Most of us, if we're honest, will admit to being bruised all over by the number of falls we've taken whilst our family trees have been growing. The object of this booklet is to develop an awareness of some of the pitfalls to be found in sources ranging from printed books to geographical features (via oral information, civil registration, census returns, parish registers, wills and more), how to avoid them and how to turn at least some of them to an advantage.
Written specifically as course notes for lectures that Graham Jaunay (a South Australian professional genealogist) gives. This covers the main things to be aware of whilst researching your family history.
Contents:
Introduction
The need to be well organised
The sanctity of the published word
Assuming facts about the past from present
The problems with indexes
Relationships of similar names
The spelling of your name is dependant on chance
Problems with dates and the calendar change
Taking things at face value
The desire to maintain respectability
The propensity to falsify one's age
Same name, same place, same time
Interpretation of terms
Never consider a place in isolation
Understanding old forms of handwriting
The family tradition or myth
The yearning for notoriety
The coats of arms craze
Faulty, false and fraudulent pedigrees
Failing to understand the historical context
