KLDeWitt Genealogy Research Project
Our Family's Journey Through Time from Europe and Canada to the US
We're so pleased you dropped in to visit our site. We've worked for years on this family and its connections to our ancestors.
Note: I just switched to FamilyTreeMaker 2024. Unfortunately, it renumbered people's ID, so the links have changed (once again.) Hopefully, it will be stable for a while and Google can catch up with the differences...
Note: Some of the comments on photos are from the originator of the media and not from me.
This site is truly a work of love and dedication in order to tell the story of us and our ancestors. If you have something to add, please let us know. The more we can share with others the more we receive in return. Thank you again!
Let’s be honest: when you finally track down your great-great-grandmother’s maiden name after months and months of hunting, the last thing you want to do is stop and write a formal citation. You want to celebrate! You want to tell your friends and family! You want to keep climbing that family tree before the trail goes cold.
Yet in the world of genealogy, "citing sources" often sounds like a fancy way of saying "extra homework." But here’s the secret: citing your sources isn’t about following stuffy academic rules. It’s actually your genealogy superpower. It’s the difference between a family history that stands the test of time and a collection of random names that might not even be yours.
So, let’s break down why giving credit to that dusty census record is actually a total game-changer—and how to do it without losing your mind.
Have you ever looked at a name in your tree from two years ago and thought, "Hold on. Why did I think Grandpa Joe was born in Ohio?" Without a source, you’re basically gaslighting your future self.
Genealogy is a giant puzzle. Sources are the "click" that tells you a piece actually fits. When you cite a source, you’re leaving future users (including yourself) breadcrumbs. If you find a conflicting record later, you can go back to the original reference material and see which source is more reliable. Citations are the "Save Game" button for your family history.
The internet is a wonderful place, but it’s also full of "zombie trees": family trees where someone made a mistake in 2004, and now 500 other people have copied it. (I fell into this trap when I started my first Ancestry.com tree. Now I only add people to my new tree after I've personally checked a source.)
And the ultimate trap? Common names. Is your Mary Smith the one from London or the one from Liverpool? If you don’t cite a specific birth record or marriage certificate you found, you might accidentally merge two completely different people/families. Undoing the mess later could be a nightmare.
Citing sources keeps your tree accurate and "clean," ensuring you’re actually researching your ancestors and not a total stranger’s.
A name and a date are just data points. A source can tell a tale.
By citing these sources, you aren’t just proving a date; you’re preserving the context of their lives.
You don’t need to memorize a 400-page style manual to be a good genealogist. For a personal tree, "casual citing" is perfectly fine. You just need to answer the "Who, What, Where, and When" so someone else could find it again.
| The Source | The "Quick & Dirty" Citation |
| Online Record (Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org) | "1880 US Census via Ancestry, Page 4, Household of John Doe." |
| Family Bible | "Handwritten notes in the Miller Family Bible, currently held by Aunt Sue." |
| Grave Marker (Findagrave.com) | "Headstone photo, Oak Hill Cemetery, Austin, TX. Section B." |
| Old Letter | "Letter from Grandma Rose to her sister, dated June 12, 1945." |
We’ve all been there: you see a "hint" on a genealogy site and click "Add to Tree." While those hints are amazing, they aren't sources—they’re clues. Before you hit save, take ten seconds to look at the actual image of the document. Double-check the facts. If it looks right, jot down a quick note about what it is.
Think of it like showing your work in math class. You might get the right answer, but showing how you got there makes the result "reliable."
Citing sources doesn't have to be a pain or overly involved. It’s really just about being a good detective. It’s saying, "I found this cool piece of information, and here is exactly where I found it so the story doesn't get lost."
Your tree users and descendants (who will hopefully inherit your hard work one day) won’t care if your commas are in the right place. They’ll just be grateful they don't have to redo all your research from scratch!
What’s the most surprising "proof" you’ve ever found for an ancestor—was it a formal document or something totally random like a back-of-a-photo scrawl?
We make every effort to document our research. If you have something you would like to add, please contact us.
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