Editing Genealogy (section)

==Records and documentation==
[[File:Family-bible-births.jpg|thumb|A family history page from an [[History of the Southern United States#Antebellum era|antebellum era]] family Bible]]

Genealogists use a wide variety of records in their research. To effectively conduct genealogical research, it is important to understand how the records were created, what information is included in them, and how and where to access them.<ref>Adam Kriesberg, "The future of access to public records? Public–private partnerships in US state and territorial archives." ''Archival Science'' 17.1 (2017): 5–25.</ref><ref>David Hey, ''The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History'' (2nd ed. 2008).</ref>

===List of record types===
Records that are used in genealogy research include:
* [[Vital records]]
** [[Birth certificate|Birth records]]
** [[Death certificate|Death records]]
** [[Marriage license|Marriage]] and [[divorce]] records
* [[Adoption]] records
* [[Biographies]] and biographical profiles (e.g. ''[[Marquis Who's Who|Who's Who]]'')
* Cemetery lists
* [[Census]] records
* Church and Religious records
** [[Baptism]] or [[infant baptism|christening]]
** [[Brit milah]] or [[Baby naming]] certificates
** [[Confirmation]]
** [[Bar mitzvah|Bar]] or [[bat mitzvah]]
** [[Marriage]]
** [[Funeral]] or death
** Membership
* City directories<ref>Peter R. Knights, "City Directories as Aids to Ante-Bellum Urban Studies: A Research Note", ''Historical Methods Newsletter,'' Sept. 1969 2:1–9</ref> and [[telephone directory|telephone directories]]
* [[Coroner]]'s reports
* Court records
** [[Criminal record]]s
** [[Civil records]]
* [[Diary|Diaries]], personal [[Letter (message)|letters]] and family [[Bible]]s
* [[Genealogical DNA test|DNA tests]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.evidenceexplained.com/quicktips/documentation-vs-DNA-false-argument|title=Documentation vs. DNA: The False Argument &#124; Evidence Explained|website=www.evidenceexplained.com|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702020042/https://www.evidenceexplained.com/quicktips/documentation-vs-DNA-false-argument|archive-date=July 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Emigration]], [[immigration]] and [[naturalization]] records
* [[List of hereditary & lineage organizations|Hereditary & lineage organization]] records, e.g. [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] records
* [[Real property|Land]] and property records, [[deed]]s
* [[Health care|Medical]] records
* [[Armed force|Military]] and [[conscription]] records
* [[Newspaper]] articles
* [[Obituary|Obituaries]]
* [[profession|Occupational]] records
* [[Oral histories]]
* [[Passport]]s
* [[Photograph]]s
* [[Poorhouse]], [[workhouse]], [[almshouse]], and asylum records
* [[School]] and [[alumni association]] records
* [[Passenger ship|Ship]] passenger lists
* [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] (within the US) and [[pension]] records
* [[Tax]] records
* [[Tombstone]]s, [[cemetery]] records, and [[funeral home]] records
* [[Vote]]r registration records
* [[Will (law)|Wills]] and [[probate]] records

To keep track of their citizens, governments began keeping [[public records|records]] of persons who were neither [[royal family|royalty]] nor [[nobility]]. In England and Germany, for example, such record keeping started with parish registers in the 16th century.<ref>Thea Miller, "The German registry: The evolution of a recordkeeping model", Archival Science Volume 3, Number 1 / March, 2003 pp 43–62; Michael Drake, "An Elementary Exercise in Parish Register Demography", ''Economic History Review'' Vol. 14, No. 3 (1962), pp. 427–445 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2591886 in JSTOR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103014202/http://www.jstor.org/stable/2591886 |date=2017-01-03 }}</ref> As more of the population was recorded, there were sufficient records to follow a family. Major life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths, were often documented with a license, permit, or report. Genealogists locate these records in local, regional or national offices or [[archive]]s and extract information about family relationships and recreate [[Chronology|timelines]] of persons' lives.

