This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: DaleHCook Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.unknown/3758.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: > I am new at this and find it not an easy task. Karen - It is not easy if done correctly, but can be very satisfying. The essential question for genealogical researchers is "How do I know if it is true?" Assertions concerning possible ancestors, whether found in print (books sometimes lie), online (the internet sometimes lies, too), or from family tradition (even family members err), should be considered in the light of whether or not citations from contemporary records are used to support those assertions. Some assertions cannot be directly supported by contemporary records, but are based upon well-reasoned arguments that in turn are based upon contemporary records. If you are not already doing so I would advise you to record the source(s) for each event. This is simple in most genealogical database programs which provide fields for source information, and some even provide a way to note the reliability of each source. In my database some books are rated as unreliable, because although they contain much information that can be proven correct by reference to contemporary records, they also contain much that can be proven incorrect with said records. On the same note, examples of what I consider to be very reliable sources, in order of their reliability, are: 1) Contemporary records - for example, I have seen the original register book where the City Clerk recorded deaths, including that of one of my great-grandmothers. 2) Certified copies of those records, such as a copy from the City Clerk's office of the record of great-grandma's death. 3) Other reliable copies of those records, such as annual copies of death records sent by the City Clerk's office to the state government. 4) Published transcriptions from contemporary records, such as the volumes of vital records through 1850 published for most Massachusetts cities and towns. 5) Well-documented secondary works which cite the source for each event, which allows me to examine those sources and personally verify the accuracy of each assertion. Examples of such works are the Silver Books for Mayflower families and the publications of the Great Migration Study Project. > I found it on line - it was Councilman's posting on Ancestry. I strongly suspect that when you dig into the matter you will find that no contemporary record, and no source that is based upon contemporary records, can be cited to support the assertion that Clement Briggs, fellmonger of Southwark, Surrey, England, and a passenger on the Fortune, had a father named John. If you do find contemporary records to back that assertion I would be most grateful if you could post that information here. Clement's son Clement married Hannah Packard, and the Packard family is a major focus of my genealogical research. Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants; Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.