Genealogy is a rewarding passion for many people. It’s a quest to retrace one’s family history and discover the roots of one’s ancestors. As the quality of genealogical data is crucial to ensuring accurate and meaningful research, I’ve chosen to talk to you today about the importance of having verified data in your genealogy, and to suggest a method for achieving this.
Reliable sources of information
The first step in ensuring the quality of your genealogical data is to rely on reliable sources. Civil registers, notarial deeds, parish archives and censuses are examples of credible information (even if they sometimes contain a few errors). So, when collecting data, make sure you know the source of the information and can consult that source to check its reliability and the accuracy of the information collected. If you can’t verify the presence of information on a source yourself, indicate this with a low-confidence criterion in the source citation.
Check information
It’s crucial to check and cross-check data. Mistakes are common, even in official documents. Look for additional evidence for each fact, such as birth, marriage or death certificates to confirm dates and family relationships. Information must be verifiable from at least two sources to be considered reliable, e.g. a date of birth with a birth certificate and a marriage certificate. This meticulous approach helps to eliminate errors and solidify your data.
Use genealogy software
Keeping genealogical information up to date by hand can be tedious, even if you have a well-thought-out organization with lists, person and family cards. Transcription errors are not uncommon, and checking them requires careful attention. If an error is discovered, it will not be easy to correct. Genealogy software, while not without its faults, has the immense advantage of structuring information and performing consistency checks directly when you enter the data (or globally a posteriori). They allow you to add places, dates and the source used.
Document your sources
The point is simple: any unsourced information must be used with the utmost caution, and in fact should not be used at all! Get into the habit of keeping a copy of any document you consult, and indicating where it can be consulted and its reference. For example, if the source is in a departmental archive, make a note of the document’s “coast” to make sure you can find it again, and the page or view for scanned documents. This not only reinforces the credibility of your data, but also enables you to return to the source for further verification if necessary.
Check for errors regularly
Even the most meticulous genealogist can make a mistake or postpone an error without realizing it! Remember that there are many cases where an error cannot be identified at the time of collection. Check your data regularly (at least 3 or 4 times a year), especially as there are solutions to do this automatically for your entire genealogy.
Correct your mistakes
As a corollary to the previous point, don’t delay in correcting any errors you identify. Update your family tree regularly. A tree is never completely finished, but continuous updating ensures the reliability of your data, and therefore the quality of your work. When correcting your tree, don’t forget to consider whether an error may have caused you to make other mistakes, and check this point. Don’t forget to inform those who – as far as you know – could have made use of the erroneous information. If the correction is not available, I urge you to simply remove the erroneous information from your data to make sure you don’t use it again..
Participate in communities
It’s always interesting to talk to other genealogists about your work, and especially about the difficulties you’re encountering. You wouldn’t believe the amount of knowledge and tips a seasoned genealogist can have… For example, it’s an excellent way of discovering customs that were once practiced, but which might make you think your information is wrong. For example, marriages before the age of 12, which seem very early to us in the 21st century, were not necessarily so in past centuries..
In conclusion, checking and improving the quality of your genealogical data takes time, patience and rigor. By using reliable sources, verifying information, documenting each piece of data and remaining committed to ongoing research, you can build a family tree that is accurate and rich in detail. These efforts will not only honor your ancestors, but also leave a valuable legacy for future generations.
Did you know that there’s a solution for checking your data in just a few minutes?
This article is part of our series on Questions (and answers) for the genealogist.
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