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How reliable??

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ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Dumpling

Dumpling Report 5 Nov 2008 22:25

Someone very kindly gave me advise last night about pedigree files on the LDS Family search site.
What I want to know is.............. how reliable are the family pedigree submitters.
I was told that the information might be an educated quess but where does the information come from.
There are cd rom numbers etc but what do they mean?
I have tried looking at the original records (1612) and I couldn't decipher them so how do they do it?

Janet 693215

Janet 693215 Report 5 Nov 2008 22:59

It rather depends on the submitter. As part of their acceptance into the LDS a potential member should know where they come from. Now some can be a little over enthusiastic. Imagine your name was Smith and you came from Bethnal Green. You may look at parish registers and note anyone called Smith and add them to your tree.
OR
You could go to your Fathers birth get his Fathers details, find his family in a census thereby only including your own ancestors.

Its all down to how thorough the submitter is.

I seem to remember that there is a guide to deciphering old hhandwriting on Accesss to archives A2a.org or the national archives website

Michael

Michael Report 7 Nov 2008 12:08

You should treat any secondary source with a degree of scepticism and these are rather similar to the family trees people share on this site - YOU need to confirm everything to your satisfaction.

I have seen pedigree charts on LDS that show parents who are incorrect several times including a much copied error (on ten or more trees I have seen on-line) where the ancestory includes an individual who died at six months old.

CHECK everything yourself.