Mimi wrote: > I thought the three most recent generations HAD to be proved with primary > records, birth, marriage and death certificates. Is there some wiggle room > here, then? I know I won't find all of these for the earlier generations, > but I thought surely I could turn up records for the last 150 years. It > would be nice to know if I have an alternative, since not having this one > record will knock out all four of my potential lines. Does it matter if the > person is the spouse and not the line carrier? A bit more wiggle room > perhaps? Does anyone know? ____________ Mimi, I love your phrase "wiggle room" - and yes, there is some. The 3 most recent generations (actually, any date in the 1900's) must be proven with birth/marriage/death records WHERE possible. Meaning, that if the records are available, they are expected, however if they are not, then you can look elsewhere. Always, always order LONG FORM records for genealogical purposes. These records contain ALL the information that was given at the time of the event. (A fancy certificate often contains only the name, date and place, as extracted from the long form record.) A long form death record for example, often gives the date & place of birth and parents. As well, a long form marriage record often gives parents names. These records can be used to prove parentage when a birth record cannot be located. When a record cannot be found to prove parentage, then you can look elsewhere - census records, bible, obits, family histories, etc. Yes - more wiggle room for the spouse of the line carrier because it really doesn't matter if we prove his/her parentage, as long as we provide sources to support birth and death dates. I believe this subject is covered on our Mayflower FAQ and as well, at the web site listed below (where there is a link to the FAQ). There may be a little more info there. And remember - the society does have it's standard documentation requirements, however it is not so rigid as to insist on a record that simply does not exist. I've said it before - there's always a way! Susan E. Roser, Historian,Governor Canadian Society www.rootsweb.com/~canms/canada.html