Genealogy - Referencing Your Sources (and a Family Anecdote)
I've been digging into my ancestry these last few weeks and finding a lot of fantastic information. Unfortunately, most of the information I've found isn't referenced. I find that annoying.
It's really great to find so much genealogical information on people's websites and ancestry files. For instance, I was able to trace a Robert Crevier, who was a master baker in Rouen, France in the 1500's. He died somewhere before 1583. I've found this information on several different sites, which leads me to believe it is most likely accurate. Or mostly accurate at any rate. But I can't find *sources* anywhere. Nobody is saying where they found the information, let alone providing copies of primary sources, or even secondary sources. Heck, for all I know all the sites that are talking about Monsieur Crevier could all be referencing one another, with no further proof.
Yes, I'm having a good old rant! :)
Seems to me that if you're going to put up your genealogy online, it's because you want to share knowledge. But if you don't support knowledge with some evidence, without referencing your sources, you could be saying just about anything. Heck, I could be saying that Angelina Jolie, Jean Chrétien, and I are related. After all, I saw a site saying that we three share the same ancestor: Robert Crevier, the French master baker...
It wouldn't be entirely surprising if Chrétien and I were indeed related. He comes from the same area my grand-parents come from. Heck, family recent history says that the Chrétien family lived across the courtyard from my grand-mother's childhood home. The same family history further says that my grand-mother and her sister often walked "Ti-Jean" to school. Apparently my grand-aunt was close friend with Aline, Jean's wife.
But don't take this as gospel. The only source I am citing for this is "family history". Which is notoriously unreliable. But at least, I *am* saying where the information came from! Unlike too many people putting up their genealogy and ancestry files online!
Rant over.
