Should genealogy rely on GPS data?  When I recently heard the query, it gave me pause especially since people seemed pretty agitated over the point. I have to admit, it does seem that the value of GPS data is a point worth pondering, at least for a little while. It is probably worth noting that commercial GPS is really only about 10 years old and is primarily a US national system for establishing global location. To quote the ever popular Wikipedia: GPS is owned and operated by the U.S. Government as a national resource. Also, there are at least two competing and one non-competing GPS system online or soon to…

What is a traditional genealogical source?  To me that seemed to be a good question. So naturally, I Googled the term ‘Traditional genealogical source’ to see what I would find. The first item I came up with was the topic of a January/February 2003 issue of Ancestry Magazine by Mark Howells: Tombstone inscriptions have been a source of genealogical information for centuries. I could see tombstone inscriptions as being considered normal and traditional.  Although with the way my brain works, I could also see that tombstones might rapidly be coming passe. As the article itself describes, today’s headstones are nothing like those of yesteryear. Strangely, to me anyway, the next…