How to Be a Better Genealogist

As we gain experience in researching, we learn how to find reliable resources over some that are unreliable. There are record sets out there that were created with such excellent standards that we follow them without question. But it is important that we always question our sources, because even the best of them is not infallible. For this podcast, I’m using a case study from researching my French-Canadian ancestors, but the same issues and concerns apply to any sources that we use.

Cyprien Tanguay, Dictionnaire généalogique des Familles Canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours
Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique
GenealogieQuebec
Mémoires de la Société Généalogique Canadienne-Française

Today we’re going to be talking about calendars and dates and how they impact your genealogical research. The Julian Calendar was brought into use by Julius Caesar. Pope Gregory XIV introduced the Gregorian Calendar in 1582 to correct the problems of the Julian Calendar. But adoption was not universal, and it took centuries for it to be fully implemented. Understanding the differences between them is crucial for genealogical research.

Most Americans are taught about the Revolutionary War starting as young children. Annual Fourth of July celebrations expose us to stories about the war even before we start attending school. When I was young we had Saturday morning television cartoon Schoolhouse Rock teaching us about American History among other things. “Rockin and a rollin, splishin and a splashin, over the horizon, what can it be? Looks like its going to be, a free country.” Today young people are learning about the Revolution by listening to the cast album of Hamilton! But genealogists need to go deeper in their knowledge.

For more information:
American Battlefield Trust "American Revolution Facts"

Smithsonian Magazine "Myths of the American Revolution"

History of Massachusetts Blog "British Soldiers in the Revolutionary War"

Schoolhouse Rock "No More Kings"

Family trees can be very helpful for clues in researching your ancestry. But it is important to use them wisely and appropriately, with the same standards that we apply to other resources.

Just like our yards at home, pruning our family trees is an important activity. It must be done regularly to ensure that as the tree grows, it continues to flourish with accurate information. And so that we can be certain that the people we have recorded in our trees are actually related to us.

Today I’m going to share with you how the noted private detective Sherlock Holmes guided me to solving a photographic mystery. Being a genealogist is much like being a detective. We have to search through clues and analyze evidence to solve mysteries. Holmes was the first and one of the most famous of fictional detectives. He has many lessons for genealogists, but perhaps the most significant comes from  the very first Sherlock Holmes short story, A Scandal in Bohemia. And that lesson helped me to properly identify a mystery cousin.