Resources when there are none ??

Question

I have been tracing the family history for 42 years myself . I have done a LOT of foot work through the years. I have talked to a lot of family. I was very blessed in have the ability to talk to my Grandparents and Great Grandparents. I sat and listened to many stories and did a LOT of writing. I also managed to get one Grandmother to write her life story and my Grandfathers life story as well.
Then, I was handed copies the family genealogy from a Great Aunt that had been researching the family genealogy for 30 PLUS years.  SO.....Now I have 70 years worth . I would say that what I have is pretty good information. 

 

What I see on some profiles here "OF MY direct line of Grandparents" is a "oh dear".....  Yet what I can offer is NOT in a library, Its  NOT in Washington DC, it's all first hand accounts. Here on Wiki Tree, THAT does NOT COUNT for anything.  Or does it ??? Is this information what I would put in the "footnotes or biography ?

I do have some marriage records, birth records, death records, military records, for my own family. (Photo Copies )

Also:
In some places, I have the records ( notebooks )  for the entire county. ( In N.C. ) That I have printed through the years. 
Example: I have a copy of : 

In some Counties (N.C.)( 1700-1800's ) 
I have the Marriage Records.

I also have a copy of : Abbotts  Creek Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery records

Davidson County, High Point, N.C

These records were given to me by the Rev. Cantrell  to copy and then return to him back in 1986. What an honor it was to be trust with something like that !!!

Comments

Scan your documents into your computer then attach to the profiles as jpegs ?

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Hello Hazel, nice to meet you.

Please help me clarify as sometimes it takes me a moment...are you saying: Some of the information posted on some of your ancestors and others differs from your own personal family records?  And if so, that you have concern about the weight of evidence others will place on your sources vs others?

Thank you...I'm sure we can help :)

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Keith, for example..... On one of my Grandparents, their is a Birth and Death date posted

Their is no error in the profile. Its posted as correct......WRONG !!!!!

I'm sitting here with the birth certificate !

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Birth certificates trump everything else for accurate birth information. Are you sure the profiles you're looking at are your ancestors? You sound more experienced than that but -- Case in point: One lady showed up here, said so and so was married to the wrong person, disconnected her from the current husband, changed her dates and married her to her own uncle, totally missing the fact that there could be two people with the same name born about the same time.

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A note on the way G2G works. You get an email when the question is answered or commented on. However when you post answers to your question, other people who've commented/answered don't get an email. You need to reply or comment to answers posted or commented on like you did with my answer. Posting an answer addressed to Keith or Dennis, they won't see it, unless they come back to the question (people don't ususally)

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Hi Hazel.... So....is that a "yes"?

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Anne B..............I am always making sure I have the right person :-) 

 

 

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Keith, that would be a Yes :-) 

Special when I have documents in front of me to show otherwise.

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You know that anyone can edit an open profile ? If you don't have documentation ON  the profile, other WTers might add, subtract or change. according to what they think is true. Just writing in the bio section that such and such is so because you know it's so is not enough.  You need to document.

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I love it when someone has the original documents and is willing to scan them and use them for sources! As someone said already, original birth certificates in 99.999% of cases trump just about everything else out there.

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Hazel, if you are using a repository such as a gedcom at rootsweb, you can add the link to that particular gedcom, with a url of that particular page where John appears.  I searched rootsweb for John Teague born 1749 +/- 2 years with a spouse named Ledford... There are 119.

Wikitree's policy is one profile per person. Duplicates need to be merged, unless you can state Very specifically why they shouldn't.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Teague-266  needs to be merged with https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Teague-1848 And you and Herb need to collaborate on your research.

Otherwise, you are stating there are 2 John Teagues born exactly 1 years apart both in the same state and both marry a Martha Ledford and died the same day, and same county, and state, With all the Teagues in NC in 1745-1790 how many times do you think that happened?

Now, neither of you have John documented in any way. One of the things about documenting is not making someone chase down your research. If you got something from a book, Title, author, publishing date, edition, or volume, and page.

Census data, marriage records if they exist, birth and christening records, same thing. county, state, page, And with the Internet and using familysearch.org records, you can copy the citations readily into the profiles, which will give someone else the exact data and can verify for themselves whether its good info or not.

And since John didn't die until 1823, he should be on the 1790,1800,1810, 1820 census records

I found a good and well sourced profile at familysearch trees. Https://familysearch.org/tree/person/L4Q4-PT5/details  You'll need to log it, its a free account.

