A GUIDE TO THE USE OF RECORDS AS "PROOFS" "Proofs" are those records which are used to literally prove one's ancestry. The most often used records are: A. Wills B. Deeds and Land Grants (Land Grants were the first deeds issued by the U.S. Government to the first owners of a particular piece of property.) C. Birth Records D. Marriage Records E. Death Records F. Church Records G. Census Records H. Emigration Records I. Military and Pension Records, including widow's pensions J. Bible Records K. Newspaper Records L. Cemetery Records (tombstones/headstones) Which records you want to search depends on what information you are trying to find. The following may help you to decide: IF YOU WANT TO FIND: SEARCH IN: Birth Dates C, D, F, G, I, J, K, L Marriage Dates D, F, I, J, K Death Dates A, E, F, I, J, K, L Parents of a Person A, C, D, F, G, K, I, J Wife's Maiden Name D, G, I, K, L Where a Person came from B, C, E, H, I (If using B, one has to guess, and then hunt in the area guessed for a deed.) Names of Children A, F, G, I, J, K ==== HOWELL Mailing List ==== A message from the listowner: For more info on the HOWELL list please see: http://members.aol.com/TreeCrazyD/howell_l.html Note: that is HOWELL _L just like in the list name. It is case sensitive.