The mantra in real estate is: Location, Location, Location.
In genealogy, if there is a mantra, it should be: Document, Document, Document.
Go to the Source; if your source is a derivative record then by all mean seek out and examined the "Original Record."
Case in point: For years, since 1995, I have had this little piece of information on my 3rd great grandfather tucked away in my genealogy database.
#6-Ratliff, William H. vs. Mary Parsons Adm. et al - Bill for account & c 1843Abington Parsons departed this life on or about 13th day of April 1826. Heirs: Widow, Mary Parsons; children: Ann Parsons, born June 27th 1818, intermarried with Richmond White; Timney Parsons, born September 2, 1819, intermarried with Noah Sellers; Raymond Parsons, born December 5, 1820; Elizabeth Parsons, born March 9, 1822 intermarried with William Sellers; Thomas Parsons, born May 10, 1823; Mary M. Parsons, born April 10, 1825.
Source: #6 Index and Genealogical Abstracts of the Chesterfield District Court of Common Pleas, Equity Side, 1823-1869, page 115 as recorded in "Cheraw/Chesterfield District Wills, 1750-1865 & Abstracts from the Court of Common Pleas 1823-1869, Published by James C. Pigg, Copyright 1995.
I have a source cited for this information; it’s a book compiled by James C. Pigg in 1995. Yes, this is the source of my information; but, it’s a derivative record/source; it is not the Original Record/Source document. The original source records are on file in the SC Archives in Columbia, South Carolina.
So recently I asked a genealogy friend, who makes frequent visit to the SC Archives, to take this piece of information and see what he can find at the Archives.
This photo is a snapshot of Item #6 the “Ratliff, William H. vs. Mary Parsons Adm. et al - Bill for account & c 1843.”
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| Photo courtesy of J. Poole |
That’s quite a stack of papers compared to the extract published on page 115 of in James Pigg’s book.
Now I need to make time to visit the archives and see what is in this folder about my 3rd great grandfather, Abington Parsons. I can hardly wait.
TIP of the Day: Make certain you seek out and review the original source for all extracts, indexes, etc.
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[1] James C. Pigg, Cheraw/Chesterfield District Wills, 1750-1865 &: Abstracts from the Court of Common Pleas 1823-1869 (Washington, D.C.: self-Published, 1995), page 115.
