Hints in online trees can provide genealogical treasures, but if you’re not careful they can lead to genealogical regret. In this quick video, Geoff Rasmussen shows why hints should be explored, scrutinized and evaluated.
Geoffrey D. Rasmussen is the father of four budding genealogists. He graduated with a degree in Genealogy and Family History from Brigham Young University and has served as director and vice-president of the Utah Genealogical Association. He is th
Great article—-yes, yes, yes hints should be explored, scrutinized and evaluated! Also, I suggest equally as important for the elusive “person of interest” you should look at the other ancestor trees I have looked at every tree (even if there are 100 or more) just to see if there is one date, place, etc. is a “hint” to help me find information. And I could write a book on what I have discovered. Even names to attach to photos that I own without identification
And love the photos–others have posted. I always check out who posted it originally—many people download the pictures I own or added to findagrave.com and then they add them to their tree. It is better to find them on ancestry tree by the original owner. Sometimes i added them many years ago, but the new person makes the hint appear—sad to do this. I like it when many people have added my photos—then I can see their connections, etc.
Great reminder! I’ve been down a few such rabbit holes myself, most especially when the hint was based on a user-submitted tree. Fortunately, your case study cited a source that was dispositive in the end. Often as not, these trees are unsourced, which doesn’t seem to impede the hinting algorithm at all.
Still, there may be a golden nugget buried in the hint. In one fateful instance on FamilySearch, I drilled down into a person who was not a match with my ancestor, except for his rare surname.That led to a passenger manifest listing the stranger’s origin in unusually specific terms: a tiny (pop. < 1000) Italian village, unknown to me, which was virtually the only place where the surname existed. In the span of an evening, this led me to the Antenati site and the baptismal records of my great-grandfather, his six siblings, and the definitive names of their parents, which had been scrambled by my family's oral tradition in just 3 generations.Quite a productive little rabbit hole that!
Great response that I whole-heartedly agree with! When I see Ancestry Trees with a name I am puzzled over and have little data, I check every tree for that person. And I check their sources for that person. I have found so much information this way. For example: I have researched census records for a person for a long time to no avail or for ship record or????? And I have found by looking at their sources and actual documents, they have found the exact person I wanted to find. but (the spelling was off or other mistakes were made–age, spouse, etc but they WERE the person I have not been able to find.
GC
Gay Campbell
3 years ago
Excellent! Now, trying to convince everyone to follow is the tricky trick!
Geoff, so well explained/shown. I wish it were “required” listening for everyone who has an online genealogy site membership. Love Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Joanna
Technology and Techniques for Differentiating Two People with the Same Name
Learn techniques for recording and organizing your research when you're not sure if you've got the right ancestor, or when you find several people with the same name. Get ideas for easily picking up old research and sharing your findings.
Learn techniques for recording and organizing your research when you're not sure if you've got the right ancestor, or when you find several people with the same name. Get ideas for easily picking up old research and sharing your findings.
Steamer Kate Explosion: Correlating Indirect Evidence to Identify and Correct an Error
What happens when the indirect evidence of a death occurring and a probate record don't agree? The research begins in earnest! That's what happened in the case of the death of Antoine/Anthony Lallament of Mobile, Alabama. Who is Antoine and what relationship is he to me? When did he actually die? Which record is correct? What would other available records reveal? How is the explosion of the Steamer Kate involved? We have more questions than answers. This case study provides the research methodology involved in solving this problem.
What happens when the indirect evidence of a death occurring and a probate record don't agree? The research begins in earnest! That's what happened in the case of the death of Antoine/Anthony Lallament of Mobile, Alabama. Who is Antoine and what relationship is he to me? When did he actually die? Which record is correct? What would other available records reveal? How is the explosion of the Steamer Kate involved? We have more questions than answers. This case study provides the research methodology involved in solving this problem.
Help! How do I separate genealogical fact from fiction?
We sit at our computer searching for information about our ancestors and … click … we find something new and intriguing. But wait: it contradicts something else we’ve found. Clearly, both pieces of information can’t be true. So which is true and which isn’t? Or are both untrue? HELP! Until recently, most researchers developed their evidence-analysis skills by a process of trial-and-error. Unfortunately, many researchers have erred more than tried and seem to be the ones most prolific in publishing the results of their “research” on the internet. Yet these errors can prove disastrous, gobbling up our precious time and money as we search in the wrong place – or worse, as we pursue the wrong ancestral line. So how do we ensure that our conclusions are accurate? This seminar will show you how to evaluate our ancestral information – that is, how to weight each piece of information to determine its accuracy – using a clear, logical, easy-to-follow system. After learning these skills you’ll easily be able to determine which information is reliable and which is like a virus that can destroy all your hard work.
We sit at our computer searching for information about our ancestors and … click … we find something new and intriguing. But wait: it contradicts something else we’ve found. Clearly, both pieces of information can’t be true. So which is true and which isn’t? Or are both untrue? HELP! Until recently, most researchers developed their evidence-analysis skills by a process of trial-and-error. Unfortunately, many researchers have erred more than tried and seem to be the ones most prolific in publishing the results of their “research” on the internet. Yet these errors can prove disastrous, gobbling up our precious time and money as we search in the wrong place – or worse, as we pursue the wrong ancestral line. So how do we ensure that our conclusions are accurate? This seminar will show you how to evaluate our ancestral information – that is, how to weight each piece of information to determine its accuracy – using a clear, logical, easy-to-follow system. After learning these skills you’ll easily be able to determine which information is reliable and which is like a virus that can destroy all your hard work.
I Hate Conflict! Mediating Sources that Don’t Agree
Sooner or later, every family researcher comes across information that conflicts with what was found earlier - a date, a name, a place. How can the conflict be resolved, and if it cannot, what to do?
