Distractions
happen. Some roll with it, others keep getting distracted, or, if you're like
me, you stop and say,
"Hey, you haven't blogged in a while." I
can name two distractions.
1. Life 2022.
2. School
... currently in my final year of BYU-Idaho, with an A-average.
Horrible
and unconscionable things are happening in the world in 2022.
Mass shootings at schools, grocery stores, malls, and hospitals, hundreds of
innocent lives are being lost at the hands of mentally incapacitated people or
just by plain meanness. Parents worry that the hug and kiss they give their
children before they leave for school will be the last time they see them
alive. The same goes for children; will they see their mom and dad again, their
pets, their brother or sister? The safety of our children shouldn't even be
crossing our minds as we send them to school, or when we go to work at a
grocery store, the hospital, or shopping malls, or a child answering their
doors at home.
In
2022, a War between Russia (Putin's War) and Ukraine captured the
world's attention, disrupting the global distribution of food and fuel, and leaving
the country reeling. This
war is just past the six-month mark, which started on 24 February 2022. Russia
invaded Ukraine in a significant escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that
began in 2014. Over thirteen million Ukrainians have been displaced from their
homes and country. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost due to the war on
both sides. The exact number of the deceased is unknown. Dead bodies are still
being found under the rubble of once inhabitable buildings, hospitals, and apartments.
Each country is reluctant to admit the number of human casualties.
About
twenty percent (about 47,000 square miles) of Ukraine's territory is now under
Russian control; President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in a recent
update that Ukraine's regions are almost destroyed.
Since
the war began, dozens of countries, including the United States of America,
have pledged billions of dollars in military aid. The bulk of the assistance
has been coming from the United States, with President Biden sending over 10.6
billion dollars as of Wednesday, 30 August 2022.
Reversing
years of development gains and pushing food prices to all-time highs. The war
in Ukraine has triggered supply chain disruptions, which caused an economic
fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For instance, the cost of a dozen eggs nearly tripled in some areas over the
past year to $5.01 as food inflation continues to soar. Date night has become a
thing of the past as the "new normal" continues to hit those
on fixed incomes.
Thirty
days ago, regular gas averaged $4.22 in Atlanta, Georgia, while in California,
thirty days ago, gas was $6.80 a gallon. According
to AAA, today's average in Atlanta, Georgia, is $3.37, and in California is $5.26.
Of course, these are averages, not "actual" prices at your local BP
gas station or QT. Why are the prices at the pump declining? High prices bring
down demand, which brings down costs. Also, seven states have suspended their
gas taxes; in Georgia, that is .28 cents per gallon, somewhat alleviating an
additional blow to the wallet.
These
things are just small glimpses of what is happening in 2022. There is more, but
to keep my blog out of the line of fire for "speaking my mind,"
I'll refrain.
As
far as happy things, my husband and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding
anniversary in just eight days. Some mornings as the sun's light enters our
bedroom, watching my husband sleep and silently thank Heavenly Father for
blessing me with him. Even though there are days that I'm not 100% sweet and
dripping with honey (theoretically speaking), he still loves me, and for
that, I'm grateful.
My
learning experience at BYU-Idaho has been fantastic. The teachers have had have
been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable in being professionals in genealogy.
I have gained a lot of valuable and usable information. Only a handful of
teachers seemed to me to be only there for the "paycheck" and not the
love of teaching or excited about teaching genealogy. However, in September, I will
be in the final semester of BYU-Idaho and registered for my capstone class to
earn my degree in family history.
I
have learned how to construct a well-put-together family research report using
what professional genealogists and casual family researchers call the
genealogical proof standard. Without
these standards, inaccuracies and myths can be created and perpetuated. Many of
these errors can be avoided by working to genealogy standards.
Genealogical
Proof Standard or GPS
1. 1. Conduct
"reasonably exhaustive research."
Reasonably
Exhaustive Research is words of the GPS that define us as not just lookup
artists, no matter how skilled or experienced. We are more. As researchers, we
collect data, subject it to rigorous evaluation, compare and contrast it with
other data and conclusions, and propose new information or findings. That's a
big responsibility. The GPS takes us there with the mindset of researchers, not
just seekers.
2.
Provide complete and accurate
citations for all records and sources.
Source
footnote citations help document, organize, and analyze the evidence gathered.
They are the hallmark of quality family history. In an ideal world, every event
on a family group record would have one or more source footnotes.
The information about the event came from somewhere (even if guessed),
and that source should be appropriately cited. In
theory, a good source citation is simply a matter of including five ordinary
and two optional elements:
- Author
- Title
- Repository (for publications, the place published and publisher; for unpublished material, the repository and address)
- The date accessed
- Entry was for (name of the person searched)
- Page number/film number
- Optional library or archive call number
A
brief preliminary evaluation comment about the source is optional but valuable.
The
standard format for sources citation in family history/genealogy is found in
the Chicago Manual of Style, a style guide for American English. It is the style
most often used by genealogists.
A
notable and most needed book in a genealogist's bookshelf or office is "Evidence
Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace" by
Elizabeth Shown Mills. It is the genealogist's "bible" when citing various
sources from an article to a zeppelin exhibit!
Remember
always to be consistent with the citation style template, don't mix various formats.
3.
Test through a process of
evaluation, analysis, and correlation, of all sources of information.
Having found one or more records
about a person, it is time to evaluate what you found and determine how helpful
and reliable it is. For example, a birth date from a birth record is probably
more accurate than a birth date derived from a census record.
When considering information,
compare it and corroborate it with information found in other independent
sources, if you can. Evaluate the information on its own merits, taking into
consideration the origin of the information, the facts given in the records,
the events described, and the directness of the evidence.
For instance, a marriage
certificate issued by an Episcopal parish where a marriage occurred or a diary
entry written by the bride after the wedding. Which of these two
documents has more weight in evaluating and analyzing the information? Because
of the principal eyewitness (the bride), the diary would have more
weight than the marriage certificate.
Questions that you may have to ask
yourself while evaluating
- When and where was the record
created, and who made the record?
- Why was the document created, and
who provided the information?
- How was the data recorded, and how
was the record preserved?
- What kind of information is
missing or incomplete in the record?
- Are there any other records that
are usually associated with the record? Are there records just before and after
the record, and would they give further information?
- Is the record part of a series of
records that may contain further information about the family? Where are other
associated records located?
- How reliable is the information
contained in the record?
- What
other information is suggested by the record but missing?
4. Resolve
any conflicts of evidence.
Conflicts and discrepancies are frustrating
facts of genealogical research. The best research method demands that every
possible source of genealogical information be searched as you are compiling a
lineage. As you scour each record, you'll discover that "facts" in
one record don't agree with "facts" in other records.
That is when the question arises, "how
do I resolve these discrepancies?"
There may be instances when only
one piece of evidence can be found for the individual you are researching.
There can be no dissimilarities because there is nothing else available for
fact comparison. When only one record exists, you are forced to evaluate the
evidence in that record by subjecting it to a credibility test.
Questions to be answered that can
resolve conflicts. Is it a primary source? How much of the evidence found in
the source is direct or circumstantial? Is the record source an original or a
transcribed copy? Was the information recorded on the document given by an
eyewitness to the event?
5.
Write a coherently reasoned
conclusion based on all of the evidence.
You
won't remember how you came to your conclusions, so document your findings by
writing proof statements that explain how you reached those conclusions. Using the Genealogical Proof Standard will increase the likelihood
of your genealogical results reflecting what happened.
Well, that's enough for me for now. Happy writing!
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