What is Primary or Secondary Information?
According to the Board for Certification of Genealogists, primary information comes from a person who was at the event, either participating in it or witnessing it. It is also judged on how soon the information was collected and the reliability of the person giving the information. Secondary information, on the other hand, is given by someone who has heard about an event from someone else. When the details have gone through several people before being recorded, it becomes less important. It is possible for a single record to have both primary and secondary information. Genealogical Examples: • Birth certificate: when reported by the mother, father who was present, or attending midwife/physician, the date of birth and sex of the baby are primary information. If the age or birthplace of the mother is reported by the father, it is secondary information. • Death certificate: the date and place of death, reported by someone present, are primary information. The age, birthplace and parents’
