Getting the Evidence Now you are beginning to get a list of names and dates together you have a place to store them and things are starting to look like a proper family tree.
So maybe you do not have all the dates? How can you be sure that the information you have is accurate are you sure that the person you have listed really is the right one? I have seen family trees built up around supposition and leaps of faith that once you look at them in more detail do not stand up.
Months of work resting on one character in the story ruined.
Get Evidence It is important to check as much as you can by finding, viewing and if necessary buying certificates to prove that the information you have is correct.
Birth, marriage and death records are the most accurate way of checking out whether so and so is the right person.
For example you find two people with the same name born within a relatively short time of each other (very common in some communities) which one married your ancestor is critical if you are to follow the right line back further.
Only the marriage certificate will tell you the right information.
It is a lot of work wasted if you take a guess and pick the wrong one, only to find out much later that they died in infancy! There is a huge amount of information out there to be used and collected, as I will explain later, but it is only as good as the person who collected it, or transcribed it from records.
The original records or official copies are the only real proof.
Getting sight of them and recording the details is enough in many cases but sometimes you just have to have the real thing.
It can be frustrating to discover that a promising investigation is not in the right direction but at least it eliminates a wild goose chase.
Depending where you are there are various sources for this information and the certificates.
There are companies that will do the work for you but will charge you a commission for this.
Certainly it is possible here in the UK to request and pay for certificates online which works out much cheaper.
See Passport and Identity Office You do need to be sure of the details that you are requesting to get the right certificate but it is fairly easy to follow the procedure.
A Google search should soon find the relevant office, whichever country you are in.
I suggest folders and drawer space.
You do need somewhere safe to keep the ever growing collection of paperwork.
A parting comment before I go, you do back up data don't you? Of course you do, what a silly question to ask.
Roger