Genealogy Fraud - a primer...

[Cooley Hurd]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jcat2/genfraud.html

<snip>
The true ancestor detective trusts no source without checking it out.

1. Know your source. Who submitted the information? If you can't tell where it came from, how can you check it out? Be sure you notate the file with the source (where you got it) and the submitter. It helps to use commonly accepted citation rules.

2. Check the documentation. Are there references for the "facts" given: dates, places, relationships? If so, look them up yourself to check them out. If not, don't give it much credence.

3. Never import a GEDCOM into your main data file. Once you add a bogus file into your own data, it's very, very difficult to back it out again. Instead, make a new data file with your genealogy program, then import the data into that first. Look it over and decide if it's worth merging into your good data.

4. Don't resubmit information that didn't originate with you to a database. That is, don't recycle someone else's research into your submission without checking all the sources. Especially, don't take credit for someone else's research.

5. If you do submit your compiled genealogy, be sure you purge the personal information of anyone still living. Most repositories require you to do this. If you don't, you may be liable for violating those people's privacy and engendering bad feelings in the family.

6. Use the data from a respository not as authority but as a clue or evidence of a theory. A GEDCOM file is never a primary source. By definition, it is a compilation of someone else's research or lack thereof.

7. When you are ready to submit your data to a repository, include references to source materials and lots of justification for the facts in your data file. Be sure your name and address are associated with the file. Also, be ready to answer queries about the ancestors you are submitting.

8. Develop a skeptical approach towards downloaded data, just like the hard-bitten detectives in mystery stories. Make sure each person's birth, death, and marriage information makes sense. Keep asking yourself as you read it, "How do we know this for sure? What proof is there of this?"

9. Remember, genealogy is a journey, not a destination. Realize that you'll never be "done" with your quest. Anyway, what's the enjoyment in that? Rather, it's the discovery and learning that we're seeking, not the full filing cabinet.
</snip>

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. This is good stuff to know Cooley.

And I can vouch for 4 and 5 personally. I blew it, unintentionally, and pissed off one of my cousins, who used to be a close friend. I prvatized info, but didn't purge it.

She remains pissed to this day.

Don't make the same mistake I did!
FSC