Media: BOOK - paperback, 140 pages
Author: C. Baxter
Year: 2015
ISBN: 9780980704624
Other: bibliog, index
Publisher: Carol Baxter

We sit at our computers searching for information about our ancestors and ... click ... we find something new and intriguing. But wait: it contradicts something else we've found. Clearly, both pieces of information can't be true. So which is true and which isn't? Or are both untrue? HELP!

Most family historians are more adept at gathering information than determining if it is accurate. An error can prove disastrous, gobbing up our precious time and money as we search in the wrong place - or worse, as we pursue the wrong ancestral line. So how do we ensure that our conclusions are accurate?

"Help! Historical and Genealogical Truth: How Do I Separate Fact from Fiction?" is a must-read for family history detectives wishing to accurately trace their ancestry. Written in Carol Baxter's easy-t-read style, it explains how to evaluate our ancestral information so as to determine which is reliable and which is like a virus that corrupts our efforts. After reading this book, you too will be able to separate fact from fiction, truth from mistruth. Your ancestors will thank you!

Contents:
Author's Note

Part 1. Principals
1. Historical detection 101
2. Begin at the beginning
3. Leave no stone unturned
4. Unsubstantiated history is mythology
5. Evidence-analysis models
6. Start with the source, of course
7. Authored works
8. The horse's mouth
9. Rotten teeth
10. Evidence
11. Objectivity
12. Proof of the truth
13. The world won't end

Part 2. Practices
14. The simplest strategy of all
15. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs
16. Building a theory
17. Copycat history
18. Assess the evidence trend
19. Reverse-engineer other's research
20. Bridge the gap
21. Knowledge is power
22. Making sense of common sense
23. Seek the source
24. What;'s in it for me?
25. Warning bells
26. And round and round we go
27. Where to from here?

Summary Check-List
Endnotes
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index