How nice of you to say! Thank you, Sir, very much. Glad to be of some help when I can. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Couch, Robert H. " <rcouchauburn@mindspring.com> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 12:26 PM Subject: Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] evidence > Paul, > > It is such a comfort to have you here on this site. Thanks for all the > wise, learned information you provide to all of us. > > Robert H. Couch in Alabama > ---------- > >From: "Paul" <martee@citlink.net> > >To: VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com > >Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] evidence > >Date: Sat, Apr 21, 2001, 2:08 PM > > > > >Thanks for the dozens of splendid comments > >about evidence sent to me, all of you. I > >found in almost everyone on the list > >agreement that labels serve no useful purpose > >and should be ignored, except perhaps by > >newcomers (and even they learn nothing from > >such words as primary, indirect, > >preponderance, and the like). I also fully > >agree that all researchers should examine > >EVERY source (clear or equivocal, reliable or > >not so much so) that in any way whatever > >tends to prove any measure of kinship or > >lineage and should ignore all labels applied > >by anyone. Almost all of you agreed that any > >single bit of evidence might be called by > >several of the catch-words, yet nothing is > >learned by using those descriptions. One of > >you commented that describing some source as > >secondary tells us NOTHING except that such > >evidence may not be as reliable as some other > >source; how true that is !!! In conclusion, > >you seem universally in agreement that we > >MUST seek to discern whether the author or > >creator of every bit of evidence, now or in > >the past, had good reason to know and to be > >honest in stating the facts or creating the > >memento or writing; that all evidence may be > >reliable as to some facts, yet unreliable as > >to other facts; that we all should seek every > >bit of evidence that tends to prove kinship; > >and that conflicting facts must be examined > >and weighed in light of human experience and > >good genealogical practice, and not because > >someone else has called such evidentiary fact > >by some of the many labels. Thanks for the > >many responses. Paul > > > > > >==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > >USGW Archives Pension Project > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pensions/ > > > > > >============================== > >Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > > > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > VAGenWeb > http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F1 1HB >