Thomas MacEntee has issued a challenge to the genealogy community, and it’s a big one! Many genealogists begin their research with the best of intentions, but often let the excitement of adding data get to them, only to realize later just how very important it is to follow proper citation and analysis methods.

Without the advances in digital technology and tools, this approach—set aside all your work and research and start over from the beginning—would seem completely outrageous, but if you read why he’s suggesting this, it actually seems ridiculous to not do it.

Some people seem to misunderstand and think it involves literally dumping all the records one has accumulated and paying for new copies of births, deaths, etc., which is kind of funny. Starting over means starting with a blank tree and only adding things to it which have been properly analyzed and cited. With the tools and resources today, this should be much easier than it was for many to accumulate even a fraction of data in the past.