Wednesday, January 6, 2010

I'd like your opinion

There are many online avenues of acquiring public documents - all a treasure trove to us genealogists. Sometime it takes luck, some times persistence, and sometimes even new records being made available.

How current should a public document be when posted online by genealogists?

I'm interested in each of your opinions before I publish new acquisitions.
You can easily leave your thoughts in my COMMENTS using any of the options listed.
If you use Anonymous PLEASE SIGN YOUR NAME so that I know who you are.

Perhaps Twenty-Ten will be the year of MAJOR BREAKTHOUGHS ! ! ! !

Edited:
I'd like to clarify my intent.
By asking 'how current should a public document be when posted to the Internet"
I am referring to the date of this document.
What period of time should elapse between the publicly recorded event
and  publishing on an Internet Genealogy Website or Blog.
e.g., How many days, weeks, months, years

8 comments:

Richard Carroll Sheehan said...

Gerry, Great new information! I find your personal interpretations very valuable and satisfying.

I can't be of help on genealogical procedures, but really appreciate your findings.

Ray, I am pretty sure, the name of one of our mothers uncles. Perhaps, a favorite.

Think I'm already following this site.

Richard Carroll Sheehan said...

What difference might the currency of a document make?

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of current in this context.

GerryART said...

By
"How current should a public document be when posted online by genealogists?"
I am referring to the date of the public document.
What period of time should elapse between the event and public recording and publishing to an Internet Genealogy Website or Blog.

Richard Carroll Sheehan said...

I think that the are all worth publishing until proven incorrect. Even when they duplicate information of an earlier available source.

Seems best to give the ones published closest to the event more weight.

Also a higher quality ought be given more weight.

GerryART said...

The document speaks for itself. It's only a reflection of an event.
e.g., birth, baptism, marriage, land purchase, land sale, death

It is always assumed that ALL info on these documents is subjective.

Richard Carroll Sheehan said...

I guess I need to be educated a bit more before my comments will seem pertinent to a genealogist.

Perhaps a bit of explanation is called for about documents the date of which seems particularly important.

Richard Carroll Sheehan said...

I see no problem passing on an obituary the day it is published.

It could prove to be incorrect or an outright lie, but I understand the a decent genealogist identifies her sources and is willing to make corrections.

Unknown said...

Gerry,
I AM PLEASED TO HAVE ANY PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT ME RE PUBLISHED.
I FEEL LITTLE RESERVE ABOUT PASSING ON ANY PUBLIC INFORMATION AT ANY TIME.
iT DOES SEEM RIGHT TO GIVE SOURCES FOR INFORMATION PUBLISHED AND COMMENTS ABOUT QUALITY OF INFORMATION ARE INTERESTING.