In China, India and other Asian countries, [[genealogy book]]s are used to record the names, occupations, and other information about family members, with some books dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. In the eastern Indian state of [[Bihar]], there is a written tradition of genealogical records among Maithil Brahmins and Karna Kayasthas called "[[Panjis]]", dating to the 12th century CE. Even today these records are consulted prior to marriages.<ref>{{cite book | last=Verma | first=Binod Bihari | author-link=Binod Bihari Verma | title=Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan (A Survey of the Panji of the Karan Kayasthas of Mithila) | location=Madhepura | publisher=Krānti Bihārī Varmā | year=1973 | oclc=20044508}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=Carolyn Brown Heinz | title=Fieldnotes: First lesson of the Genealogist | url=http://www.csuchico.edu/anth/mithila/genealogist2.htm | publisher=Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico | access-date=2008-01-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329053241/http://www.csuchico.edu/anth/mithila/genealogist2.htm | archive-date=2008-03-29 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Pranava K Chaudhary | title=Family records of Maithil Brahmins lost | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1848092.cms | work=India Times | date=3 April 2007 | access-date=2008-01-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013224054/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1848092.cms | archive-date=13 October 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In Ireland, genealogical records were recorded by professional families of ''senchaidh'' (historians) until as late as the mid-17th century. Perhaps the most outstanding example of this genre is [[Leabhar na nGenealach]]/[[The Great Book of Irish Genealogies]], by [[Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh]] (d. 1671), published in 2004.

===FamilySearch collections===
[[File:LDS genealogy library slc utah.jpg|thumb|right|The Family History Library, operated by [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], is the world's largest library dedicated to genealogical research.]]
The LDS Church has engaged in large-scale microfilming of records of genealogical value. Its Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, houses over 2 million microfiche and microfilms of genealogically relevant material, which are also available for on-site research at over 4,500 Family History Centers worldwide.<ref>Donald Harman Akenson, ''Some Family: The Mormons and How Humanity Keeps Track of Itself'' Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007; Johni Cerny and Wendy Elliott, ''The Library: A Guide to the LDS Family History Library.'' Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 1988.</ref>

[[FamilySearch]]'s website includes many resources for genealogists: a FamilyTree database, historical records,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://familysearch.org/node/2125 |title=Thanks A Billion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918095129/https://familysearch.org/node/2125 |archive-date=2013-09-18 |website=FamilySearch |access-date=Apr 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |date=April 22, 2013 |postscript=;}} [http://familysearch.org/news/ "News and Press: Official FamilySearch.org News and Press Releases"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731131313/https://familysearch.org/news/ |date=2013-07-31 }} FamilySearch. Retrieved 2013-5-26.</ref> digitized family history books,<ref>[http://familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-family-history-books-reaches-milestone/ "FamilySearch Family History Books Reaches a New Milestone"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815093338/https://familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-family-history-books-reaches-milestone/ |date=2013-08-15 }} FamilySearch, 5 August 2013. Retrieved 2013-8-5.</ref> resources and indexing for African American genealogy such as slave and bank records,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/african-american-genealogy|title=FamilySearch African American Genealogy Records|date=February 3, 2015|website=FamilySearch|access-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321055923/https://familysearch.org/african-american-genealogy|archive-date=March 21, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and a [[Family History Research Wiki]] containing research guidance articles.<ref>[http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page "Research Wiki"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527175057/http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page |date=2013-05-27 }} FamilySearch. Retrieved 2013-5-26; FamilySearch Wiki contributors, [http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Research_Outlines "Research Outlines"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515131026/http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Research_Outlines |date=2013-05-15 }} ''FamilySearch Wiki.'' Retrieved 2013-5-26.</ref>

=== Indexing ancestral information ===
Indexing is the process of transcribing parish records, city vital records, and other reports, to a digital database for searching.  Volunteers and professionals participate in the indexing process.  Since 2006, the microfilm in the FamilySearch granite mountain vault is in the process of being digitally scanned, available online, and eventually indexed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700028045/Mormon-churchs-storied-Granite-Mountain-vault-opened-for-virtual-tour.html?pg=all|title=Mormon church's storied Granite Mountain vault opened for virtual tour|newspaper=Deseret News|date=April 29, 2010|access-date=July 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812143229/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700028045/Mormon-churchs-storied-Granite-Mountain-vault-opened-for-virtual-tour.html?pg=all|archive-date=August 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/granite-mountain-records-vault |title=Granite Mountain Records Vault |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |date=March 14, 2014 |access-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708132646/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/granite-mountain-records-vault |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

For example, after the 72-year legal limit for releasing personal information for the [[United States Census]] was reached in 2012, genealogical groups cooperated to index the 132 million residents registered in the [[1940 United States census]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Census_1940 |title=United States Census 1940 |publisher=FamilySearch |date=December 25, 2012 |access-date=July 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711093350/https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Census_1940 |archive-date=July 11, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 2006 and 2012, the FamilySearch indexing effort produced more than 1 billion searchable records.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/family-history-volunteers-reach-billion-record-milestone |title=Family History Volunteers Reach Billion-Record Milestone |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |date=April 22, 2013 |access-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629171252/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/family-history-volunteers-reach-billion-record-milestone |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, FamilySearch and Ancestry partnered to use  [[Artificial intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] (AI) technology to help the process of indexing more records. The process first began with the public release of the [[1950 United States census|1950 United States Census]]. The index of the census would at first be created by an AI trained on handwriting in old documents and then reviewed by thousands of volunteers using FamilySearch.

