Evidence

19 May 2008 by Libbi.

I say over and over again in my book, Genealogy Online 8th Edition, you must document your genealogy. Carefully recording what you found, where you found it, and how (for example, in a courthouse, online, asking your grandmother) will not only validate your findings, but keep you from repeating yourself years down the road.A handy-dandy way to do that is Elizabeth Shown Mills’ QuickSheet, now on special at Amazon.com.
Elizabeth Mills’s QuickSheet provides a template for citing historical sources on the Internet. It also lays down rules to help you judge the reliability of these sources.

The QuickSheet is a laminated folder, and has a series of sample citations showing the correct way to identify online sources such as databases, census images, and digital books and articles.

Mills developed the QuickSheet because online sources are publications that have the same characteristics as printed publications. It provides rules and models for common record types such as passenger lists, vital records, and newspapers. Since a website is the online equivalent of a book, the QuickSheet shows you how to cite author/creator/owner of a website, title of the website, place (URL), date posted, and so forth.

Record the data according to the formats listed on the QuickSheet and then transfer it to your record keeping system (such as file cards, computer program). This is the most important task in your search for family history: Document your evidence!

Thursday: The second most important—BACK UP YOUR DATA!

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