An NFFG page dedicated to family researchers who have started the work, but may encounter issues.

This page is posted online at our website, at our own expense.

We hope it will give you food for thought…

How easy it is to get off track in your family research.

And why experienced, professional intervention will help verify accuracy,

save time, and in the long run, save money.

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We subscribe to an interesting blog called Genea-Musings , published online by Randy Seaver– a website which regularly sends out email newsletters about issues and problems in family research. We recommend that you also subscribe, if you are a family researcher who would like to be aware of possible roadblocks which may lie ahead. Subscription is free, and you can find details by clicking here.

There have been many complaints of this type, and you may be aware of this problem already, but here is a well-written Genea-Rant from March 1, 2011….

Reader's Genea-Rant #1 - "My cousin's done genealogy research, and it's wrong!"

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 03:25 PM PST

"So my wife and put the word out that we are doing the family genealogy. We receive notice from my wife's second cousin that they have already researched their tree (25% of my wife's tree in common), further they have even turned the family history into a book and are selling it on the Internet! They graciously agree to send a CD of the book, including an ancestral file of the family tree to us for no cost. We are stoked! The thought of 12.5% of our family tree already being laid out for us brought smiles to our face. Until I started researching that family line.

"I wrote away to obtain copies of primary sources like vital records and began to notice they did not square with the relative's research. I emailed him and he said all sources were in the ancestral file, so I booted it into Legacy. But the sources were written in some strange words and when I Googled them a multitude of ways they always returned zero results. I emailed again, but all he had to offer was an apology that he "couldn't remember that particular file" and then he wished me to have fun. WHAT?? I email back, and this time all he says is that his relatives "did not deliver much information" (aka. "nothing") on that line I was researching, so he got all that was there in the book from the Internet, and wished me good luck! SERIOUSLY?!? He had NO intention of standing behind his research!

"I bet you can figure where I am going. I finally discovered his "source." It was an Ancestral File from the Family Tree section on the www.FamilySearch.org website. Exactly, one of the same ancestral files for which the website states "Data in the File has not been verified and should only be used as a starting point for additional research." In other words, they are "clues." My wife's relative had published, and was charging money for, a family history book with inaccurate clues represented as facts! I could scream! Now everything he did has to be verified, every source double-checked. Wonderful."

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My upset reader did not ask me for suggestions or recommendations, he only wanted to rant and have me publish it as a warning to others. If he had, I would have said: (by Randy Seaver, publisher of Genea-Musings..)

"Nothing is truly worthless. You can always use it in genealogy education classes as a 'bad example.'

"It appears that you wife's cousin did no real 'research' - he did an online search for information and grabbed what he could find. In that regard, he is like many people who dabble in genealogical pursuits - they don't go for the 'good stuff,' but grab the 'low hanging fruit' in online family trees.

"You're doing exactly what everyone should do when they find 'clues' in Ancestral File, Rootsweb WorldConnect, an Ancestry.com Member Tree, or some other online family tree. Or they find 'clues' in published books and periodical articles. Obtain primary information in original sources if possible, and follow the Genealogical Proof Standard process to determine your own conclusions as to names, dates, places, relationships, events, etc., with appropriate source citations and research analysis.

"I hope that you will publish the results of your research, based on authoritative sources, in a genealogical periodical or on a genealogical blog or website, or even in your own book so that other researchers can have the benefit of your hard work."

Unfortunately, those not experienced in the "art of genealogy research" don't always recognize unsubstantiated work, or even fabricated work, as when they see it. Most of us know that quite a bit of the online family trees are genea-crapola (new word...), but that they are potentially useful as finding aids to search for and obtain historical records that will prove our genealogy and family history.

I hope my reader got his money's worth with his rant! Thanks for writing! (read more by visiting the blog – see above).

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Supplement to this concern by Richard Ripley, March 4, 2011.

The problem is even more pervasive than the above rant describes. EVERY type of record is subject to errors – census returns, family Bibles, wills, DNA testing. Also, some source records are impossible or almost impossible to find. Sometimes the best we can do is assemble forensic evidence from any available sources, cross check & compare the records, and come up with a high-probability result. Even the best family research projects will require such professional intervention at some point – and usually at a critical point,

Professional Forensic Genealogy can help with this type of concern. Even if you have been researching for years, and simply need to confirm (or refute) what you have already found. Richard Ripley, with the paid subscriptions, the hookups with source-record providers, the ability to find hidden and never-to-be-available-online materials hidden in small local libraries & archives, and the contacts with NFFG Members & partner researchers, may be a good partner for you. Many of our projects have been done on behalf of family researchers who have been working at their family research for years. We suggest that you read our References Page, as found in links from our main web page, where you will find others who have worked with us on such projects.

Please visit our Main web page for more information.