Genealogy Sources

Remember the old saying “Consider the Source”? Family History and Genealogy “Sourcing” is very important and is required to authentically verify your family’s historical information. There are numerous forms of family history and genealogy “Sources”. In the easiest of terms, genealogy “Sourcing” is the physical or verbal proof of who, where, and when the information was gathered. This includes the person or people involved, to what degree they were involved, and/or what document proved the information to be correct. “Sources” can be verbal or written (documents). Please remember to always track your “Sources” in your Genealogy computer program or in your paperwork. Doing so will decrease the chance of you duplicating your work.

Verbal Sourcing:

The verbal “Sourcing” of family history and genealogy includes verbal conversations or interviews with living relatives or friends that have a recollection of your family’s history. Conducting an “Oral History Interview” is the best way to obtain organized and useful information. Recording the interview, by video or audio is the best way to collect information. Then, you don’t have to worry about writing everything down which could interfere with the flow of your interviewee’s story. It’s also a great tool to use afterward by reviewing it to enter information into your genealogy program, and then you can share it with family and friends.

The interviewee is the star of the show. Your job is to encourage them to talk as much as possible so that you’ll get the best information. Listening is key. Interjecting with probing questions, occasionally, will encourage them to give more details. There are two main types of questions, closed-ended and open-ended. Closed-ended questions are mainly for facts. For example: what was your Mother’s date of birth? These are necessary but should be kept to a minimum. Open-ended questions should be the majority of questions that you use for the interview. These questions have a more broad scope and can’t be answered in just one word. As a result, the interviewee opens up and the stories begin to flow. For example, could you describe your Mother’s sense of humor? Could you give me an example of how she would joke around or what she found especially funny? What were a few of the talents that your Father had? These are leading questions to encourage them to give a more lengthy description. A great resource for oral family interview questions can be found at http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/Quest.html. These questions and “Mind Joggers” are wonderful. Get on the computer and search for oral family interview questions too. Finally, sit down and try to think up a few custom questions. They could include questions about ethnicity, religion, business, memberships, hobbies, the military, and many more.

Please set up an appointment to interview them. Make sure that neither you or they will not be in a hurry. Timing is very important. Make the interview as relaxing as possible too. Often people mirror your mood so it’s important that you are feeling calm and settled when you do your interview. Also, consider the time of day and the schedule of the person that you are going to interview, as well as your schedule. There is nothing worse than being rushed when you are interviewing someone. Remember too, you can always visit or call at a later time or date.

What was the relationship like between this living person and the person that you are asking for information on? Did they get along? Were they close? If they got along well and were close, people have the tendency to remember information better about those that they are closest too. If they didn’t get along well or were not close to each other prior to death, there could be a chance that the information that you receive may not be correct. As a rule of thumb, I always try to find a paper document/written source that will corroborate with what the living person told me. Please DO NOT argue with a living person or tell them that they are wrong. They may sincerely believe that they are correct and very well might be with certain parts of the information. It’s much better to listen to all of what they have to say, record it and then sort it out later. In the end, you may make or publish a book about your family and they can read the truth about the information then. It’s always best to take the high road and keep the conversation on a very kind and friendly level.

What is the health of the relative or friend that you are interviewing? Sometimes, the person that you’re interviewing might remember information because they were close in age to the deceased relative. If so, that means that they may be suffering from the normal malady’s of old age. So, they might have good days and bad days. Sometimes it’s better to interview an elderly person right before lunch time. Avoiding times that are after meals is a good idea. A full stomach often makes all of us sleepy. The more alert they are, the better. Keep in mind the time of day and the location of the interview. If the person is elderly and lives in a nursing home, they might not have a private room. Some people are more comfortable talking in private or outside if it’s a warm, nice day.

Once you have completed the interview, it’s a must to send a thank you note to the person that you interviewed. I also promise to give them a copy of the genealogy that I put together when I’m done. They usually appreciate that.

When you have used a person as a verbal source, it’s up to you whether or not you want to reflect that in your writing. If the information was correct, after using a document/paper source to verify, then it’s proper to give credit where credit is due.

Written Sourcing:

Written Sourcing for Family History and Genealogy is a very necessary part of your genealogy research. I, as a standard for my work, verify all Verbal Sourcing with a written document, if at all possible. Often, the only way that you can move forward with your family history and genealogy is to use the many written sources that are available. Anyone that is planning on breaking through those walls that we hit when we are researching our ancestors will need to diligently, carefully and intelligently locate and utilize the written sources that are available. Written sources can be found on the computer, in books, in newspapers, on microfilm, on microfiche, on tombstones, in family history’s, in bible records and on maps. Here is a list of the most common sources that we can use:

Census Sound Indexes and Census Records
Vital Statistics – Birth, Death and Marriages
Newspapers – Obituaries, Marriages, Births, & Community Involvements/Events
County Histories – Biographies
Cemeteries – Tombstones & Burial Records
Atlas – Maps, City Directories
Libraries – Local, Genealogical, Historical, Public
Church/ Temple Records – Membership, Christening, Baptism, Confirmation, Bat/Bar Mitzvah, Marriage & Death
Computer Postings – that can be verified w/documents.
Adjutant General – Grave Registration, Military Records
Wills and other Probate Records – guardianship, Divorce
Deeds – Grantor, Grantee Indexes – Land Grants
Pensions
National Archives

If you are diligent with doing your verbal and/or written sources, your family history and genealogy will come together nicely. You will find information about your ancestors that you never knew before. I love to find new documents and pull a small piece of information out of it that magnifies that line of my family. I can honestly say that it has happened more than a few times. I hope that it happens for you as well.