I thought I'd like to share with you a response to Sandy Brands messages about Ralph Griffin how theory can get translated into "Facts." Ralph is the apparent grandson of Richard Griffin and his wife Mary Green. I say apparent because while it is likely that Ralph's father Samuel was son of Richard, I'm not aware of any documentation, just that they were in the same neigbhorhood and that Samuel is of apparently right age. Similarly, whatever "the archives" show. I'm not aware of any proof that Ralph Griffin 1754-1838 married Catherine MUNSON. If there is, I'd love to have it. The theory about their marriage emerged as follows: Henrietta Hedden of Thayer, Mo. pointed out in the 1980s that the Ralph Griffin's family had certain names in common with the family of Samuel MUNSON b. 1717 Wallingford Conn., particularly the name Ruth. Samuel Munson's daughter Ruth is proven and proven to have married Benjamin Van Cleave in Rowan Co., NC. We know Samuel had a daughter Catherine baptised 1756 in Morristown, N.J. We know Ralph Griffin had a daugther Ruth. We know from tax records that in 1795 in Shelby Co., Ky., Ralph Griffin, Benjamin VanCleave and Allen Munson, son of Eliasaph Munson, the deceased brother of Ruth Munson VanCleave, are listed consecutively. And that's about all that has been proven. I passed along the theory to Diane Webb, who was working as compiler for the Munson family association. The Munson Record printed the material Diane sent them as proven fact. This included Ralph Griffin marrying Catherine munson. It also included a a theoretical daughter, Charity Munsonwho married Abraham Hedden. The Griffin-Munson marriage was then printed as fact by Marc Griffin in his Web page. When I asked marc where he got the documentation, he replied from the Munson Record and said "Surely they wouldn't have printed it without proof." They did, he did and Sandy Brands has. (who just got the theory from me last month via e-mail.) And that's how theory gets translated into "facts."