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Thank you for posting this! I've been using Ancestry since I was in college nearly 20 years ago, and I don't think people who don't do genealogy realize that anyone can post a family tree without any documentation. Anyone could go on there right now and create a tree around Joseph, naming completely random people as his parents, and some people would accept it as fact. It is truly scary to see how many people have jumped to the conclusion that they are certain who Joseph's parents are just because they found one male with a similar name.Here is some good foundation reading if anyone wants to know more about how to develop personal genealogical research to a level of "Proof."
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The Genealogical Proof Standard
NGS offers an overview of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) that was developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. In addition, NGS provides a link to an excellent lecture, entitled The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is Your Friend, not Your Enemy, by genealogy scholar David...www.ngsgenealogy.org
and a piece that includes some extra info about ethics and genealogical proof.
Ethics and Standards - Board for Certification of Genealogists
Fostering public confidence in genealogy as a respected branch of history by promoting competence and ethics among genealogists, and by publicly recognizing those who demonstrate ability to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard and honor the board’s ethical code.bcgcertification.org
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