Brenner Genealogy

T.K. at Before My Time has an interesting post on A Few Thoughts On Standards.  While I left a comment on her blog, I thought it worthwhile to share a few of her comments and my responses.  She got me thinking about my standards for what I include in my database.  The primary qyestion being:  what do I do with unsourced data.

First, however, her reflections:

• She acknowledged that she is not seeking or expecting perfection.  “If it were [my goal], the doing would cease to be a pleasure; it would become an obligation, a test, a source of anxiety”
• She then reminds us that “this is my avocation, not my vocation.” You have to have different standards if you are providing services to paying customers.
• Her most telling point is: “My database is where I choose to do my thinking, my comparing, my filing. It’s mine, and if I wish to store 4993 as yet undocumented, unsourced, probable ancestors and cousins in there with the dozen that are almost (but not quite) perfect, that’s okay with me. That’s where I’ll look for them later when I find the opportunity to do the research.”

Here is my response (somewhat elaborated):

Thank you for your thought provoking post.  It has helped me clarify some of my own priorities and standards:   
(1) It is my desire to provide accuracte source documentation for as much of my data as possible.  This means a lot of catching up, but I want my dat5a to have integrity.  Without being anally obsessive, I will do my best to provide accurate citations when I can.
(2) As the unofficial “family historian” for both my family and my wife’s, I have chosen to include the research of other family members even though the only documentation is “provided by Cousin Dave.” I have been entrusted with some data that has been carefully and thoughtfully gathered — my cousin’s maternal lineage that goes back to Amsterdam in 1700; the family tree of another cousin’s husband that goes back 10 and 11 generations.  I consider those data to be almost a sacred trust.  Because they are not direct line descendants, I will not be doing any research on them, but I have included them citing for every individual “information provided ny cousin …” (using the “personal knowledge” source template in RootsMagic 4.
(3) I have chosen NOT to contribute my database to online collections such as Ancestry.com or RootsWeb’s OneWorldTree because so much of what I have is a hodge-podge of documented and undocumented, but I do have it online on my own website.

I am in the process revising 8 separate databases by providing source citations where possible.  Those 8 will be merged together and eventually will replace my current online database.  I strive to learn from the professional genealogists and even to emulate their adherence to standards, but I do not choose to restrict myself to presenting only “proven” data.

For me, genealogy is a dance in which “proven and “undocumented” whirl around the dance floor together — occasionally stepping on each others toes, sometimes “wow-ing” the on-lookers with the grace of their steps, and mostly just keeping time with the music. 

Twenty-five cent “Thrift Stamps” were issued in 1918 to raise money for World War I and instill patriotism in children.  (For more information see Thrift Stamps.)  One of my treasured family documents is a letter to my father (from his Aunt Kate) on the occasion of his 6th birthday.  

 The Ancestry Insider has posted a series of rating scale to help assess one’s “genealogical maturity”    based upon his earlier description of “Genealogical Maturity Model Definitions.”   Coincidentally, Michael John Neill’s tip of the day for that same day was “Becoming a better genealogist is a daily process of growth.”     So, here’s my opportunity to a) assess where I am, b) decide where I want to be, and c) begin to put a plan in place to enable desired growth. In Part I, I assessed “Sources” and “Citations.”  Today I assess “Information” and “Evidence.

Information

My ability to assess information has been steadily improving.  I understand that “primary/secondary” are categories to apply to information itself, rather than the sources (which can contain both primary and secondary information).  I have begun to utilize the historical setting to help evaluate information, but still have a ways to go in this area.  While I am showing some growth in this area, and I expect that improvement to continue, I am not going to focus on growth goals in this area right now.

Evidence

I am becoming more proficient at recognizing and capturing “indirect, supporting evidence” (whether it supports or conflicts with other evidence).  Much of my work with conflicting evidence comes from data gathered from compiled (not sourced) genealogies in the past.  Much of the conflict has been found through directly conflicting evidence; but some, through indirect.  As I develop more experience in this area, I will be able to refine some growth goals.  At the present, I expect to continue as I have been doing.

Next post will examine the final two categories in Ancestry Insider’s assessment tool.

1. to make it available immediately to my family and a few close friends;
2. to enable their comments, which might help ‘correct’ some of my mistaken memories
3. to encourage them to think about (and maybe even write down) their stories
4. to be able to add pictures (which I have digitized) and web links (Google maps, for example)