Disclaimer: Headrick Research Errors

Disclaimer: Headrick Research Errors & Methods (JACOB HEADRICK) DIRECTORY

Genealogical information on the Headricks fell into my lap, so to speak, early on in my research (about 1986 or 1987). The line had already been researched, so other genealogists sent me large packets full of family group sheets and the like. I knew from having read my genealogy workbook instructions that I should verify all facts. However, my method was to tentatively accept any research that appeared to come from a reliable source. I would add it to my family group sheets, pencilled in with question marks, and attempt to find any original or primary documentation that might support or disprove the "fact." I spent hours writing and answering letters, poring over regional quarterlies, county history books, and microfilms, but I did this off and on, first working on one line of the family tree and then another. I had so much on the Headricks, that for years, I let the Headricks collect dust as I worked on other lines. Many years later, when the Internet became an important factor in genealogy, I traded information voraciously, as did many other researchers. At about that time, my "Research Record" began to falter. I became more careless about documenting facts. I stopped keeping a chronological Research Record and simply began to pop "facts" into my FamilyTreeMaker software program. Of course, I still put sources into my file, particularly when making major changes. However, I would glean fill-in facts as convenient: death dates where I already had the major lines; names of siblings where I had incomplete family group sheets. These, I would later verify by census, but in the meantime, the data remained in my file, to be uploaded along with the documented facts.

The problem with this method of research soon became apparent. Such shared research usually comes in the form of conclusions made by researchers, and is not not often supported by documentation. When documentation was offered, it was often vague. Shared research meant shared errors. I was as naive and guilty as any other researcher on that point. Recently I set about attempting to document the Headricks in earnest, in order to "complete" my research project ~ if any history project can ever be considered complete. I am hitting the microfilms and search engines with serious intent and wisened eyes.

Some researchers feel that I have relied too heavily on a book called The "Connection" in East Tennessee, and on the older Headrick/Emert lines, I probably have done this. The book is a genealogy that was published in the 1960's. It contains the lineages for several East Tennessee families, but offers few proofs. I still consider The "Connection" in East Tennessee to be a reliable source. True, it offers little documentation, but much of the information has been documented by other individual researchers and historical societies. Like any genealogy, the book contains its share of errors in birth dates, the spelling of names, and the like. I continue to use the book for clues, particularly as to the main outlines and interrelations of the Headrick-Dunn-Emert clan.

Jacob & Polly Headrick Directory


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