articles from this
newsletter is granted when the author and The USGenWeb Project News are
credited.
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