I am taking part in the Genealogy Do-Over this year.
The Genealogy Do-Over tasks for June are:
- Evaluating Evidence
- Reviewing Online Education Options
1. Evaluating Evidence
Since I first started my genealogy do-over in January I have been progressively educating myself about the methods for source analysis and evaluating evidence. This month I have been putting those methods into practice.
I started by evaluating the evidence on my own birth certificate. I have purchased a copy of Evidentia 3 software (watch this YouTube video for more information about Evidentia 3 - Evidentia 3 for Beginners - June 27) which has made the process of learning to evaluate evidence much easier for me. I still have a lot to learn though.
I classed my birth certificate as a 'Derived Record' because, while it is a certified copy of an original held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, it is still a copy and not the original document.
In Evidentia 3 I recorded the claims made by my birth certificate and classified the information from each claim as primary, secondary or indeterminable. I then selected the facts (e.g. birth, mother's name, father's name etc.) for which these claims gave evidence.
Some examples of the Primary information from my birth certificate included:
- My name.
- My birth date and place.
- My mother's name.
- My father's name.
Examples of the Secondary information from my birth certificate included:
- My mother's birthplace.
- My father's birthplace.
Evidentia 3 also allows you to classify the evidence provided for a fact as direct, indirect or negative. For example, my birth certificate provided direct evidence for my birth date and place - the date and place were directly stated.
I am still finding myself a little confused when classifying information and evidence and I know I will have to continue to learn. While I continue to learn I have created some checklists in Evernote to check each time I am analysing a source and evaluating the information and evidence.
2. Reviewing Online Education Options
This month I have viewed the PDF Thomas MacEntee created - RESOURCES Free Online Genealogy Educational Resources. I hope to get some new ideas for genealogy education options from this resource list.
In the past, I have watched educational genealogy videos online. Examples of the YouTube channels I have subscribed to include: Ancestry, AncestryAU, AncestryUK, FindMyPast, FamilySearch, Genetic Genealogy Ireland, Guild of One-Name Studies, Calico Pie (Family Historian Software) and Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems.
I have also learned a lot in the past by reading the content on the FamilySearch Wiki.
I have also learned a lot in the past by reading the content on the FamilySearch Wiki.
The full list of Genealogy Do-Over topics for 2018 is on Thomas MacEntee's Abundant Genealogy web site.
© 2018. Australian Genealogy Journeys. This post was originally posted at https://ausgenjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/06/genealogy-do-over-june-2018.html
Genealogy Do-Over is © Thomas MacEntee.
