Treat online ‘trees’ like a family story

Genealogists these days spend a lot of time online. While there, they frequently run into family trees, or partial trees, that look like godsends, promising to short-circuit the rugged work of finding and verifying ad infinitum.

Probably the best thing to do is split the difference. Don’t categorically reject such a tree (with a “moderator” whom you don’t know). It might well be accurate, drawn from sources comparable to the ones you’re using. But don’t sigh with relief and think that now a ton of work has been taken off your shoulders either.

In other words, treat it as a family story you’ve heard. No matter how interesting it sounds, it still has to be held at a properly skeptical distance and checked out at some point.

I’ve found all sorts of solid material online and elsewhere. That, I think, is primarily because I come from a family of genealogists – both lines – who spread the word. I’ve also benefited from published works coming from highly reputable sources – a Canadian provincial history with plenty of citations, a gigantic data base from a major British university, a scholarly history from a major American university.

Here, I’m talking about the tree, large or small (of unfamiliar authorship), that just pops up in front of you while you are seeking online data about your ancestors. If you can’t check it out now, put it aside and examine it later.

The Internet is a wonderful thing. But, like any other medium, it can be right or wrong. You have to put on your genealogical robes and be the judge.

Church records: Sacramental records for Catholic parishes can be excellent sources of information about ancestors. Unfortunately, lack of indexing has made many such records difficult for the genealogist to use.

That is why the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society has undertaken the task of finding these record books in the churches of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and indexing them for its own massive collection of regional genealogical materials.

A sacramental record book lists the administration of the church’s sacraments (such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and death rites) to the faithful of the parish. The listings are especially useful to genealogists because they contain information about the individual such as dates, parents, sponsors, clergy and often additional information, such as whether the person was adopted.

The project has only recently gotten under way. The names of churches involved will be listed as completed in the society’s quarterly newsletter, which is emailed to members. To join the society, go to www.nepgs.com.

The society already has a huge quantity of Roman Catholic diocesan church and other records for viewing in its headquarters in Annex II of the Kirby Health Center, North Franklin Street in WilkesBarre. Admission is to members only and by appointment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays.

The Diocese of Scranton covers 11 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania and includes 167 churches, many of them the products of mergers with now-defunct parishes. The diocese goes back well into the 1800s.

Check these out: Videos of presentations from RootsTech 2024 are appearing online. Search under that heading and you’ll find some of the best presentations from this year’s genealogical event – the largest of its kind in the world.

While you’re searching, you’ll also find plenty of videos from the other RootsTech offerings of recent years. Together, they’ll cover procedures, pitfalls, tips, DNA use, personal experiences and other areas that will help you refine your genealogical skills.

Tom Mooney is a Times Leader history and genealogy columnist. Reach him at tommooney42@gmail.com.