18 September 2014

One Document Is Not Necessarily Proof

Genealogists usually do not say that one document is "proof." One document provides information and a "proof" is usually an analysis of that document and what it says (which can be short and to the point--your discussion of why you think a record is correct does not need to be overly long).

Even if you don't write proof arguments for every genealogical statement you make (and many people don't), remember that one document may not totally make your case--it can be incorrect. But make certain that you have a source for statements that you make--so that others can see where you obtained a certain fact and so that you can review it as well if needed.

2 comments:

  1. Great reminder, Fran

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  2. Yep. I try to get three ticks - 3 pieces of information form separate document sources that corroborate each other.

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