Common Mistakes

Genealogy tip for the day: Common Mistakes

Have you ever seen this?:

“Can you find the misstake?

1234567890

Most people don’t.”

To err is human… we all make mistakes. The challenge comes in trying to combat the commonality.  For the next few days we are going to look over the list of common mistakes in genealogy. I have scoured over websites and looked at many “Top 10” lists of mistakes people make in genealogy. I have come up with over 40! But – have no fear – we will take these a few at a time so you are not inundated with all that information.

NUMBER ONE MISTAKE: misspelling the name of our obsession -    

GENEALOGY.

It is not the usual “ology” as is added onto a lot of disciplines, it is with an A. There are some other common misspelled words in Genealogy as well: 
Cemetery (not Cemetary)

Ancestor (not Ancester)

Lineage (not Linage)

Descendant (not Descendent)

Okay – I won’t yell at you over the rest of them. J So here goes.

#2. Don’t forget the living relatives. And you should, if possible, start with the oldest living relatives. Theoretically they are the ones that are apt to pass away first. their knowledge of the family will be invaluable and they will take it with them!

#3. Don’t trust everything you read – in print, or on the Internet. Seems like the fastest way to spread false information is through the internet. People tend to believe that if you see it in print it must be true. NOT.

#4. We’re related to… We all have those stories of being related to someone famous. It may or may not be true. Don’t take it for gospel until you can prove it. I believe I covered this in the post on Johnny Appleseed. You may be, but don’t set out to prove it first. If you do you research right you will find that famous (maybe infamous) person.

#5. Genealogy is nothing more that names, dates and places.  Well maybe, but it’s really much more than that. You will want to research as much as you can to learn what each person was actually like. Put some meat on those bones!

#6. 'Genuine' generic family histories - they really ain't so! You can buy one of these easily. But they are all gathered from public records - which you can find for yourself. Plus it will throw a lot of people in there with the same surname that are not related to you at all! Don't waste your money.

#7. Look for variant spellings - Don't get stuck on just one way to spell a name. You will miss many documents if you think everybody else always gets it right! NOT

#8. Think you don't have to record where you found something? If you want believable research for others, you must cite your sources. "Document, document, document!"
If for no other reason, you will be able to track what you have looked at and you won't waste your time going over it again, only to realize you've already seen that one. 

Because of time, we will stop here for today.  We’ll look at a few more than this next time.

“History is who we are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

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Today in History

April 4

527		In Constantinople, Justin, seriously ill, crowns his nephew Justinian as his co-emperor.
1581		Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world.
1812		The territory of Orleans becomes the 18th state and will become known as Louisiana.
1818		The United States flag is declared to have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars.
1841		President William Henry Harrison, aged 68, becomes the first president to die in office, just a month after being sworn in.
1862		The Battle of Yorktown begins as Union gen. George B. McClellan closes in on Richmond, Va.
1917		The U.S. Senate votes 90-6 to enter World War I on Allied side.
1918		The Battle of the Somme ends.
1941		Field Marshal Erwin Rommel captures the British held town of Benghazi in North Africa.
1949		The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty is signed.
1968		Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1974		Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record.
1979		Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the president of Pakistan is executed.
1985		A coup in Sudan ousts President Nimeiry and replaces him with General Dahab.
Born on April 4
1780		Edward Hicks, Quaker preacher and painter (The Peaceable Kingdom).
1792		Thaddeus Stevens, U.S. Republican congressional leader.
1802		Dorothea Dix, American social reformer.
1821		Linus Yale, inventor of the Yale lock.
1884		Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese naval commander during WWII.
1896		Arthur Murray, ballroom dance instructor.
1896		Robert Sherwood, playwright.
1914		Marguerite Duras, French author (The Lover).
1915		Muddy Waters, American blues musician.
1928		Maya Angelou, American poet and author.
1932		Anthony Perkins, actor (Psycho).
1938		Bart Giamatti, baseball commisioner, president of Yale.

 

Maya Angelou

Word for the Day

royal road

PRONUNCIATION:

(ROI-uhl road)

MEANING:

noun: An easy way to achieve something.

ETYMOLOGY:

According to the philosopher Proclus, when King Ptolemy asked for an easy way to learn, Euclid replied that there is no royal road to geometry. Royal Road was a highway in ancient Persia. Earliest documented use: 1793.

USAGE:

"Although no royal road for malaria control exists, research can provide solutions."
Andrew Lover & Richard Coker; The Challenges of Malaria Elimination; The Lancet (London, UK); Nov 23, 2013.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There is an eloquence in true enthusiasm that is not to be doubted. -Washington Irving, writer (1783-1859)

Today’s Recipe

April – Tomato Month

Peach and Tomato Salsa

 

  

Ingredients

1 ripe peach, peeled, pitted, diced

1 medium yellow or orange tomato, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia

1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon minced, seeded jalapeño, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Preparation

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with additional lime juice, jalapeño or salt, if desired. Serve salsa with tortilla chips, or spoon onto grilled chicken or fish.

April – (Florida) Tomato Month

Apr 1^st   Caprese Stacks

Apr 2^nd Spicy Frozen Bloody Marys

Apr 3^rd Peach and Tomato Salsa

ENJOY!

Now You Know!