I have been reading the comments about sources of information and decided to add my perspective. I use compiled data of all sorts as just a guide to look elsewhere for other sources of information. Many times though the original data has errors as well. When I first started research I found that fact very frustrating, but finally realized - that is really just a fact of life! At that point I decided to do my research as a biography and record ALL the data that I have found. I believe that if I choose one of the sources of information as the real facts, when the sources differ, that I will just be perpetuating errors into the future. I now have three volumes of about 600 pages each in a biography, storybook format. I find the research to be a whole lot more meaningful with more depth and I don't worry about what is the real fact or date of some event. Many times certain facts are not proveable beyond the various sources of information anyway. When my children were young they used to ask, why do I read about all of those dead people. Those comments prompted me more recently to update the biographies right up to the present time including photographs. I had originally started the research to pass on to my descendents a compiled family history. I believe that other researchers are the real benefactors of our research, so it is always good to share the information. I will pass on a couple of bizarre findings. While searching through a large database of one of my ancestors, I found that the file was full of mistakes including errors that I knew first hand to be erroneous. I decided to take the time and repeat their research to see if I could find how that person came to those conclusions of names and dates. I concluded that the person wanted to believe the easy findings because of the difficulty in sorting out the details of that particular family. The clues were everwhere that the data was not correct. I once got a state death certificate that had all the vital information, but upon further research I found that the person was not buried in the cemetery indicated on the death certificate. I assume that other researchers have similar findings. I will conclude now and face another snowy day in New Mexico. Wayne