Could someone check this one line of mine to see if I made a mistake somewhere?

Question

I was tracing back my great grandmother who nobody in my family knew much about other than her name and who she married.  I became intrigued when I saw someone from Massachusetts thinking maybe a patriot ancestor.  My chin about hit the floor when I ended up where i did.  If someone could look at this line: Vandevender-84 à Hyre-79 à Rude-325 à Rude-326 à Rood-620 à Foster-16356 à Standish-430 à Standish-77 à Standish-104 à Standish-112 and let me know where or if I made a mistake or if it is correct I would greatly appreciate it.

Comments

I don't know if your line is right or wrong since you do not have any sources to indicate parental relationships for Vandevender, Hyre, and Rude. I didn't really look any further.

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Without doing any verifying, it looks as if other researchers have Josiah Standish Rood and Mary Foster as first cousins whose mothers were sisters and whose mutual great-grandfather was Miles Standish.

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As Lucy mentions, finding sources that verify the names is essential to proving a line to such a prominent figure.

Answer 1

Hello. I'm uncertain about what sources you're missing (per the above comments) but I've gone into the Catherine E Hyre profile and detailed out source information that supports the lineage at that focal point. I'm giving this example to you in hopes it helps clarify those comments.

When establishing a new connection to the famous I think it's best to detail out the source citations as much as possible because these advanced Wikitree professionals have experienced many many false lines trying to achieve the same goal. Make their editing jobs a little easier and your tree will go far.  :)

Comments

Thank you for the information and example.  I need to go through sourcing again because I thought I was sourcing to WikiTree guidelines.  Now do I leave both types of sources, the Sources section and Original Sources section?  I wasn't trying to establish a line to someone famous, that is just where I ended up.  I recognized the name from elementary school but had to look up to see who he was.

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Hi Ron, the only thing I can tell you at this point, is that your pedigree from Miles Standish down to Alpheus Rude (Rood) b. 1750 in Connecticut, is correct. (Mayflower Families Vol 14). That's the easy part! Now you need primary documentation from you back to Alpheus! If you have any questions on this, let me know.

Tom Allen

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Hello again and you're welcome. I have the following comments which I hope relieve anxiety you may feel while learning the Wikitree procedures. It took me awhile to get comfortable in this environment and I'm still a 'newbie' compared to the professionals that manage this site.

Re: Sourcing per Wikitree Guidelines. (See Help) It notes that when accessing web site's, for example image or electronic transcriptions of Vital Records, you should record as much (relevant) information as possible. In order to reduce the typing abbreviations are fine as long as they are consistent with the genealogy editing standards. Simple example: b., m., d.

Regarding the sources you cited: There was more information available than what you actually cited. Adding this additional information increases the credibility of the ancestor profile in that it helps identify family relationships.

Regarding how you format the sources in the available space: When I add new sources to an existing profile I do the following: ==Additional Sources==  followed by the citations. The original citations are given their own 'header' (==Original Sources==). I do not alter original citations out of deference to the profile manager.

Leigh Anne

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The use of Sources and Original sources is confusing. It was okay the way originally posted. The link in the original source goes to the indexed record on Family Search which is in a more readable format then the data transcribed from a site that hides behind a paywall.

If I were PM of this profile I would contact the author of the change with the above comments and then restore the data from this page:

 https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Hyre-79&diff=next&oldid=76250359

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I have never once stumbled across anyone that did original and additional sources. Either a source is a source or it isn't a source. Why would you put sources in 2 different headings? This is like having a category for "the day they were born" and their "Birth Day".

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Biographies#What_is_the_proper_order_for_the_text_sections_and_other_elements.3F There is a "see also" option but that is more more information vaguely related to the profile like the area he lived in. other than that, sources are sources.

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During a work-in-progress profile build mode, when researching a profile and adding new, unique sources, I will sometimes split out the source category into (i) additions and (ii) original Profile sources. Note that these source additions are always unique to what's already been posted.

I agree with you regarding a format for the (presumably) finished profile it should agree to Wikitree standards and I wouldn't advocate the use of two different categories for sources on a 'Completed Profile'

But, during a Work-In-Progress mode, where coordination is required in addition to allowance for review time arranging a text section with 'highlights' for the next reviewer isn't counter-productive. "Be inventive, be creative, try your hand" is the tag I've seen on hundreds of profiles uploaded from gedcom (which are a complete mess but that's another issue entirely).

I apologize for the confusion with this issue: I should have clarified immediately I wasn't referring to a completed profile when I discussed a tactic of mine while recording sources during a profile 'build' phase.

Leigh Anne

Answer 2

I agree with Lucy and Deb's comments about sourcing. The first step to confirming a line is to try to document the lineage with birth records for each generation that confirms parentage. Another source are wills of family members that mention the parental relationship.

Comments

The first thing I look for is birth records followed by marriage records, then Wills, then death records.  This area in the early 1800s was pretty much the western frontier.  The county seat was 40 to 50 miles away so a lot of stuff may never have been recorded.  Also this area from 1800 to 1850 was part of 3 different counties during that time.

Answer 3

Here's another example:

Updated Lucy Rude-325 Hyre. Research Notes show she is the daughter of Alpheus, wife of Wm Hyre. The Census records which prove her birth about 1811 also show Catherine E Hyre-79 to be 16 during 1850. Her birth was in Virginia and her implied parents are William and Lucy M Hyre.

Comments

Thank you, Ronald, for laying a good foundation of sources on this profile. It was easy to find more to build upon.

Answer 4

There is a Facebook group called, 'Mayflower Ancestors & Descendants-Pilgrim & Other Ships-Genealogy & History" (yeah, it's mouthful) but it's open to anyone that believes they are descended from a Mayflower passenger. When you request to join, they ask you who you are descended from, and it that person was an actual passenger they let you in. Once you get in, you list just the first 7 generations from the passenger. One of the 2 admins. check the Silver Book - and will let you know with no uncertainty if you have your lineage/connections right. And - once you are in - you can ask a ton of questions and get all the answers you need in regards to Mayflower passengers and their descendants.