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IGI

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Stan

Stan Report 18 Dec 2003 12:36

Hi Tom I agree with Gwynne that IGI must be treated with caution. However I reserve my special criticism for the Ancestral Files at LDS, which are works of fiction in many cases. THe IGI is transcribed from Parish Records or Bishops' Transcripts. If a record is not there, it's quite likely it does not exist. Never be tempted to invent births or marriages like some of the Ancestral Files I have come across. There may be a perfectly valid candidate born in an adjacent Parish, or even further away, or the family may have moved between Parishes. Going to the nearest large town in the 17th or 18th century was as good as going to Gretna Green became later for marrying when parents disapproved. So double-check and look into all reasonable possibilities, including serious spelling discrepancies. Regards Stan

Guinevere

Guinevere Report 17 Dec 2003 11:19

Hi, The IGI is riddled with inaccuracies and should never be relied on until the actual parish records have been checked. I've lost count of how many errors I've found on it. Also there are more records not on the IGI than on it so it should be used with caution. Once a wrong record has been entered on the IGI it cannot be changed. The only solution is to submit the correct information and hope that future researchers do their research properly and check it out. The IGI is a wonderful guide but, even in the controlled extraction programme, there are mistakes. Gwynne

Researching:
Lowestoft and North Suffolk, Monmouthshire, Breconshire, Somerset

Thomas

Thomas Report 17 Dec 2003 09:55

How far would one go to assume relation on the IGI - I have found some ancestors - and fleshed out there families - but would one assume enough to enter a possible marraige of someone of the right age at the right time in the same village as the marriage of a brother? Without seeing the church record - there's no way to know if its right....... If its wrong it can always be deleted from the program..but if it affects any other research from incorrect gedcom files........ Tom