Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
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In reply to:
Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Doug Sandhaus 10/02/08
Happy to explain.
The ONLY (repeat, ONLY) place you can see a primary record is the depository which holds the record.You ask if I, personally, have "first-hand documents" that I would be willing to "share" with cyberspace -- but that is a contradiction in terms.
For example, you say you've downloaded Edward Digges' will.Actually, you've downloaded an electronic copy of a microfilm copy of Edward Digges' original will.Because you obtained your copy direct from the depository, you can have confidence that it really is an image of the actual will.But if you decide to "share" the electronic copy, perhaps by posting it to a web page, what you post has no authenticity.You could add a caption saying something like "downloaded from the UK National Archives, etc" but to verify that the image was a genuine copy, the viewer would still have to either download their own copy or else check it with a transcript in a reputable published source.
That's why sprinkling the internet with unauthenticated copies of copies of copies of copies of what may or may not have started life as a copy of a primary document, is a pointless waste of time. Go to the depository, as you have done with the Digges will, if you want to see a copy of a primary document.
Alternatively, you may be satisfied to rely on the reputable secondary sources, such as published transcripts or abstracts.You can usually get hold of these through your local library.And then if there's a particular document you feel you'd like to have a copy of, you can get a copy from the depository where it is held.(And you will know where it is held, because the reputable secondary source you are consulting will tell you.)
I agree with you that the English National Archives site is fascinating.And so is the Library of Virginia (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/).Lots of stuff to dig around in, at both sites and many others -- and after all, digging is half the pleasure of genealogy.
Happy hunting.
James
More Replies:
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Doug Sandhaus 10/03/08
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Carl Roache 9/17/09
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Jennie Patterson 10/01/09
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
elizabeth strachan 11/06/09
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
cjs 2/05/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Doug Sandhaus 2/06/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Doug Sandhaus 2/06/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
cjs 2/06/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
cjs 2/05/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
Doug Sandhaus 2/06/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
cjs 2/06/12
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges
James Blair 10/03/08
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Re: Will of Gov. Edward Digges