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04 July 2014

The Purpose of the Record

The first time you use any "new" record, ask yourself:

  • what was the purpose of this record?
  • who was the intended audience?
  • how necessary was it for the information to be accurate?
Maps, directories, newspapers, and other items are all materials that genealogists use and ones that we sometimes think were created only for us.

They weren't.

1 comment:

  1. How true. Many birth and death certificates I have seen have included false information either deliberate for (whatever nefarious reason) or through ignorance or stupidity. I have seen several death certificates where the informant has supplied his/her own details in answer to the questions asked. Other times the information supplied is based on false information supplied by the deceased (during his/her lifetime). I can only guess at the motives but identity theft and identity concealment are high on my list!!!

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