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"Along Those Lines ..."
by George G. Morgan
Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
| "Weighing the Evidence" |
We as genealogists are known to tirelessly search for information and documentation about our families. The clues and details come from a variety of places: books, magazines, courthouse documents, libraries and archives, and from family members and friends of the family. Sometimes it's like being in a television courtroom -- evidence is presented, discussed and weighed, and a verdict is determined. This week in "Along Those Lines ...", let's talk about weighing the evidence and discuss what it means to genealogists and family historians. FORMS OF EVIDENCE? Television courtroom dramas have shown us that evidence comes in many forms. Often evidence is given orally by people who witnessed events. Sometimes evidence can consist of physical items "found at the scene" or located after some extended search. Evidence is often presented in the form of original documents, copies, affidavits and other similar materials. Expert witnesses are sometimes called upon to provide evidence. In a courtroom, the judge presides over the proceedings as evidence is presented, the lawyers present their cases, and the jury is called upon to deliberate and return a verdict. In genealogical research, we each play all of these roles as we evaluate the evidence placed before us. The evidence we must review is similar to that presented in the courtroom analogy I mentioned above. Let's discuss a few of these. Witnesses placed on the stand to testify are not unlike the relatives we interview. Certainly we don't (or shouldn't) cross-examine them, but we sometimes have to ask difficult questions to elicit detailed and meaningful information to help us with our research. Physical items in a courtroom drama consist of weapons, clothing, and other items that can be tied directly to specific individuals and events. In genealogical research, these physical items may be heirlooms such as furniture, jewelry, clothing, and handwork. They may be part of your own family's possessions, or they may belong to aunts, uncles, cousins or other people. In that case, you may have to play the role of a tactful detective to gain access to see and learn more about these items. Documents are a crucial part of our research, and it is here that we play the role of the police detective best. Documentary evidence can be obtained from searches of family Bibles, letters and other papers, or must be obtained in some form from courthouses, libraries, government agencies, and a wide range of repositories. Sometimes a simple copy may suffice. In other cases, you may want a more official, "certified" or notarized copy of a document. Expert witnesses are sometimes used for genealogical investigations. I place professional, certified genealogical researchers in this category. They have been tested and found to be expert researchers by a certification organization. As such, their research should be among the best, their methodology solid and their ethical standards high. In your role as judge and jury, you must assess the evidence that is presented and determine what is good, what is not good, and what has some amount of value in between. Is this always easy? Of course not! WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE Just as in a courtroom, it is important that whatever genealogical evidence is presented is evaluated fairly. Everything must be examined, sometimes repeatedly, to insure that the correct conclusions are reached. It cannot be a fair trial in any other way. In a courtroom, the defendant is always to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and the state is required to satisfy a burden of proof. In your genealogical research, you should apply a similar logic: Materials being considered as evidence should be presumed useless until proven worthy.The burden of proof is upon you. You must corroborate the validity and worthiness of the evidence to be included in your proof. To prove any genealogical hypothesis or fact, you must evaluate the evidence and weigh the evidence. What this means is that you must look at each piece of evidence. You must weigh it for accuracy, authority and probable value of the content. Sometimes, however, you have to compile a number of pieces of evidence that corroborate one another. If the sheer number of items that confirm the statement of one another are the only evidence you have, you may have to ascertain that the fact is correct. However, you should continue to be on the lookout for more concrete evidence. Generally speaking, a primary source document is considered excellent corroboration of a fact. As an example, a marriage license issued at the time the wedding took place is a great piece of verification. Additional corroboration for the event would be statements from persons who attended the wedding or from the clergy who performed the ceremony, an entry in the church or temple records, and/or a newspaper announcement. In such a case, you would have collected different forms of evidence -- documentary and oral -- for the fact that the wedding occurred. All of these items would be used to corroborate a single fact. With other facts or hypotheses, it may be more difficult to substantiate a fact. Your great-grandfather's birth date of 18 December 1879 becomes a challenge to verify because there were probably no birth certificates issued in most places at that time. How do you prove his date of birth? Through the compilation of multiple pieces of evidence from various sources -- evidence in quantity and, hopefully, quality materials. In this case, perhaps the following are the items you use to verify and corroborate the date: 1) 1880 Federal Census - The entry for your great-great-grandfather's household shows a male child with the name of your great-grandfather whose age is listed as 7/12. Depending on the date of the census (or the actual date of enumeration), you can calculate the month in which he was born. Also check every census record for your great-grandfather because there may be variations that confirm or contradict what you find in the first census after his birth. 2) Family Bible - There may be an entry in your great-great-grandparents' family Bible that records the birth of your great-grandfather. 3) Church Records - Records at the family's religious institution may record the date of your great-grandfather's christening or confirmation or baptism. If he was married in that church, there may be a record of the birth dates of both the bride and groom. 4) Military Service Records - There may or may not be military records for your great-grandfather in this time period. He certainly did not serve in the U.S. Civil War and may not have been able to serve in the subsequent conflicts prior to World War I. However, do not overlook the possibility that your great-great-grandfather may have served in the Civil War. Look for his military pension application, if there was one. It may list the names and vital dates of his spouse and all of his children. 5) Death Certificate and Obituary - Check for the death certificate and an obituary for your great-grandfather. While these are only secondary records, and the birth information may not be as reliable as other sources, the dates shown in these materials may corroborate birth date details for you or point you to a geographical locales where you may seek additional proof. If you compiled all of the materials listed above, you would have an impressive list of materials -- some primary and some secondary. Taken all together, they would present a volume of corroborating evidence of your great-grandfather's birth date. Throughout your research, you will come across instances where materials corroborate one another. In some cases, though, you will find conflicting data. Whatever you do, don't discard the puzzle pieces that do not fit. They may actually turn out to be the correct data, and what you thought was correct before may have been erroneous. Remember that an incorrect fact may be perpetuated through word of mouth and republication. This is precisely why we, as good genealogists, always seek to verify and corroborate our facts. CLOSING ARGUMENTS Your research often emulates the investigation of a criminal case. It is important that you approach each fact from multiple angles. Ask yourself "How would Columbo have done it?" and "What would Perry Mason have thought?" Most of all, do what Hercule Poirot does -- use those "little gray cells" to make sure all the pieces you have fit together logically and truthfully. Keep working to evaluate the materials presented to you and keep weighing the evidence. Happy hunting! George
The Genealogy Forum on America Online: The official guide to the Genealogy Forum on America Online has just been published by Ancestry, Incorporated, the leader in genealogical reference publishing. The Genealogy Forum will introduce you to America Online and to each of the types of resources found within the forum. From "how-to" guides for beginners to reference articles for experienced users. From message boards to file libraries. From vast surname resources to informative chats and lectures. From international research guides to extensive ethnic resources, and from sophisticated forum search facilities to the very best resources on the Internet -- The Genealogy Forum will teach you how to make the most effective use of this online treasure trove. What a great gift idea for all the online genealogists on your holiday gift list! The Genealogy Forum is available in the Genealogy Forum Store on AOL and in the Ancestry.com Online Store at: http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/. Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
This column originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like
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