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13 December 2012

Where Did You Get That Guess?

It is recommended that you not "guess" about information you put in your genealogical files, especially in terms of where/when someone was born, died, or married.

However, people will still do it.

If you must guess, at least indicate in your "source" for that guess why you guessed what you did. It's one thing to put in guesses and leave a reason. It is another to enter in guesses with absolutely no reason at all. The first may be reasonable speculation, the second is myth.  There is enough myth floating around already without creating more.

1 comment:

  1. All comments in genealogical notes should be spelled out completely. On a computerized tree, I found my ancestor having a wife by the name of his great-niece. The niece who lived in a completely different part of the country was the keeper of the family lore. She was an infant at the time of her uncle's death. Undoubtly someone jotted her name down as a source, but didn't specify her as such. Some one else came along and added her as another wife.

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