Sourcing Genealogy

In this context, 'Sourcing" means using historical records to document genealogy.

A common phrase is "Genealogy without sources is actually mythology." Of course, the further you go back in time, the fewer contemporary records exist.

While I strongly endorse sourcing, I have a few personal reservations about the saying "Sources prove your pedigree." life is not always that simple. (My great aunt Maggie's parents, as listed on her marriage record, never existed, but she was marrying a cousin and didn't want too many questions asked.) 

A more common problem is sources being attached to the wrong people, But usually this is easily determined. Of course,, if you have seven brothers who settle in the same area, and who name their sons after their brothers, it does get a little complicated. (e.g. "Old Andy's Young Andy's Wee Andy" and other Buchanans in Donegal, Ontario, after 1847)

Still, I spend a lot of very rewarding time sourcing my genealogy. I try to be extra careful when I know that there are other people in the community with the same names.

I try to live up to the standard required to make the saying true: "Sources prove your pedigree."

I wish you success in using sources.

Easy Sourcing
If you have a family tree on FamilySearch or Ancestry, I am happy to see that RecordSeek is working again. This is the free web app that I find so handy for creating sources for these sites from other websites. It works slightly differently than before, but it works. Thank you for your work RecordSeek.  https://recordseek.com/