Editing Genealogy (section)

===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>