> When do you decide that coincidence is just coincidence and > the fact that one finds the right name in the approximate > era in the right state is just that: coincidence? > > Vs > > ooooooooh! Lookit, I found a previously unknown wife for my > guy! OK, he's in the wrong part of the state, and nothing > else matches, but the name's right, and it's within 5 years > of the known marriage ... > > ??? > > Cheryl Singhals <singhals@erols.com> Dorothy Parker famously said, "Nothing propinqs like propinquity", but in a case like this I'd be inclined to apply the reasonable person test: seeing your data, would a reasonable person conclude this woman is your guy's wife? With no matches but the name, and a 5 year window of opportunity .. I think I'd treat this like a week-old flounder. I know the feeling, though. After more'n 10 years trying to track down my 3g grandfather Melson's ancestry, I'm close to grabbing any straw that presents itself, reasonable or not. I resist the temptation, though, by telling myself that that's how the name-collectors do "genealogy" - that's not what I want, it's not fair to the old man's memory, and it sure-as-dickens isn't genealogy. So, ask yourself the important questions: does this fit what I know, does it advance what I know, or am I trying to pound the wrong shape piece into the jigsaw puzzle? Sorry, no good answer. Suspicious Ol' Bob -- Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas ----- A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have. Thomas Jefferson Bob Melson <amia9018@mypacks.net>