When to link to, or cite a source with mixed information

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SpeedDemonND
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Joined: 27 Jun 2022, 06:56

When to link to, or cite a source with mixed information

Post by SpeedDemonND »

How do I know when to link an Ancestry.com fact to the source (or citing a source in general), when certain bits of information within that source are inaccurate?

For example, let’s say I have the birth record of an ancestor born on January 1, 1899 in Manhattan, NY. A 1950 Census record lists this ancestor as 48, suggesting he was born in 1902 (which is not accurate), but does correctly list that they were born in the state of New York.

If my fact shows “Birth: 1 January 1899 – Manhattan, New York, New York, USA,” should I link this Census record to this fact, since the state where he was born was correct, even though the birth year is wrong?

Or should I only link (and cite) the actual birth record, since this lists all of the accurate information?

I'm trying to clean up my tree and citations and was wondering what to do here.
darkerhorse
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Re: When to link to, or cite a source with mixed information

Post by darkerhorse »

With the proliferation of errors on Ancestry.com, I think this is a good question.
mariakenneth
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Re: When to link to, or cite a source with mixed information

Post by mariakenneth »

It's best to link and cite the actual birth record for accurate information. You can mention the Census record in a note, highlighting the discrepancy in the birth year but confirming the birthplace.
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