I received e-mail from Randy Blood recently. He pointed out a couple of errors in my recent post titled Lee-o-netto’s Funeral Notice. I am totally ashamed of myself for these errors. No excuse – I rushed and I blew it.
Today, I would like to correct the information and perhaps turn my mistakes into a positive learning experience for all.
Thanks Randy, for getting me focused and back on track.
Error # 1
In the recent post I said I was “unable to determine who Mr. & Mrs. Clifford F. Blood” of East Randolph are.
Oh, but I know who they are and forgot I had the information. Still, I could have made a pretty good guess based on the fact I was corresponding with a Kanistanaux descendant with the last name of Blood. This really should have been a good hint, don’t ya think ;-)
The correction
Mrs. Clifford Blood was formerly Eva L. Horton, eldest daughter of Leon Horton, granddaughter of Carrie Kanistanaux, and grand niece of Lee-o-netto.
No excuse, I know better. I was rushing to finish the post so I could publish something for my readers. The funeral clipping seemed like a good short post topic. I had researched the pall bearers but had not researched the other attendants mentioned in the clipping at the time I started writing the post. My research and writing time was in short busts whenever I had a few minutes between other things. I only looked for answers at Ancestry.com. I did not review my information before I started writing. In conclusion, my research was scattered and disorganized. I was rushed and tired. I know better!
The lessons
- Side-trip research requires the same attention to detail as main line research. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.
- Good research requires staying focused on the work. We all have families and life outside of genealogy to distract us. Knowing when to just walk away from the work is a good skill to acquire. Better to accomplish nothing than to introduce errors (and look like a fool in the process).
- Ancestry.com does not have all the answers and never will.
Error # 2
The funeral notice shows both a Leon Horton Sr. and Jr. in attendance with their wives. Randy pointed out — there is no Leon Horton Junior.
The correction
I found no evidence of a Leon Jr.. However, there is a daughter named Leona who is not listed. Leona is 14 and still living at home in the 1940 census. Unless she was sick , Leona should be in attendance with her parents and other siblings. I believe the reporter is in error.
Again, no excuse, I should have spotted this problem. Why didn’t I? Because of all the reasons stated above and because I have never completely researched the grandchildren of Marleah. And why is this? I had to stop and think about this awhile before I understood my problem.
I have been researching genealogy for Ne-Do-Ba since early 1997. We receive e-mail requests for genealogy assistance almost daily. In my research for Ne-Do-Ba I must follow their established guidelines.
Ne-Do-Ba feels it is the responsibility of each individual to research their own 20th century family members while we concentrate on the 19th century research. We also want to stay away from the issue of who is and who is not an “Indian” today. It really is none of our business. So, over a period of many years I have become thoroughly conditioned to stop researching when I hit the year 1900.
The Lessons
- Establishing good research habits is a good thing. However, we should probably review our habits every now and then to make sure they are not confining us inside the box. Working outside the box may be a necessary step to solving a mystery.
- You can teach an old dog new tricks – but sometimes it takes awhile for it to sink in ;-)
- It is very important to research all the descendants of your subject. You never know which grandchild, great grandchild, great niece or nephew, or in-law holds the key to solving a research problem.
Conclusion
We all suffer from the stress of everyday life, sometimes more than others. For many of us, research can be a good way to escape from the turmoil. Believe it or not, research can be relaxing, even therapeutic. Just remember, when researching during stressful times, we are far more prone to error. Acknowledge this and review your research before you share it with others.
Happy Holidays
and may the New Year foster new discoveries
in your family research!
See the Kanistanaux Home Page for more.
See the Kanistanaux Map at Google.
Do you have any information to add or questions?
Please leave a comment.
The Ne-Do-Ba Research Journal 