What is NOT a source?

08/19/2011

This is my professional, certification-bound, genealogy institute educated self talking to the enthusiastic hobbyist I was just a few years ago. If this applies to you, too - listen up! These are NOT valid sources!

Ancestry Family Trees (ESPECIALLY those that aren't sourced)
Family Group Sheets from whomever (ESPECIALLY if the creator is unknown)
Printed books with lists of names and dates, but no narrative and no sources
Emails

Going back to searching out original documents now.....

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About me

I'm a librarian, a writer, a would-be paralegal, and a genealogist aiming towards certification. I'm married with two grown children (or three, or five, depending on who you're counting).
I live near Seattle, Washington, having moved here from Florida over 30 years ago. All my ancestors came from Michigan, and before that they lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Germany.
Genealogy is my passion ~ I love discovering stories about my family, and helping other people connect (or reconnect) with the ancestors who came before them. Every one of them has a story to tell.

Read my grandfather's journals

All content (c) Claudia Breland, 2013