How should I handle this record?
So I am doing some family reaserch on my Polish ancestors. I got the dates I needed, but have found many potential matches.
Linked bellow is one of them. Upon talking to my grandma the street name checks out and it does have my great-grandfather listed. However my grandmother could not confirm if he had siblings. She and I both noted the surname name is not spelled properly ( which can be a common mistake for records of Polish Americans. )
However I don't want to append this to my tree in case this is not the right relative. Plus I don't want the wrong last name to show up on my tree. How should I handle this or move forward?
Thanks! ( also link is bellow)
Answers
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Hi Jessica,
I'm not sure if there is a definitive answer to your question. Like most of us, it seems as though you are faced with a dilemma of 'do I' or 'don't I'. and the guidance is always the same: Check everything you can as accurately as you can before adding anything to the tree.
I understand your concerns and would suggest that, rather than just 'click' and add the record, you make a note of the names and details and add them manually. That way, they are easier to remove if you later realise that they are not part of your family. You can add the census record as a Source for each of the names, and maybe add some notes yourself detailing the points you have listed above and why you believe they are part of your family.
For guidance, a living memory of the street and great-grandfather's name on the record are pretty strong evidence of it being correct, but in the end, you must feel comfortable with your decision. Have you checked other census records for these names and spellings?
Hope this helps a little.
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