I think back to how careless, even in eagerness, I was in the early part of my involvement in family history. It didn't concern me much that I was certain I was accurate. I was more into doing that in doing what was correct.
The problem with doing on line or doing in family tree is that it affects others. The online part is illustrated in this portion of an email I received today.
Many of Thomas Bentley’s descendants in their haste have fumbled the
lineages of Thomas Bentley. It is correct his wife was named Hannah, as
furnished in the 1789 Lincoln County, NC, deed wherein Thomas conveys
his possessions to his wife "Hannah." However, NO PROOF has been found
for the Thomas Bentley/Hannah THOMAS and Thomas Bentley/Mary BEASLEY
connections which have been floating around the internet during the past
decade. In the cutting and pasting of information from GEDCOM files
and other websites, undocumented research has been taken as fact and has
been proliferated across the internet like a prairie fire in the
Heartland. Also, there is no hard evidence to support claims floating
around the internet that Thomas Bentley of Maryland was the son of a
Thomas Bentley who was born in 1700.
It's a mindset, do it right, make sure, document which once embraced turns us from interested to passionate. It makes our work more important. After all, in both examples, the internet and family tree, we are sharing our research and fact finding with untold others. If we are wanting to provide meaningful value for our time here on earth, this is a place and a way to do just that.
You can go from rookie beginner to journeyman the moment you adopt a "get it right approach".
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