"Side Affects for Citing Your Sources," you say, how can that be. Well, it can be and is surely a
trying time for many.
Let us say your Grandfather shares first hand information he experienced with you. You write about it after he is gone. Of course your older and the world has spun on in new directions since he shared his story with you.
By today's standards he should have written it out and signed and dated it and then it could be used as a source. Otherwise many call it pure hear say.
That standard bothers me. Yes, many people have cheated?? on their stories to get to a certain level and accomplish certain goals. That does not mean the Grandfather did. Does it make a difference if, three of his children say they experienced this with their father? From what I am under the impression of is no, it still is not accepted.
My goodness, to think that every human wrote out a full detail of their live and had it notarized and left for kin is absurd.
Concurring with the fact you do not accept everything you hear and read but you do some research to find many concur with the statements, surely it gives it some credence.
Yes, I read over others trees on line and I share mine. If I have something others do not have I offer it to them and the sources, or if first hand knowledge, that statement. You can get lots of good ideas about more research on a line, by doing it. But you can not take their line and say it is correct if you do not have some stabilization for sources. I have asked many Family tree presenters for proof and they do not even answer the request.
Yet, if I share some of my proven data with others many times, some kernels may be tossed my way.
Others, thankfully are very thoughtful and share and swap information that is to me, priceless.
Sharing to me is the most terrific way to work a tree.
Remembering also that families of 15 children went many directions and each line has a different or same story to tell. If all the children say this happened then I suspect it to be more fact than fiction.
After all I have met families that had not communicated in 120 years and yet the stories were the same and some dangling facts backed up the stories. Maybe not in entirety but enough for one to accept the situation as fact.
Why do families let themselves fall apart? What a shame to waste the knowledge they could impart.
I do not believe in grabbing anyone's tree and say it is fact. Where is the fun in that?
But neither do I believe that a tree with out everything sourced is a myth. It truly depends on what you call a source and how you found it and deciphered it. Many family histories were written two to three hundred years ago. Some of them can be semi sourced some can not. Many have glaring or minor errors. But thankfully at least, they took the time to share what they did to help us find our way.
Do not ever forget that.
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