The Compleat Genealogy Database: Religious Affiliations

In a new series, Judy Rosella Edwards encourages researchers to examine the data in their database with the aim of filling in the blanks and creating a truly complete record. The first article, "The Compleat Genealogy Database: Religion Affiliation," explains the objectives and discusses the benefits of exploring religious affiliations. One point made in this first article, relative to fine-tuning your data is to "be precise about place of death." If a person lived in one place but died in another, that is an important distinction to make, lest the place of death send someone off in a wrong direction looking for records. The devil is in the detail.

As a side note, those wondering at the use of the word "compleat" may interested in reading the article, "Compleat vs. Complete." At one time thought to be an archaic spelling of the word "complete," the word has seen a revival in modern times to indicate the quintessential, "the perfect example of class or quality."

Sound Practices That May Be Overlooked

The first of the year is typically a point of new beginnings. In his article, "Sound Practices That May Be Overlooked," Larry Naukam offers some tips for reaffirming sound genealogical practices. One important tip is to be aware of what the author calls a "sense checker" in your genealogy software -- a feature that will scan your data and report various types of errors, including key discrepancies such as birth or death dates that do not correspond. This kind of check is good at finding accidental as well as careless errors in the data, our own and that acquired from others. Whatever name it goes by, this is a good feature to be aware of and to use. This and other tips will help get your research off to a good start this year.

When a Picture Is Not Worth a Thousand Words

What's that you say? A picture is not worth a thousand words? Another myth, busted! In her article, "When a Picture Is Not Worth a Thousand Words," Judy Rosella Edwards explores the ways in which pictures can deceive and why they considered secondary, rather than primary sources. The problem today is even worse. Technology has allowed us to warp reality in photos to such a degree that our children's children will never really know for sure what's real and what's not, without expert analysis to see if an image has been "photoshoped." So words of caution are well taken.

PRO TALK -- Marketing Auxiliary Genealogy Services

"Smaller genealogy budgets can inspire us to focus on smaller, more affordable projects. Genealogy research is rife with tedious tasks we'd all like to pay someone to do!" In her latest PRO TALK article, "Marketing Auxiliary Genealogy Services," Judy Rosella Edwards offers some new approaches for professional researchers.

Start the New Year Right - Cite Your Sources!

Yes, it's that time again -- the time for New Year's Resolutions. In her article, "Start the New Year Right - Cite Your Sources!," Judy Rosella Edwards challenges us to dig in and cite sources from previous work, and along the way provides a few guidelines. The old pattern of gathering information applies: who, what, when, and where. As the article points out, revisiting your sources can shed new light on old problems. 

Refocus your Efforts for Success

Not only is it important to become familiar with the location where you ancestors lived, in order to find documentation, but it is also important to understand something about the culture of the people within a particular community. In his article, "Refocus Your Efforts for Success," Kevin Cassidy uses a case in point to show that standing back from your research and making common sense connections, may lead you to the documentation in question.