Genealogy

I have been researching various families for many years now - and in recent years, as so many others do, use the Internet but some new (and some not so new) researchers seem to go astray on the simplest matters concerning record keeping. So I shall offer a little guidance into methods I have found useful and revealing, and which will make record keeping more exact.

To start - regarding baptisms taken from the Family Search website (once known as the IGI or International Genealogical Index). This is one of the most useful free websites for which all family researchers should be grateful however many people misuse these records. While the website is of great value, a record on it should not be taken at face value - almost all large indexes contain errors. It is essential that the original (or a copy of the original) parish register should be consulted for confirmation. Often these parish registers contain additional information such as the mother's maiden name, the occupation of the father, and if lucky, the place they lived.

I have noticed some 'researchers'  show the baptism date as the birthdate. This is very misleading. A birthdate indicates an exact date of birth. Not all baptism entries show a date of birth and the baptism  date does not indicate how recently the birth took place unless it shows the age at baptism. Often it does indicate a recent birth but there are occasions when a batch of children from one family are baptised at the same time and it is generally found they were born in different years. Even when this is not the case and a single baptism is shown - this does no indicate whent the birth took place. So I would earnestly request all those researchers who  give the baptism date as the birth date - to start correcting this error in their own records and their web references.

When known as the IGI one used to be able to have all the references for a name in a county printed out for reference and a useful note in some entries was the word 'infant', NOT indicating an infant baptism, but a baptism of a child who had died as an infant. This was extremely  useful. I once heard it said one should always try and kill off ones ancestors - this means trying to find a date of death for them. This IGI entry of 'infant' did, at least, prevent one from showing the child as marrying and having a family. However few people appear  to check the burial records for each person in their direct line which is, at the very least, very sloppy work.


If you publish you family history record anywhere, and to anyone, make sure what you are saying is correct  and do not contain the simplest of errors, such as a great grandfather dying when he was aged 2.