Lesson 1: Beginning Genealogy – The Big Five
Who can get excited about learning the Genealogy Standards of Proof? Everyone who wants to avoid the disappointment of false starts, common beginner mistakes and wasted efforts.
There is nothing more disheartening after months of work than discovering that your results are in question. Just like the lady who travelled to Scotland to visit the town her ancestors came from, only to find out when she returned home that she had visited the wrong town; or the two fellows who thought they were distant cousins and after many years of thinking they were related found out they were not; they are still friends, so that’s pretty nice. Even I have experienced this– I contacted another genealogist thinking I may have finally broken through a very frustrating brick wall, only to find out that I was the source of information this fellow used, even though it clearly states on my website that the evidence for the individual in question is unproven.
Discovering that all of the hours you have spent were wasted and now you have to start again is unfortunately, and all too often, a situation that a beginning genealogists may face. Why? Only because you did not know the Big 5 Basic Guidelines of the Genealogical Proof Standards. Not knowing that some sources may contain errors and that not all research, either in print or online, is credible and factual can be a costly and/or time consuming mistake.
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