Nitpicking

I had previously talked about my intention of going through all the BDMs (vital records) in my possession and going over them with a fine tooth comb. It's proving to be an illuminating exercise.

I had pulled all of the copies I have out of their plastic sleeves with the intention of scanning them and then placing the copies (which have cost me several $$$) into acid-free sleeves and folders. Last week as I was researching the Irish ancestors I thought I'd see what I could dig up on them but then I decided to have a rest from the Irish and go through all my certs.

What have I discovered?

* Certificates that I didn't even know I had and from which I had entered no information into my database. I am carefully examining them and adding info to my Family Historian database. I am also noting in the notes field for the source if I actually hold a copy of the record in question.

* I realised that one of the certificates I had wasn't for the right person so had to lop another branch off my tree. Since I purchased that certificate I had found other evidence that refuted what was in the certificate. It pays to revisit.

* I found several factual errors on certificates. Further evidence gathered since I procured the certificates shows them to be wrong. It pays to use multiple sources.

* I am finding familiar names as witnesses to BDM events now that I revisit the certificates. The knowledge of families I have gathered over the years has made it easy for me to recognise these names. Knowledge gained over years of research helps one make valuable connections.

* I've been doing some fact checking on other sites as I go along and it's interesting to see how many folk have copied my stuff (including typos) into their online trees.

* By using the clues contained in online trees as I go through my certificates I have made some valuable discoveries. I managed to finally kill off Mr GeniAus' 2x great-grandmother the other night because someone had provided a source in their online tree.

* I have found something new on just about each certificate I have put under the virtual microscope.

* As a result of this activity many of the previously unsourced events in my database now have sources.

We are often reminded of the value of doing such an exercise. I can thoroughly recommend putting your research on hold  while you go nitpicking through the  records you have to hand.

Speedy service

Last time I ordered some certificates from the NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages I aired my frustrations on social media because they took about seven weeks to arrive.

I am pleased to report that the death certificate for my ancestor, Michael Harrington Ryan, that I ordered on 14 March arrived as a .pdf file in my inbox just four days later on 18 March. What a quick turnaround! 

What is especially pleasing is that this document contains an image from the original register entry. The certificates I have received over the past few years have contained  typed transcriptions from the original registers. Reverting to images of the original entries removes the likelihood of entries being mistyped from the sometimes poor handwriting in the registers. It is, of course, up to us now to correctly decode the sometimes illegible writing.

Congratulations NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages on your speedy service and  new document format.

More Records to Milk

Yesterday, as part of my GeniAus database cleanup campaign, I extracted many of the original BDM certificate copies I have purchased over the years from their unhealthy plastic sleeves in ordinary old plastic binders.

A cow in Solovski Russia is like my certificates - Ready to be milked dry

I scanned them (from A-G surnames - plenty more to do) and looked over them with fresh eyes. I milked many more facts from them than I had when I initially procured them. While I had them in my hands I added to my database informants and witnesses of various BDM events and the names of priests and ministers who had performed the ceremonies. It was amazing how many witness names I now recognised that I hadn't when I first looked at these documents. There were lots of in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles at the events. Thankfully Family Historian software allows one to add witnesses to events (a feature missing in many genealogy software packages).

In some cases I hadn't even noted in my database that I had a copy of these documents in my possession (ie sources were missing), I put that right too. My next task is to rename and file those digital images into their folders on my external hard drive (then back them up to a second) and then purchase some archival quality sleeves and folders in which the keep my original hard copies. As Qantas will let me bring lots of luggage home from Rootstech in February I'll put these on my shopping list for when I am in Salt Lake City.

Last week I blogged about the prize of 5 Birth, Death or Marriage Images from The Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages I won in the National Family History Month draw. Today four of the five I requested arrived by email with an apology that my fifth request was not available as an image but I can choose another. How efficient is all that?

I chose death certificates as I thought they would give me information on three generations and perhaps lead me to some living cousins .... and from a quick scan at the info contained in them I think my chances are pretty high. Our Australian certificates allow for the recording of lots of information and my four new ones have lots to tell me.

I'm off now - to do some more milking.