===Record loss and preservation===

Sometimes genealogical records are destroyed, whether accidentally or on purpose. In order to do thorough research, genealogists keep track of which records have been destroyed so they know when information they need may be missing. Of particular note for North American genealogy is the [[1890 United States census]], which was destroyed in a fire in 1921. Although fragments survive, most of the 1890 census no longer exists. Those looking for genealogical information for families that lived in the United States in 1890 must rely on other information to fill that gap.<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Blake | first = Kellee | date = 1996 | title = First in the Path of the Firemen: The Fate of the 1890 Population Census | url = https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/spring/1890-census-1.html | magazine = Prologue Magazine | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = U.S. National Archives and Records Administration | access-date = 2 Aug 2019 | volume = 28 | issue = 1 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130912105529/http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/spring/1890-census-1.html | archive-date = 12 September 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref>

War is another cause of record destruction. During World War II, many European records were destroyed.<ref name="familysearch preservation"/> Communists in China during the [[Cultural Revolution]] and in Korea during the [[Korean War]] destroyed genealogy books kept by families.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yan |first=Alice |date=18 March 2018 |title=Getting to the roots of the Confucius family tree: the cultural significance of knowing one's ancestry |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136471/getting-roots-confucius-family-tree-cultural-significance-knowing |work=South China Morning Post |location=Hong Kong |access-date=2 Aug 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802194411/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136471/getting-roots-confucius-family-tree-cultural-significance-knowing |archive-date=2 August 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news  |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=13 Sep 1975 |title=Genealogy Important In Korea, Expert Says |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EdFSAAAAIBAJ&pg=5788%2C3311192 |work=The Deseret News |access-date=2 Aug 2019 |quote=During the Korean War, the Communists tried to destroy genealogies and replace the strong family government with a dominant Communist figure. Refugees fleeing from the north brought their genealogies with them on their backs as one of their most precious possessions. Many of these genealogies are now found in fragmentary form in South Korea.}}</ref>

Often records are destroyed due to accident or neglect. Since genealogical records are often kept on paper and stacked in high-density storage, they are prone to fire, mold, insect damage, and eventual disintegration. Sometimes records of genealogical value are deliberately destroyed by governments or organizations because the records are considered to be unimportant or a privacy risk. Because of this, genealogists often organize efforts to preserve records that are at risk of destruction. FamilySearch has an ongoing program that assesses what useful genealogical records have the most risk of being destroyed, and sends volunteers to digitize such records.<ref name="familysearch preservation">{{cite web |url=https://media.familysearch.org/familysearch-strategy-to-help-preserve-the-worlds-archives/ |title=FamilySearch's Strategy to Help Preserve the World's Archives |last=Hutchinson |first=Angelyn |date=20 Apr 2018 |website=FamilySearch |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=2 Aug 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713032311/https://media.familysearch.org/familysearch-strategy-to-help-preserve-the-worlds-archives/ |archive-date=13 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, the government of [[Sierra Leone]] asked FamilySearch for help preserving their rapidly deteriorating vital records. FamilySearch has begun digitizing the records and making them available online.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-preserves-precious-records-of-african-nation |title=Church Preserves Precious Records of African Nation |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Newsroom |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |date=28 Sep 2017 |access-date=2 Aug 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720055803/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-preserves-precious-records-of-african-nation |archive-date=20 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Federation of Genealogical Societies]] also organized an effort to preserve and digitize United States [[War of 1812]] pension records. In 2010, they began raising funds, which were contribute by genealogists around the United States and matched by [[Ancestry.com]]. Their goal was achieved and the process of digitization was able to begin. The digitized records are available for free online.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fgs.org/community/preserve-the-pensions/ |title=Preserve the Pensions: A project to digitize the War of 1812 Pension Files |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Federation of Genealogical Societies |access-date=2 Aug 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713032315/https://fgs.org/community/preserve-the-pensions/ |archive-date=13 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>