It is fantastic that so many records are available on line. Census records, marriages, deaths, deeds, etc. But, just having access to data does not ensure it will be easy to judge its value in building your family tree. It is SO tempting sometimes to accept a nugget of information. But, I have learned that sometimes it is better to earmark a record and continue to look for something else to confirm it before incorporating it into my tree, only to find later that I have to remove it and possibly a large number of entries it lead me to.
Here is an example. I mentioned recently working on an ancestor named Martin VanBuren Smith. I have been unable to find his parents or siblings. However, I have an 1850 census for Greene County, Tennessee that includes a family with a child named Martin V. Smith! Tempting. But Greene County is in the eastern end of Tennessee, while all references to my Martin V. Smith have him in the lower mid-state area in Bedford and Lincoln counties. So, I am reluctant to accept this as the same Martin V. Smith, even though his name and birth year seem a match.
I'll hold onto this record, continuing to see if I can find any other record that connects my Martin V. Smith with any of the names in this Greene County family.
Is this a lot more time consuming than you thought it would be?
ReplyDeleteI thought it would be more time consuming than it is. I have been surprised how easy and quick it is to build a basic tree on ancestry.com. But, I have also been surprised how interesting it is, and how much of a challenge it becomes to see just how much you can track down. That is when it starts taking a lot of time. I have also been surprised at how many people there are who are willing to share their information. This has actually saved me a lot of time.
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