Governments of all persuasions have documented a
variety of events over the centuries.
Not all are of interest to the family historian,
but many provide the sort of information available nowhere else. Way
back in the dim past of course it was the churches that were the main
record keepers, and genealogists everywhere will be eternally grateful
for that!
Some governments were more diligent than others
in the amount of information recorded. In my home state of Victoria in
Australia for instance, we are fortunate in that the detail on vital
records is very extensive. But in my wifes' state of South Australia,
it is minimal. Nowadays of course there is a unified standard across
all states but that was not the case prior to federation in 1901.
As a genealogy super sleuth you need clues to
help you find that elusive 'needle in a haystack'. You can find almost
anything, certainly on the internet, if you know where to look. So
limber up your mouse clicking finger and 'do some people search'.
Records are the life blood of genealogical
research and they come in all shapes and sizes - and usefulness. Except
for the English Timeline, the information here is NOT country specific
but of a general nature relevant to most democratic countries, and will
give you an idea as to what resources are available and the details
that they may contain.
Clue #4 - Always keep a
record of your sources of information.
I've mentioned this elsewhere, but please cite
your sources, otherwise this could happen to you:
I have been researching
my family ancestors since 1981, when I was doing all my research by
snail mail. I didn't realize how large my files would get and how
important the source of the information I collected was. Well folks,
let me tell a little bit of what has happened to me, in not documenting
my sources. Someone contacted me with information to share and wanting
more on some of our ancestors. Would you believe I had people in the
wrong places and dates out of place? What a mess I had. I am now
cleaning it up, but had already donated to Ancestry with all the
mistakes. Not realizing my mistake of not documenting or asking for the
source. Is my face red! I took the word of another researcher that the
information was genuine.
Whatever you do, now or
in the future, get the source. I have had to delete so many ancestors
because of this mistake and no sources. I am now going over all 6,250
entries to make sure there are sources to back up my findings.
Clue #4 - Always keep a
record of your sources of information.