Sooner or later, every family researcher comes across information that conflicts with what was found earlier - a date, a name, a place. How can the conflict be resolved, and if it cannot, what to do?
Trousers, Black Domestic, Tacks & Housekeeping Bills: Problem-Solving with “Trivial Details”
The records we use are filled with “trivia,” bits and pieces of information that seem to have no “genealogical” value—at least not until we become more innovative in our research and analysis. Each piece of trivia in every document is an opportunity waiting to be connected to something else. Our ability to resolve problems depends upon our ability to make those connections. This class explores eighteen types of records and the kind of hidden clues each offers to help us resolve problems of identity, kinship, and origin.
*** This class requires an active webinar membership to attend. ***
The records we use are filled with “trivia,” bits and pieces of information that seem to have no “genealogical” value—at least not until we become more innovative in our research and analysis. Each piece of trivia in every document is an opportunity waiting to be connected to something else. Our ability to resolve problems depends upon our ability to make those connections. This class explores eighteen types of records and the kind of hidden clues each offers to help us resolve problems of identity, kinship, and origin.
*** This class requires an active webinar membership to attend. ***
Right Place, Right Time, Right Person: Intersections of DNA and Document Evidence
While genetic evidence can aid in the resolution of research obstacles, at the end of the day, genetic genealogy is just genealogy and must be considered within the context of documentary evidence. Even so, the aims of documentary research to make sense of anomalies in genetic evidence often center around finding the right person in the right place at the right time to be an ancestor of a research subject. Learn how to creatively use documentary evidence to recognize and detect intersections of DNA and document evidence.
While genetic evidence can aid in the resolution of research obstacles, at the end of the day, genetic genealogy is just genealogy and must be considered within the context of documentary evidence. Even so, the aims of documentary research to make sense of anomalies in genetic evidence often center around finding the right person in the right place at the right time to be an ancestor of a research subject. Learn how to creatively use documentary evidence to recognize and detect intersections of DNA and document evidence.
Indirect Evidence, A Case Study: The Parents of Elizabeth Wingate in Maryland (1795–1860)
We all have lost Elizabeths in our tree. This lecture will discuss how the understanding and application of indirect evidence is such a valuable instrument in your methodology tool-kit. This case study will examine methods and sources that contributed to finding the parents of Elizabeth Wingate (1795-1860) of Baltimore, Maryland.
We all have lost Elizabeths in our tree. This lecture will discuss how the understanding and application of indirect evidence is such a valuable instrument in your methodology tool-kit. This case study will examine methods and sources that contributed to finding the parents of Elizabeth Wingate (1795-1860) of Baltimore, Maryland.
Negative Evidence: Making Something Out of Nothing
When is not finding a record nothing, and when does it signify something? Information that is not where you expect it to be may yield important evidence for your research question. Understanding the purpose of a source — who and what it records, and why — will help you determine if the missing person or event is negative evidence or merely a negative search. A series of examples demonstrate methodologies used to create something out of nothing.
When is not finding a record nothing, and when does it signify something? Information that is not where you expect it to be may yield important evidence for your research question. Understanding the purpose of a source — who and what it records, and why — will help you determine if the missing person or event is negative evidence or merely a negative search. A series of examples demonstrate methodologies used to create something out of nothing.
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I have always accepted hints as being true. Great video and will definitely change in future
Yes, very good. Do Not Accept Hints with out checking the details.
On point!
Great article—-yes, yes, yes hints should be explored, scrutinized and evaluated! Also, I suggest equally as important for the elusive “person of interest” you should look at the other ancestor trees I have looked at every tree (even if there are 100 or more) just to see if there is one date, place, etc. is a “hint” to help me find information. And I could write a book on what I have discovered. Even names to attach to photos that I own without identification
And love the photos–others have posted. I always check out who posted it originally—many people download the pictures I own or added to findagrave.com and then they add them to their tree. It is better to find them on ancestry tree by the original owner. Sometimes i added them many years ago, but the new person makes the hint appear—sad to do this. I like it when many people have added my photos—then I can see their connections, etc.
Great reminder! I’ve been down a few such rabbit holes myself, most especially when the hint was based on a user-submitted tree. Fortunately, your case study cited a source that was dispositive in the end. Often as not, these trees are unsourced, which doesn’t seem to impede the hinting algorithm at all.
Still, there may be a golden nugget buried in the hint. In one fateful instance on FamilySearch, I drilled down into a person who was not a match with my ancestor, except for his rare surname.That led to a passenger manifest listing the stranger’s origin in unusually specific terms: a tiny (pop. < 1000) Italian village, unknown to me, which was virtually the only place where the surname existed. In the span of an evening, this led me to the Antenati site and the baptismal records of my great-grandfather, his six siblings, and the definitive names of their parents, which had been scrambled by my family's oral tradition in just 3 generations.Quite a productive little rabbit hole that!
Great response that I whole-heartedly agree with! When I see Ancestry Trees with a name I am puzzled over and have little data, I check every tree for that person. And I check their sources for that person. I have found so much information this way. For example: I have researched census records for a person for a long time to no avail or for ship record or????? And I have found by looking at their sources and actual documents, they have found the exact person I wanted to find. but (the spelling was off or other mistakes were made–age, spouse, etc but they WERE the person I have not been able to find.
Excellent! Now, trying to convince everyone to follow is the tricky trick!
Geoff, so well explained/shown. I wish it were “required” listening for everyone who has an online genealogy site membership. Love Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Joanna
Yeah, someone has been editing my family in FamilySearch and now my grandma is my mother. No idea how to fix it.