02 May 2011



Don't get me wrong. I get a great deal of good information from the Family History Library in Salt Lake. But their catalog was created by humans and the occasional error can creep in and users (as humans) can interpret things incorrectly.


This image is from the catalog entry from the Bethany United Church of Christ in Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois, where my grandmother was christened in 1915 and where her family had attended since the 1850s.


The notes contain an error--indicating the originals are at Eden Theological Seminar in Webster Groves, Illinois. It is actually in Webster Groves, Missouri (here's the webpage). It's a lovely campus, having been there many years ago.


The other item of concern is with the year range for the records--1805 to 1884. The records actually start in the 1850s, but death register entries do refer to individuals with an 1805 date of birth. There are no records from the church going back to 1805.


Just take a look at what you are using and keep in mind that catalogers can make mistakes or may be interpreting things in ways that the user is not.