Good, Bad and Ugly
I am still deep into reading the Probate file of Morris Durbin who died in 1880 in Fayette County, Illinois. The file is somewhat large and I am entering each document into my database, transcribing it, scanning it reviewing it for clues to the family.
I sent away for the probate file of John Nicholas Poundstone from Cass County Indiana today. He died in 1900. I also managed to fill out five requests for death records on Poundstone's in Cass County Indiana and mailed them off.
I had the opportunity to share information with another Poundstone researcher. I questioned her citations, or lack there of, and she said "I am more interested in the story aspect of genealogy than the documentation." ARGH!!! That statement frustrates me so much. I don't know how you can have a story without the facts. Does genealogy have a story aspect without a basis of facts or information obtained from research?
It reminds me of a patron at the library I met last Thursday. She wanted to do research in Russia. I asked to see her family information. She did not use a database, forms or any form of organization. I explained to her that she cannot do research in Russia until she has her researched finished in the United States. She said she didn't care about the United States research. She was carrying around original letters, information from her family being located in Canada (again original docs), and other original family photos and documents but had no idea what she had and did not have. First I told her to stop carrying around the original documents and to make photocopies if she needed to carry them around. I then told her to fill out family group sheets and a chronology of the information she had on her family. Once again, not interested - only wants to do Russian research. I hope at the very least she will copy the originals and stop carrying them around.
My frustration level with others is high - I guess I will need to seek out my "real" researchers out for reassurance that I am not nuts, just surrounded by them. Maybe it's the heat of summer frying the brains of so called researchers and story makers.
I sent away for the probate file of John Nicholas Poundstone from Cass County Indiana today. He died in 1900. I also managed to fill out five requests for death records on Poundstone's in Cass County Indiana and mailed them off.
I had the opportunity to share information with another Poundstone researcher. I questioned her citations, or lack there of, and she said "I am more interested in the story aspect of genealogy than the documentation." ARGH!!! That statement frustrates me so much. I don't know how you can have a story without the facts. Does genealogy have a story aspect without a basis of facts or information obtained from research?
It reminds me of a patron at the library I met last Thursday. She wanted to do research in Russia. I asked to see her family information. She did not use a database, forms or any form of organization. I explained to her that she cannot do research in Russia until she has her researched finished in the United States. She said she didn't care about the United States research. She was carrying around original letters, information from her family being located in Canada (again original docs), and other original family photos and documents but had no idea what she had and did not have. First I told her to stop carrying around the original documents and to make photocopies if she needed to carry them around. I then told her to fill out family group sheets and a chronology of the information she had on her family. Once again, not interested - only wants to do Russian research. I hope at the very least she will copy the originals and stop carrying them around.
My frustration level with others is high - I guess I will need to seek out my "real" researchers out for reassurance that I am not nuts, just surrounded by them. Maybe it's the heat of summer frying the brains of so called researchers and story makers.
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