![]() ![]() ![]() The problem is, what we THINK we know may not actually be true, especially if we are talking about the past. When we first start doing our family history, we typically begin with what we (and other family members) already know. Relying solely upon people’s memories or family hearsay. Here are some of the most common ways mistakes enter our family trees: 1. The first step in dealing with them is to know where and how they most commonly happen. Mistakes are inevitable in genealogy, but they DO need to be addressed. While some of this article will cover things specific to Trentini genealogy, most of the concepts I will share are applicable to ANY family history research, regardless of origin. That’s why I wanted to write an article about how we family historians can get it very WRONG, if we’re not as meticulous as possible in our work. Then – with our trees and the trees of millions of others being freely available online – one mistake can become multiplied thousands of times over. It’s bad enough trying to make sense of foreign, inaccurate or missing primary sources, but we must also contend with imperfect personal memories and simple human error. This is especially the case when we are just starting out and less experienced, both in the subject matter (our ancestors) and the process of research itself.Įven when we are experienced, genealogy can be an informational nightmare. Lack of rigour in our research can bring many errors into our precious family trees – from incorrect dates to the wrong people. But sometimes, our desire for growth can make us careless. We love finding new people and adding them to our tree, and can often feel disappointed if our tree hasn’t grown after a hard day of research. It’s easy to get hooked on the act of discovery when researching our family histories. Genealogist Lynn Serafinn discusses 15 common ways we make mistakes in genealogy, and offers tips on how to separate fact from fiction in your family history. Baptismal record from 1567 where priest has omitted the father’s surname, Onorati.
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