> [snip] > > > no > > maybe your mother copied from the 1863 book (mistakes and all too) > > > > what you have to do is look very critically at the 1863 book and try > > and find the original source of the data in the nineteenth century > > > > a PRIMARY source is a document created at the same time by the > > people involved in the event. > > > > a will > > a probate > > some church books > > > > but NOT many census records > > which are mostly SECONDARY sources > > because they are a fair copy from original census returns or an oral > > statement on a door step pencilled into a note book > > > > Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> > > Census records are pretty good indicators of where a person lived at > a particular time. And a copy of the original record is probably > pretty accurate. But (1) don't trust the indexes - lots of errors > there (2) there is no guarantee that every member of a household, > even if the last name is the same, is the blood kin of the adults. > > It's tough enough to find an essential fact but in my mind real > proof exists when we find a corroborating fact or perhaps a timely > succession of facts. > > J. Hugh Sullivan I look for three independent items of evidence before regarding any entry in my tree as "goldplated". Hugh W -- Beta blogger http://nanowrimo3.blogspot.com/ visiting my past http://hughw36-2.blogspot.com/ re-entry http://snaps4.blogspot.com/" photographs and walks old blogger http://hughw36.blogspot.com/ MAIN BLOG Hugh Watkins <[email protected]>