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21 December 2008

Do You Know What You are Searching?

Do not mindlessly type names in database searches without first learn what you are actually searching. Is it a website that contains voluntary submissions of data other researchers have compiled? If so, it may be incomplete. Is it an official archives site? Even those may have omissions because some records were not extant. Most sites will indicate where they obtained their information. Find out and find if all records were extracted. Gaps or omissions seem to always be for the time period one needs.

Not knowing what you are searching may explain why you are not finding the information you seek.

1 comment:

  1. So true - you must be careful of copying other peoples family trees also. For example in searching family trees for my Bebensee family I have found more than one tree that includes the information of my Grandfather, however, the parents and siblings are not his family.

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