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Chester Chatter

Using Older Resources

18. July 2010 — Mary (Views: 63)

One of the typical errors that we make when we first start researching our roots is to not properly document the information that we find. It’s probably safe to say that we’re all guilty of this to a certain extent. Perhaps a more problematic error, however, is that of not looking far enough when conducting searches and settling for the first bits of data that we find and not going any further. Simply put, the more collaborating data we can gather to support an idea, the more faith we can put in our ideas and the more reliable and valuable our research becomes.

If you think of your research in terms of a scientific approach, it may become easier to visualize a good approach for conducting the research needed. Start with the idea that you are trying to prove and consider the steps necessary to verify the data. When it comes to proving an idea to be true, keep in mind that using someone’s online genealogy data is not likely to be considered valid proof for any but the most casual researcher. Think about the types of records that might exist for the time period involved and see how many exist that support your idea. Records that were produced closer to the time period in which you are interested will usually prove more valuable than more modern resources As a case in point, in the most recent article in the Spotlight, several different types of older resources are used to pinpoint the modern location of an old cemetery.


 
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New Look Posted by Mary (2010/7/4)
As you will have noticed if you're a returning visitor, Chester County Genealogy has a new look. Though the old look was nice, it was time for a change. Enjoy your visit!
In The Spotlight
The introduction of wide-scale mapping software such as Bing and GoogleMaps has opened a whole new avenue for research in genealogy. Using these modern maps against a background of older maps and atlases can make it possible to see just where properties are located and can help answer some questions. Let's take a look at what we can find out about an old Quaker meeting in Nantmeal Village using both old maps and new ones.
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Chester County Genealogy
Chester County, PA and the genealogy of its people have been a part of my life for so long now that it's hard to remember a time when I wasn't actively engaged in research in the Chester County area. Though my interest in genealogy in Pennsylvania predates my involvement online, the real start for me came when I volunteered in the summer of 1996 to coordinate the Chester county site for the PAGenWeb Project, then in its infancy.

Having a large numbers of ancestors who were Quakers made it much easier in some ways to find information on their history and because of that, a large amount of the data here is related to the early Quaker families of the area. When I first started working on my Chester site for the PAGenWeb Project, I was acutely aware of the tremendous amount of history for the area and the importance that the Chester County area played in the early history of our country. As one of the three original counties created when Pennsylvania was first settled, nearly all later parts of the state derive their roots in this original section as it was a major point of entry for settlers coming to Pennsylvania.

During my time as coordinator, a total of about 6 years altogether, I collected an enormous amount of genealogy and history data pertaining to the Chester County area and the neighboring counties and have been actively putting it online ever since.

If you've been here before, you'll notice that the site is sporting a brand new look. You may also notice some changes in the way some of the data is arranged - the new Site Map will help locate files if they've been moved from their original spots.

All of the information on this site is viewable by all visitors, though it will be necessary to create an login and be logged in if you wish to post in the forums or add other forms of data to the site. We will always respect your privacy and will never share your contact information with anyone!

If you find this site useful, please consider creating a link to it from your own web pages and let other folks know about it - the more people that find us, the better able we are to share valuable information! Enjoy your visit!


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