Yes, that is a risk in all research, but it's not the fault of the Mormons. If an old priest was hard of hearing and wrote down a parent's name wrong on a baptismal record then absolutely there is going to be an error on that microfilm. Additionally the census takers sometimes had bad handwriting or they wrote something in the wrong square. These are the same kind of errors that you are going to find in the Library of Congress or in person in county archives. It is also why a good historical researcher will seek out multiple records to corroborate research findings.
If the Mormons made a microfilm of an old church register in a tiny town 2500 miles away and I can read the pages of that register on a film reader 10 miles from where I live then they have done me a great service. As for Ancestry, their indexes of the census (and other) records is probably the most valuable service they provide. Of course there are errors (which Ancestry allows you to submit corrections for), but even if it were only 80% accurate it still gives clues and direction as to where to search next. Of course every US and Canadian census sheet that has been released is microfilmed so that after you find something in an index you go check it yourself.
It is true that the Mormon and Ancestry records are inaccurate for lazy people who want to find a name, download a file and insert it into their own genealogy program. But of course, none of that happened with these presidential genealogies. Moreover it's a disservice to imply to anyone looking to start genealogy research that the Mormon files and Ancestry.com are untrustworthy. Thanks to Ancestry.com I can now do in an afternoon what used to take me a year or more of mailing back and forth.
And yes, I too say that based on EXPERIENCE, lots and lots of EXPERIENCE.
it’s not the fault of the Mormons
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so whos fault is it then ?
Not all the people working on their records are old blind Mormon prtiests...
Some are women and theyre not blind...
Women are not allowed to be priests in the Mormon religion..
Most of their records arent on microfilm from originals...
Are there documents that attest to the marriage of the Mormon jesus to any of his wives ???
Really ??? that far back eh ???
No most of the records are from the lists of dead Christians who were dead dunked into Mormonism...
Lists just handed in for temple recommend Brownie points by Mormons...
Many of those dead dunked were never real people..
or they are the ancestors and families of people who were never asked permission before the dead dunking occurred...
Holocaust Jews, famous people like Obamas Mom, Anne Frank
and others like Hitler, Vlad, jesus, Father Damian,
What did the Mormon jesus need to be “saved” for ???
and several times ???
No “blind” Mormon priest made errors in my ancestors records...they never saw them...just the name on a list..
Ive got the original records but the Mormons refuse to change the errors they have..
They dead dunked my ancestors and now as far as they are concerned Im wrong and they are always right...
BTW its a lot cheaper to go to archives etc for copies and not to the Mormons who got their info fronm the same place
I would have had to pay twice as much going to the Mormons..
I sent for microfilms straight from archives and paid the standard rate
not the bumped up prices the Mormons skelp off people..
Most archives will do interlibrary loans.. even from Canada..