The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Much of the Douglas Archives are built on the contributions of visitors to the website, whether they are providing new information or correcting existing entries.  I welcome these, ever mindful of the advice I was given 35 years ago: GIGO, garbage in, garbage out.

So, if I don't understand something I will query it to ensure what finally goes onto the page is correct. But I think my intellectual powers and ability to decipher have been eroded.

Today's frustration has been around someone who paraphrases her contribution by, apparently, placing commas where words would be helpful.  So who would like to interpret female name, male name is daughter of XXX ?

Now, not everyone knows this, but I live in Scotland, and do not speak, or write, American so when I ask what CO, IN 16 means I am only asking for some help. I think Co is County, IN is Indiana, but the 16?  I am still waiting.

This follows my receiving a long list of names, each followed by the heading Children and then two more names with earlier dates of birth. Turns out the words son of, or daughter of  were missing.

I always have a backlog of contributions, so wasting time working out things does not add to the pleasure of being a family historian!

Views: 138

Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


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