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Scott, from the get go I have been a document collector, I love those little things  :-)

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Lynnette Jester , 

no need to do any research on my family for this post, or profiles I have looked at MAYBE to edit ?? Not to worry about those census records either hon. They are right here, I am right here, I mean, they lived right here where I live. Ummm, My ancestors lived right here where I live. Yeah that. . .

I am NOT talking about any one profile HERE , I am talking of a  several. . Take a break and enjoy some reading time on wikitree  

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Well, yeah i do, I have questions about what sourcing you are using.  And Since I am also a Teague descendant, while I haven't done the same amount of research on Teagues that you seem to have done, I understand the importance of proper documentation.

And I am fully aware of the errors on the Teagues. However, if you have have "proof" as you say, then you might want to post a comment to the profile manager as to your proof. 99% of the people here would love have collaboration with documentation-with the proof that their research is in error... they'll probably be happy to change it.

But unless its provable, its fiction.

Answer 1

Your first hand interviews are valuable and irreplaceable resources indeed.

To the best of your ability, you can document the date of the interviews, and methods, names, places, etc.

Answer 2

I also have some research that was done by previous generations. My great Aunt Lydia wanted to apply for the DAR, she never joined, so I think she never submitted the data. But I consider the data that she passed on about her parents and siblings and grandparents to be accurate. She had that information first hand. I have no reason to doubt it's accuracy and when I've been able to verify it, it's good information. My citation looks like this: Baldwin, Lydia Delphine. (1872-1954) Research for DAR Application. Typescript covering descendants of Eldad Mix. c.1918. I've also put a copy of it and other documents on a space page, so at least other researchers can see where it came from.

My grandmother once rattled off the names and birthdates of her siblings and aunts and uncles. I've since verified the information, she had it all perfect in her head.

Comments

Anne, if you ever need help in researching, I'd be happy to help you :-) I have a research group on facebook I opened a couple years ago. If you are interested in that we have a huge group of great poeple that work together that help each other.

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I like that voting thing, its kinda  fun. LOL

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Gee, Thought I replied, must have forgotten the add comment button.

Anyway... Thank you for the offer of help. I've opted not to become involved in Facebook. This is the closest I get to social media.

Answer 3

Keith Hathaway, I have looked through my ancestor profiles here. I have seen some things that make me shake my head and say " Where the *&^% did they dig that up" !! I have documentation to PROVE otherwise ! So, I just don't understand how in this world does some of this stiff get on profiles when other stuff does get on them at all ?

I have posted very little and will NOT make waves for anyone. That is not why I am here. I want to make every correct with the profiles it that is possible.

Answer 4

Dennis Wheeler,

The days when I got to sit down with my Great Grandparents Artie and Hector Maze, I was indeed in one world. THEIRS !! When I sat with my Grandparent Blanche, Hazel, Art.... I went to their world too... I wrote as fast as I would... I still have those papers today. They are very yellowed now, and in clear sleeves for protection. I still have them and will keep them.

I have everything from the time I began.

This Genealogy world is in my bones !!

Answer 5

There are probably some very basic documents like birth, marriage, census and death records that are verifiable that you can add. However, what you have, Hazel, is pure gold. It will really make your ancestors' profiles come to life. You have genuine primary source information and as long as you cite what it is and that you have it, I believe that is enough. My mother wrote a memoir of her early life up to her marriage and signed off with, ,"And you know the rest". Most of her life lives in my memory at present and is not documented anywhere. Similarly, one of my main sources of my family's early New Zealand history is mainly published recollection. Family history and genealogy walk hand in hand.

Comments

Fiona Gilliver

Doing the family history has been my life more many years. The information I have seems endless and I love every bit of it. Each day I can't hardly wait to see what is around the next corner.. Living right here in North Carolina put me right in the center of it all. In 1750 here in N.C was the first known "Teagues of the South "and they settled in "Browntown" . Today its known as High Point , North Carolina. I don't live but a stones throw from their. Every couple years I go there to and put a single flower on every grave at "Abbotts Creek Cemetery" as just about every grave is family. 

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Fiona,

Also, what so many don't know...

"The Teagues", did a LOT here in N.C !! They were the ones to be " the first " do to many things !! WOW, the things I could post !! And it's all so well documented !

 

 

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Hazel, I know how special it is to live in the same place as one's ancestors. I moved to the place in New Zealand my family migrated to in 1842. My great great grandmother is likely to have been born in what is now the town's main carpark. As I walk through it, I always think of her. Her parents, brother and daughter are buried in the cemetery. I teach the descendants of people she will have grown up with. Her sister was the first British child born in Nelson, 30 miles away. It's nice to be home.