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Understand why the record was created.
For instance, censuses weren't taken every ten years because the federal government anticipated a major influx of genealogist scrambling for records to locate their ancestors. United States Federal Censuses began in the year 1790 because they were required by the recently-ratified constitution. It is only now that we realize the value these censuses can have to locate our ancestors and get some basic information about them. Censuses and, to some degree, their indexes are available on various internet sites in both digital image form and transcription. (See http://www.cyndislist.com for censuses online or http://www.usgenweb.org for census information specific to your geographic area.)
Other records were created because people desired to have that record kept. Records such as land and probate (which includes wills and letters of administration) made it possible for relatives and landowners to prove their ownership or inheritance. For this reason, in most U.S. counties, land and probate records were the earliest-recorded and best-preserved records kept. Understanding the need for land and probate records can help you as a researcher use land and probate when other record types aren't available.
Take a minute to understand why the record you are using was created. Family histories and family websites are often created by a descendant because of their interest in their ancestors. The distance between the descendant and the ancestor can make the information less reliable. Many different types of records have different origins. Tax records were often created for governmental bodies to draw their income. Lineage society applications were created so that a descendant or relative could prove relationship to someone famous or of note. Vital records were often created by a church or parish priest rather than the government. All these and other records will be better understood if we know, or can guess, why the record was created. Information on why records were kept can often be found in county histories, as well as the State Research Outlines available on http://www.familysearch.org under "Research Helps." Take a few moments to understand why the records you use were created to open a whole new level of understanding.
>Archive of tips.   Aker     |    Chapin     |    Durham     |    Farnsworth     |    Gadd     |
   Huggins     |    Lauritzen     |    Mickelsen     |    Orme     |    Pearce     |
   Rich     |    Tilton |    Tolley     |
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