British Military - How Do I Know That?

This page addresses the reference question "How Do You Know That?" in a reference interview. Below is the captured info from a brainstorming session between John Kitzmiller and Alan Mann.

Is the source of your information?

 * Something Physical – a certificate, a copy of a record, a family Bible, a photograph, a letter, a funeral card, or something else on paper or in an image? For physical items denoting British Military Service, see England Military Artifacts.
 * Get a copy if what you have was given to you from someone else who told what the physical item says.
 * Make sure you consider everything that appears on the source. iii. Verify that the information was correctly interpreted.
 * Something told by someone else, based on memory.
 * Is the source your memory?
 * Write it down. Concentrate and make sure you capture everything you can remember about the fact/event.
 * Can you verify the information you remember through another source?
 * A physical document or record
 * A corroborating witness
 * Is the source someone else’s memory?
 * If the person is still living, ask them to repeat the story as verification, write down what you heard and let them check what you wrote.
 * If the person is not living, did someone else hear them tell the story, and if so, can you get the someone else(s) to record what they remember (then compare for verification)
 * Is there a document/record I can get that would verify the story?
 * Does a story repository (museum, local history collection) have a story about the same fact/event?

Return to Did My Ancestor Serve in the British Armed Forces?

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