In perusing the internet doing some research I came across this graphic from gotgenealogy.com.
I really like this list, they make sense. So, what are some of the other Golden Rules we should abide by?
OPEN SOURCE IS NOT FREE FOR ALL FOR CHANGE
1. A lot of online databases and family trees are open source (Family search et al). This means users can go in and edit information. Can you see the massive headache that can occur ? What happens when people just go in and start changing data and info arbitrarily?
IF YOU MUST CHANGE: make sure you have sources and cite your references to back up your claims.
One time I went to work on research and someone had “unmarried” my great grandfather. This in turn un-merged him with his kids.
The reasoning?? “Not True” was the only comment under the reason for change section.
Thankfully I was able to go back in and restore what had been done. I was able to produce marriage certificates, census records and death records that showed parents names. Who know why they decided that information wasn’t true…they had no proof, other than perhaps family lore or wishful thinking.
Now that is a huge example. What if it is a variant spelling?? There are sections for additional information, list variants of spellings used, don’t change it on the actual record itself.
Don’t change the information on an open source record unless you have absolute proof and can back it up .
RESEARCH THOROUGHLY
2. Make sure you research thoroughly. There is a story about a man who had inherited a trunk full of his great grandmothers belongings. . In going through his ancestors books photos and letters , he found a letter from one of her cousins. In the letter she wrote about “Ellen” dying. (for this story we will call her Ellen). Ellen was not yet 2 years old and everyone was so sad that Ellen had died. The children were just so distraught. They buried her and decorated her grave with flowers. They had to teach the children about realities of farm life, that these things happen . Yet, they were just so sad over losing poor Ellen.
Now to the researcher, Ellen was a complete surprise. No one had ever talked about Elle. Suddenly there was this new name that was heretofore unknown to the family. They looked and looked and no one had any record of little Ellen. In typical excitement and without thinking, they rushed out and added Ellen to the family record. They told everyone about how they found this missing relative; really just so proud of themselves for finding Ellen and making her part of the family…
Fast forward a time down the road. A cousin, while digging deeper into other family documents and letters, found a picture of Ellen! Guess What? Ellen was the family cat.
BOTTOM LINE: Make sure you are really thorough in your research. If you find something or someone really dig to make sure you have all the information! Don’t just assume.
FAMILY SECRETS AND OOPS FINDS
3. Come to the dark side, we have cookies. Every family has its secrets and dark moments. A preacher with illegitimate children. A serial killer. Maybe a gangster or outlaw. Perhaps they owned slaves, or were part of the KKK, or they committed suicide or were criminals. Maybe they broke rank and changed religion thus getting disowned by their family ..
Whatever the case, trust that you are not alone. People come across skeletons or dig things up that some might label as “bad”. Don’t cover it up or try and bury it. It is what it is, and every tree has its nuts. There are trees that are missing branches because people try and prune it, act like it never happened. Embrace the good, the bad and the ugly. Remember that people were a product of their time and we can see how far we have come. You cant change the past no matter how hard you try, but you can control YOUR part of the story.
PRIVACY AND RESPECT
4. If you are working with people that are still living, your online trees need to be set to private. Make sure you are only sharing what you want to be sharing. (Also see #5)
5. Honor the wishes of other family members who give you pictures and documents and stories. If they don’t want it posted or published online you should respect that. Not everyone is comfortable having their life exposed for the world to see.
BACK IT UP!
6. Make sure you are consistently backing up your data! Trust me from personal experience that losing months of research is DEVASTATION OVERLOAD. Make sure you have the tools to backup your data and research . A flash Drive or External Hard Drive to keep separate from your computer.
IT’S OK TO ASK FOR HELP
7.DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP!!! This is probably one of the hardest ones, isn’t it? What is it about asking for help ? You are not in this alone. There are so many people and sources available to help you on your journey!
This is my list, Can you think of any other Golden Rules?
