Document everything!

Train yourself to photocopy or transcribe the title page(s) of a publication or the bibliographic information found on library catalog entries of each record or publication used to document an ancestor.

Any statement made about an ancestor that is not documented cannot be accepted as true by others.

Others who read and accept statements blindly will pass on errors, which results in perpetuating false relationships and pedigrees!

Help stop that endless cycle by footnoting your research with simple bibliographic citations, including the name of the publication, author, publisher, year of publication, and the library where you found the source.

When citing unpublished information, such as microfilm copies of primary records (wills, deeds, death records, etc.), cite the place involved, the name of the record, the dates covered by the record, the type of record and range of dates you searched, and the library and film number of the source.

If your conclusions about relationships are based on circumstantial evidence, state the logic of your conclusions and the sources to support your conclusions in footnote form.

You won’t regret following this professional approach to research!