Bev, Thanks very much for the information on the LDS. I for one did not know that. Paul S Boggs Miami, Fl. [email protected] wrote: > In a message dated 1/4/99 8:05:26 AM Central Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > Here hoping that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. > > I am looking for the correct information on a Levi Boggs, b. Oct 7 > > 1835, d. Aug 14 1914?????????????? These date from the LDS library. Levi > > is the son of Eli Boggs and Sarh "Sally" Eldridge. Per the LDS library > > he married a Elizabeth Davis. Levi and Elizabeth had the following > > children per LDS; > > > > David, Arminda, Rebecca, Marion, Silas, Isaac, Will, Henry, Henderson, > > Levi, Sarah E. > > > > Now, more information that I have coming from Sadie Stidham's book, > > "Pioneer Families of Leslie County" show Levi to be born in 1835 and > > married to Elizabeth Calhoun. This book shows the following children; > > > > Henry, Isaac, Henderson, Sarah, Rebecca, Marion, William, Levi, Silas. > > > > Nine children from the book and eleven children from the LDS library. > > Two different last names for the wife. > > > > Both of these sources even show different mate for some of the children. > > What I am after is, which is the right source and if both sources are > > wrong, then what is right? > > > Here's a note of caution to all genealogists. The information that can be > found at the LDS is information that is submitted by ANYONE in the general > public...anyone...like you or me. > > The LDS does not require sources for the information submitted to them. When > you look at their records, there is always a hidden screen you can get to by > pressing F? (I forget the exact name of the key), which will lead you to the > name and address of the person who submitted that family's history. (If you > can't find it, ask the librarian how to find the name of the submitter.) > > Here's a cute, but true story for you. Several years ago I did some research > on another line in my family at the LDS library here in St. Louis. I copied > down the name and address of the submitter because I had questions and wanted > to contact this person. Well, I could not find her under that name or > address. I posted a query to my MAGGARD list, and we were discussing if > anybody knew this individual or how to reach her. Guess what? She came > forward and 'fessed up! She was a subscriber to my MAGGARD list and had > gotten married and moved! > > Also, bear in mind that Kentucky (where the above family came from) was not > REQUIRED by law to record birth or death records until 1911. Before that, the > "enumerators" were "supposed" to report this information. This was in > addition to their other duties and they complained bitterly about doing it > (and many did not) and how it made them overworked, etc. > > The social security death index is pretty much useless, too. Social security > did not come into being until 1922 (?), and then even after that, a lot of > folks did not qualify because they were farmers and never paid into Social > Security. Even if they did, a surviving relative had to know enough to apply > for the "one time" death benefit, from which the Social Security Death Index > is derived. There's a lot of places along the line where the "ball" could > conceivably be "dropped." > > Here's another sad, but true story. My paternal grandmother (a MAGGARD and > BOGGS descendent), died in Letcher County in 1974. This is well within the > time frame for a death certificate to be on file for her, according to > Kentucky law. I couldn't find one for her...neither could the state of > Kentucky. Even her surviving children did not realize she had no death > certificate on file. She never worked outside the home, so nobody ever filed > a claim with Social Security. After a trip to Whitesburg, KY and a visit to > the funeral home, here's what we finally found out happened. She died right > as the funeral home was in the process of being sold. The new owner > apparently ASSUMED that the old owner had filed the death certificate with the > state. The old owner, either ASSUMED the new owner would do it, or just > didn't care. In any event, my grandmother was "dropped through the cracks." > I initiated a death certificate for her, myself, and I finally got it filed > with the state of Kentucky 23 years after her death, in 1997. I had to leave > the "cause of death" blank because, of course, her attending physician had > since died, and the medical records at the hospital in Jenkins had been > destroyed by the hospital administrator prior to a hostile take over. > > Isn't genealogy research fun? > > Bev > St. Louis > > ==== BOGGS Mailing List ==== > Search the BOGGS archives! http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl