Mary Lou -- Well, yes, I think you do have to find, at least their primary documentation or copies of it or pieces of it, because history is very subjective and you don't know if it's all there. My grandmother used to tell wonderful stories about her father's family, namely that we were descended from Isaac Watts, the hymn writer and clergyman. From the time I was a little girl, "Joy to the World," had special significance for me. Imagine my distress when I learned that her grandfather, Jeremiah Watts, was born in 1825 and no one knew where in England he was from and that Watts are thick on the ground in England -- as well as North America. But it's just that type of thing -- the connection to someone interesting -- that might get included in a family history because the writer assumed it was true. Besides, it's always good to see the primary documentation for yourself because you might catch something another person has missed. I found a heretofore unlocated ancestor on the 1830 census by examining the document and making out his name above another name the census-taker had crossed-out, which was almost as fun as finding the last piece of the edge of a jigsaw puzzle. Sandy