If Henry Jones sounds as if he were an evangelist, well he is. He can cite the litany of genealogical research transgressions with the fervor of a reformed sinner. But at the same time, he admonishes one to keep a sense of humor. And he can tell the story of success as few others can.
His work has taught him many things. Always study the neighbors and the community. Use original sources. Secondary sources have an appalling error rate. Some indices to census lists have a fifty percent error rate. Each copy made of a copy introduces more errors. The I.G.I. and the internet are great for finding leads but they are not facts. More typically they are errors.
Some original sources are in error. Judgment is required to assess the weight to be given to a "fact". Publish and work with others in a corrective manner. Family tradition is never gospel, at the best it is a guide. Be open to all spelling variants.
Remember that things were done differently in the eighteenth century. Children could have the same name. Jr. and Sr. implied no particular blood relationship. "Cousin" merely meant a relative. Some relatives were simply called "good friend".
Forget the royalty. Our ancestors were peasants and craftsmen. They had little to lose and much to gain, and it took tremendous courage to come to America without a silver spoon.
Even when one is keeping to the straight and narrow path of original documents, care must be exercised. (I have cited some errors in the Hebron church register that existed from the day they were written down.) Mr. Jones' favorite is the reversal of the parents and the sponsors in a list of baptisms. The problem is not always theirs; sometimes we just don't always understand the eighteenth century mind set when the original document was written. Many names are missing from original lists, perhaps as many as a quarter. Gravestones generally do not qualify as original documents. For a variety of reasons, what we read on them may be in error.
Every sermon should close with a call to action (that's my opinion). Henry Jones suggests we not forget that we are human, as were our ancestors. We should remember the genealogists of the past who labored under handicaps that we do not face. Bury your own ego and concentrate on the quality of the work that you are doing. And always, Upwards and Onwards!
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.