When doing Family History research, you will have different sources where you find the information about your family. There are two types of sources, Primary and Secondary.

Primary Sources are a record of unedited information recorded when it happened by someone who witnessed the event. Examples are: family records, family Bibles, family Vital Records, correspondence, Memoirs and diaries, unrecorded Deeds and Wills, Diplomas, Certificates, and Testimonials, Public Records, Census, Federal Pensions. Military Records, Passport Applications, Passenger lists, Church Records, Cemetery Records, Educational Institutions, etc.

Secondary Sources are second hand versions. They represent someone else’s thinking or recording of the event. Examples are: Manuscripts, printed materiel, Family Histories, collected Genealogies, local histories, other printed material, etc.

When doing research, I always like to have at least two primary sources that agree on information about the ancestor I’m researching. If I find two primary sources that don’t agree, then I need to find at least one more, and hopefully it agrees with one of the first two. If not, you need to keep looking. All of the Secondary sources just support what you have learned from the Primary Sources.

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy