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As with any index, names found in the original records may be omitted, or a name may have been misinterpreted and indexed incorrectly. Even though the vital records of a place have been extracted, some names were illegible and so were not copied or entered into the IGI . Although every effort is made to assure correctness, some names are interpreted incorrectly. Because the IGI is an index, only the information sufficient to identify a person is given. But it does identify each person listed and provides a reference number for the source of the information. There may be additional information in the source document. Many names in the IGI represent persons who died as infants, even though they may not be identified as such. If you find an entry in the IGI that appears to be for one of your ancestors, you should check the input source. If the individual died within a few years of birth (even though he or she had the same name and christening time period as your ancestor), this could not be your ancestor. You should also check the burial records for that area and time period to be sure that the individual lived to maturity. As a final precaution, remember that the IGI is arranged by the locality of the event. Many submissions have been entered under the wrong locality, as well, but the most common mistake by beginning genealogists is to not check all localities. For example, an immigrant would be born in a foreign country but could have married in the U.S. so both the foreign country and the U.S. should be checked. Also if the individual had children born in various states, don't limit your search too narrowly to begin with. |
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