Many documents and records that genealogists use contain information that is submitted or given without any attempt made to validate the information. Always ask yourself, is there a chance the informant was misinformed, guessing, lying, or in some other way giving incorrect information that would never be fact-checked by the clerk or contain information whose inaccuracy would later be discovered?
If your relatives were farmers who owned their own land in a federal land state, do you know how the sections within a township are numbered? Knowing where your relative’s property fits in relationship to others can help you know how close they really live. Not all bordering sections have adjacent numbers. The GLO Primer will give you a broad overview. In some states, particularly Ohio, there are a different systems used in different areas of the state. Check with a local county atlas or plat book to see what is used in your area of interest.
Before doing any research, read the entire document or record. Before responding to an online post, read the entire thing. Throw caution to the wind and read a record or document a second time before doing further research, drawing any conclusions, or entering information into your genealogical database.
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