tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post2005250249877678565..comments2024-03-21T19:08:05.737-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: Dealing with Monster FilesJames Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-41122074883846690932012-10-14T11:13:06.802-07:002012-10-14T11:13:06.802-07:00I have a number of large files going back to no on...I have a number of large files going back to no one particularly important, but still no way to really document most of them, and am beginning to see other people's family trees on Ancestry with other ideas, but still no particularly good sources. One that I found this morning had my ancestor going back to the Mayflower. That could be true, I suppose but I sure haven't found it and the information that I have documented does not jibe with what she has. Annoyed. Ellen Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169919196908381014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-38438795309244938162012-10-06T22:49:58.503-07:002012-10-06T22:49:58.503-07:00I was one of those people who was fortunate to inh...I was one of those people who was fortunate to inherit a modestly large genealogical database (about 7,000 entries), but unfortunately none include sources for the facts they assert. So, much of my work has involved sourcing the information contained in the database - validating some claims, and invalidating others - and occasionally extending a branch out here or there when I uncover relevant information. Your recommendation to "doubt everything" is the only approach to take from the standpoint of serious research.<br /><br />One struggle I wrestle with now is how to segment off the information that I have documented from that which I have not in order to publicly share much of the sourced research. I have no interest in sharing unsourced claims, but I have found my genealogy software (one of the major players) is hamstrung when it comes to intelligently exporting a subset of a file in order to allow me to create a new file of only substantiated research. In fact, the butchering of source information in various export attempts was so appalling that I have resorted to simply creating an exact copy of the entire database, and am now sifting through that copy name-by-name and deleting those individuals for whom I have no sources. It is a painful exercise on several levels: the sheer monotony of the manual labor involved; the disappointment of pruning away entire branches of the file, as well as numerous individuals, to whom I am likely related; and the heartache of seeing the incredible mountain of work done by others that I cannot treat as credible due to the lack of any sourcing. Granted, I have kept the original database intact to use as a reference, a source for many leads in the past and no doubt many more in the future.<br /><br />My biggest mistake was integrating my research into that original file for several years before I finally felt compelled to segregate it back out. If I had started my own, separate file from day one, I wouldn't have this challenge now.<br /><br />If you or your readers have any thoughts on how to approach this challenge, I would be interested to read them.Aylarjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07440947193830946558noreply@blogger.com