Isn't it excited when you get a new shaky leaf on your tree on Ancestry? It means you have a new hint. A possible new source of proof. A possible new answer. That's how I felt when I got a hint for my 5th Great-grandfather, John Hance. I had just made a recent connection with him and was looking for more sources to prove the connection. This may be what I need!
So I checked the hint. It was for a marriage record for John Hance and Rachel Daulphin. Yes! That's the first name of the wife I had listed for John based on his probate record. But then the let-down came. This was only an index. And it only had a couple pieces of information. I had no way of proving this was my John Hance (besides the names) and this was the correct date.
What are Index Databases?
Index databases only contain information that the compiler thought was impertinent at that time, not the whole record. So they pick and choose certain pieces of information from the original record and compile it into a searchable database that is easier to keep organized and easier to search. But sometimes there is information on the original records that could be extremely helpful and necessary to make connections and prove your research. So when you come across these index databases, it's best to search out the records from where they originally got this information.
How To Access The Sources
That's what I did. The record collection/database was called, "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900". When you click on the hint from Ancestry, it brings up the indexed entry. At the top of the page, it has a clickable link to take you to the record collection. If you scroll down past the search boxes, you will find information about this particular database. I've discussed this in a YouTube video for my Auntie Jen's Two Cents segment. Check it out below.
Every record set page has information below the search boxes explaining how they got this information and more details about this database. This information is important to your research. It will help you determine if more research needs to be conducted, how reliable this information can be, and if this database is a primary source or a secondary source.
This information led me to reach out to the Yates Publishing Company. They were the ones who originally compiled this database, so they would be the owners of the original sources. I was blessed that there was information on how to contact the Yates Publishing Company listed below in the "About" section.
"This database contains marriage record information for approximately 1,400,000 individuals from across all 50 United States and 32 different countries around the world between 1560 and 1900. These records, which include information on over 500 years of marriages, were extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources. Compiled over thirty-four years by professional genealogist Bill Yates, these marriage records are unique because they were taken from a wide array of sources and stand to provide a great deal of information about entire families.
"Source materials for these marriage records include family group sheets, pedigree charts, family history articles, queries, letters, Bible records, wills, and manuscript genealogies. Researching with this unique database, you may be able to learn the full names of the bride and groom, their birth dates and places, the year and/or month they were married, and the marriage location. One of the most useful features of this collection is that once you find an ancestor in this database, you have the opportunity to quickly and easily obtain a great deal more information about that individual by contacting Yates Publishing (see next paragraph).
The marriage records in this database were provided by Yates Publishing. Yates Publishing has been publishing genealogical books, periodicals, and quarterlies since 1972. In 1981, the founder, Bill Yates, began a service to provide and collect the family history information in family group sheets. Called the Family Group Sheet Exchange, this service has collected over 200,000 pages of family group sheets on paper and several hundred thousand more on disk. For more information or to order an original Family Group Sheet on the Family Group Sheet Exchange, please visit Yates Publishing." ~ About U.S. and International Marriage Records 1560-1900, Ancestry.com
I was able to access the Yates Publishing website through a link provided in the "About" section. Thanks to their efforts, I was able to order a copy of the family group sheet for the Hance family. I wanted to check the sources to see how they came up with the marriage date and to see what other information I could learn. The sheet was emailed soon after and I was able to view it.
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| Family Group Sheet John Hance Yates Publishing |
As you can see there is a lot of information to unpack from this group sheet. Unfortunately, all Yates Publishing had was this group sheet that was submitted by a descendant of Greenbury Hance, one of John Hance's children. He is the one that compiled this group sheet. Some of the information matches what I know to be correct, so I know this is the right John Hance and family. Looking at the bottom of the group sheet, there is a list of sources that were used to compile this information. That's what I was looking for.
This information was compiled from many sources. Sources I have already checked like census records, but some I did not know existed. Such as a family bible. Fascinating! There is also another descendent listed as a source. So the next step will be to track down these lines and see if any of them have these sources still.
Just from a glance at this sheet, I'm inclined to believe the information that is listed here because the sources seem to be pretty specific. But that doesn't mean there aren't errors. But I feel confident in the validity at the moment.
The next time you come across an Ancestry Database Index, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of that record set to learn more about where the index came from and if you can possibly get your hands on the original records the index from which the index was compiled. That is the best way to get to the bottom of what you are researching.
Back to work...
