I sent the below two days ago, but it hasn't shown up on the list yet, so I'm sending it again. I hope it gets through this time. I've been lurking on this list for a little while, reading and learning, and I think I'm ready to pose a few questions now. I'm fairly new to genealogy, that is, to doing it properly. I've been dabbling in it for a few years, mostly gathering family lore and putting together a family tree with little or no documentation, at least very few primary sources. Now I'm pursuing membership in the Mayflower Society as a gift for a sister's landmark birthday, and finding out that I have barely scratched the surface in putting our family tree together the way it ought to be done! After contacting the Society, I started by gathering primary source documents for the most recent generations. Today I received a letter back from the state where I was sure one of my grandmothers was born, stating that no record of her birth had been found. The search goes on, but it did raise the question for me, what if I CAN'T find a birth certificate or official record for her (or someone else in my line)? What other options do I have that would be acceptable? Anyone who has been done this road and has some words of wisdom to share? Do the options get wider as I get further away from myself? I'm fairly certain that I have at least three (actually four) lines of descent by which I could claim membership in the Society (assuming that I can prove them). I have contacted the Society about two of the three lines (I didn't have the info on the third and fourth yet) to see if other descendants had applied for membership, and found out that both lines are proved to the fifth generation. Which is great but doesn't get me much farther ahead since I knew that the Society had already proved the first five generations anyway. I still have high hopes for that third and fourth routes. And it occurred to me that someone on this list might know something about some of these generations beyond the fifth. All this to say that I am wondering if anyone can point me to some good, reliable secondary sources. I have the silver and pink books already, but am wondering about less well known sources such as family or regional histories, and how to find out how much confidence to put in any given source. I don't mind doing my own research, and am looking forward to it, but would love a few pointers to help me know where best to spend my time. Also, does anyone spot any glaring errors in any of the following, or misspellings? Thanks for your help. Here are the lines of interest up to my grandparents: 1. Richard WARREN Abigail WARREN -- Anthony SNOW Alice SNOW -- Robert BARKER Caleb BARKER -- Ann CARR John BARKER -- Grace TURNER Caleb BARKER -- Illathera HOWLAND Benjamin Howland BARKER -- Anne JOHNSON Jacob Johnson BARKER -- Mary Jane RICHARDSON George Washington BARKER -- Catherine Boodry HOAR Miles Standish BARKER -- Hattie Elvira PHILLIPS Lynn Elmer BARKER -- Ione Imogene HOPKINS 2. William BREWSTER Patience BREWSTER -- Thomas PRENCE Mercy PRENCE -- John FREEMAN Edmond FREEMAN -- Sarah MAYO Mary FREEMAN -- Samuel HINCKLEY Seth HINCKLEY -- Thankful ATWOOD Mercy Nancy HINCKLEY -- Benjamin WHITNEY Isabella WHITNEY -- Increase BLETHEN Sarah BLETHEN -- Thaddeus RICHARDSON Mary Jane RICHARDSON -- Jacob Johnson BARKER George Washington BARKER -- Catherine Boodry HOAR Miles Standish BARKER -- Hattie Elvira PHILLIPS Lynn Elmer BARKER -- Ione Imogene HOPKINS 3-4. William BREWSTER Patience BREWSTER -- Thomas PRENCE Mercy PRENCE -- John FREEMAN Edmond FREEMAN -- Sarah MAYO Experience FREEMAN -- Thomas GROSS Freeman GROSS -- Susanna DEMING Experience GROSS -- Thomas ENSIGN Freeman ENSIGN -- Mary Ann BRUCE Eliza ENSIGN -- Miles NORTHRUP Sarah NORTHRUP -- George Washington PHILLIPS Iva Imogene PHILLIPS -- Euler Newton HOPKINS Hattie Elvira PHILLIPS -- Miles Standish BARKER Ione Imogene HOPKINS -- Lynn Elmer BARKER Lynn Elmer BARKER -- Ione Imogene HOPKINS (The last few lines here reflect two sisters, Iva and Hattie Phillips, whose children (first cousins) married each other.) --- Mimi Barker