Verification

Fronk, Solomon Peter

What are the steps to reverifying the merge, source attached, relationship added, or any other change you are about to make is true?

Julia Szent-Györgyi

The fact that you're making the change is the only verification that is (or can be) enforced: there is a presumption that you're doing so because you believe it to be true.

You can (and should) make use of the reason boxes and other collaboration tools to explain your reasoning, and you should of course attach all of the sources of your information, and tag those sources to the conclusions they support, but there are no supervisors or tree police. The only result of failing to attach sources is a purple-icon message under Research Help. That's the same color as the suggestion to look for the teenager's or bachelor uncle's nonexistent children, so people are mostly pretty well-trained to ignore it.

kathryngz

That is a great question, @Fronk, Solomon Peter !

The thing I look for mostly is consistency: Is the information consistent with trustworthy sources? Are there conflicts that need to be resolved before making the change?

Also, it's very important not to rely on just one source. Try to find multiple sources for the data you want to add or change. For instance, if you're researching in a country that has census records, try to find the person in more than one record. Also, look for birth, marriage, death, and military records.

I often use a tool called the timeline grid to gather information. It enables me to see the big picture for a family and to see if there are gaps or inconsistencies in the information. As it happens, I'm teaching two online classes on the timeline grid this Sunday (August 18) and next (August 25). Here's a link for attending the classes (via Zoom) if you're interested:

https://familyhistory.lib.byu.edu/learning/virtual-classes
These classes are sponsored by the BYU Library Family History Center. All are free and open to the public.

Here's a page with more information and free timeline grid templates:
https://goldenrodgenealogy.com/timeline_grid.htm

As far as being confident that a merge is correct, here are links to a couple of classes I teach on this topic. Maybe you'll find them helpful.

Duplicates in Family Tree, Part 1: Why they're there and how to find them
Duplicates in Family Tree, Part 2: How to resolve them (this one focuses on correct merging)

This answer is somewhat general, but I hope it helps. Please feel free to ask any followup questions. Best wishes to you!

Kathryn

P. S. For full transparency, some of my classes are labeled "Latter-day Saint" or "LDS" because occasional references may be made to Latter-day Saint practice or doctrine. But the classes are geared toward all who enjoy family history and all are welcome!