Dear All, As usual Paul Drake gave us sterling advice. I would like to add something I learned from My professional historian cousin Dr. Barry Hayes which he wrote in his Carter manuscript and that is the concept of "Community Network Analysis" which was first introduced by professors Darrett and Anita Rutman in their publication "A Place in Time:Middlesex County,Virginia 1650-1750" published New York 1984. This research methodology allows insights to be made on individuals relationships and their kinships through their locally recorded societal network activities which of course can then be extended to other neighbouring societal networks and if done carefully the genealogist can get some good individual ,family and clan information.. John Size Of Hertfordshire in The UK. ---------- > From: Paul <martee@citlink.net> > To: VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] evidence > Date: 21 April 2001 21:08 > > 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 >