It’s so important to know where the information is coming from when you look at historical records. It’s also incredibly messy and sometimes hard to tell! Here are a few things that can immediately help you dissect a record more efficiently.
Explore the context of the record. If you’re in Ancestry.com or Familysearch.org look for a little icon that says Source and see what it can tell you about the record itself.
Remember that census records don’t acknowledge Informant (the person answering the questions) until 1940. That year, you’ll see a tiny x next to the person who is answering the questions.
If the document directly tells you who the informant is, look to see if that person might be a relation or close associate. This can help you determine whether the information that is on the record is accurate.
Sometimes there are hints (such as missing information) that would suggest that the informant does not have the full details of a person/their history. That can help you determine if your record is going to be chock full of useful information - or not.
The best way to approach any of this is to collect many different sources and see the same information across them. That can help you make an argument that you have good information on an ancestor.
Please reach out with any questions as you continue your ancestral research. I’m always happy to help demystify the process for you. And if I don’t have the answer, I’m happy to research.
