Verifying Genealogical Research has given me the tools I was looking for in my search for validity of ancestors. I considered home sources but now I look at it with a different eye. Information I thought was useless I now find valuable and storage worthy. Vital Records I had used in the past but now I keep a copy for further use and information. If I am stuck or want to learn more about a person I have learned how to use census, probate, church records, land and property records, military records, legal and court records, naturalization, emigration and immigration records, or other records available such as letters, post cards, appointment calendars.
I have learned the five research criteria of the Genealogical Proof Standard is a great starting point for all of my research:
Conduct a reasonably exhaustive search for all information possibly pertinent to the identity, relationship, event, or situation in question;
Include in any compilation a complete, accurate citation to the source(s) of each information item used;
Analyze and correlate the collected information to assess its quality as evidence;
Resolve conflicts caused by contradictory evidence or evidence contradicting a proposed (hypothetical) solution;
Write a soundly reasoned, coherent conclusion.
I like to going to the Family History Library near the temple because all the workers are so helpful. I have been helped on finding web sites. I can use all the web sites there for free that I otherwise have to pay. They can read the handwriting that I have trouble with. I am looking forward, to some day, going to the Library in Salt Lake City.
I have never been one who enjoys reading History books, but now I have a fascination with all history. From demography to geopolitics and the religion and handwriting changes through the years, I am enjoying it all. This helps me to understand my ancestors.
I have enclosed my research template, research log of a page on each ancestor from third, fourth, and fifth generations. I have the generation logs connected by third, fourth, and fifth. I also have attached my five generation pedigree chart. Information I have learned concerning my family(5/5/13):
From the 1920 Census of Alice Watson Smith, she was single with eight kids. I thought she was a widow. I recently got a copy of her death certificate, it stated she was divorced. I found her husband, Joseph G. Smith, had left her for a women who was twenty years younger. I know his father, Ralph Smith, was a polygamist with six wives. Joseph and Alice third son, my grandfather, he did not marry my grandmother, they had a son, my father. He was raised in an orphanage until about the age of 10 until his father married. My father divorced my mother when I was 19. My whole life I’d felt guilty about being the first in the family to divorce. HA. It’s in my genes. LOL.
On my father’s mother side; Robert Nation had a family in Oklahoma and a mistress named Lucinda. They had two kids. The first daughter was my grandmother, Mae. I found out he had another family in Oklahoma when I was verifying him using the census at the Family Center. I got a copy of his death certificate with his wive’s name, Iona Nation, the same name on the census. I learned Mae had been married/or not, fourth times had children from each relationship. Her first child was my father.
On my mother’s side Looking on the lds.org family search, I found that my grandmother’s name had been changed again. The source was a journal from one of her brothers. The person did not know that most were illiterate and sounded out names. My great grandmother has constant name changes as well. She went by the maiden name of Goodworth. This keeps changing because I can not find evidence of her mother marrying. But the “good people” keep sealing her to yet another man. I looked up her name on lds web and found they had sealed her to another man, Thomas Williams. No sources or discussion. As far as I can discern, she was never married but now sealed to four different men.
Mary Ann Openshaw had been married previously to a James Simister. Talking with my mom, she know the Simisters but did not know the relationship. As a little girl, she did not know why they were hanging around. After James death, she married my great-great grandfather Thomas Beard. She had two children by James and three by Thomas.
This class has taken hours and hours of work. I’ve enjoyed most of it. I was surprised by my findings.
I previously thought about different cultures and having mistresses and affairs. I believed that was not the case here in my community. Wow. This has been going on forever. I thought I knew my family, now I know the real family.
I am planning on spending time at the Corona Public Library. There is a club for genealogical research. Since I started back to work, I will be getting more classes to teach therefore, I will be busier. Time is my problem. Not enough in a day.
Thank you,
Pam Lombardo
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
