- Family History Library
WOW! What a great time I had in Salt Lake City . I managed to obtain copies of an enormous number of original sources (and quite a number of derivative sources, too!).
As genealogists, we often classify information as primary or secondary, depending on whether the source was generated at the time the event occurred, by someone who was a witness to the event (primary) or whether the information in the source was provided at a later date or by a person who was not a witness to the event (secondary) . We also realize that a source can contain both primary and secondary information . For example, a death certificate may contain primary information about the death, but secondary information about the birth.
However, even before we consider whether the information is primary or secondary, sources can be classified as original or derivative sources . Original sources are the first place where the information was recorded and derivative sources include indexes of records, transcripts of records, and abstracts . More about all this later.
It’s late here in San Francisco, and I’m ready to call it a night . My flight back from Salt Lake City was pleasant and largely uneventful, except for an unfortunate encounter between the plane’s engine and a bird during the landing . Well, thanks to the skilled pilots at Southwest Airlines, we landed safely in Oakland, despite the rather odd experience of landing with the aroma of roast poultry in the cabin!
I have a lot to report about the conference itself and the information I found at the Family History Library . Check back later to see some of the most interesting documents I found and details about the sessions of the United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
Given the recent water landing on the Hudson, the smell of roasted chicken appears to be a blessing. Great website. I enjoy reading your blog.