It can be tempting to go with that first source or reference to an ancestor. It can be even more tempting to go with that conclusion if a second source agrees. An online tree (or recent book) agrees with what you find printed in an 1895 genealogy that has been digitized.
That’s two sources that agree.
Oh boy.
While they are “sources” since they contain information, they are derivative sources since they have been derived from something else. Derived sources are only as accurate as the information from which they were derived and the thoroughness of the person reaching the conclusion. There’s room for error there.
They may not even be two sources–the online tree (or that recent book) could have been derived from the 1895 genealogy. It could even have been copied directly from that 1895 genealogy. There may just be one “source.” And…that source, as we’ve seen, could be wrong.
Finding another source that says the same thing doesn’t mean the information is correct either. It could be another reproduction of the same information.
Use what’s in that 1895 genealogy to set a research plan to look for original records, contemporary materials, or more recent publications that were created from those records.
And if you don’t know how to do that: ask.
That’s the best way to learn and to grow with your research.
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