....You're right--no matter what you label it--gotta evaluate each piece of evidence separately. Maybe that's the primary message we need to get across to new researchers--not what kind of evidence but how reliable is it? And maybe emphasize that what Great Aunt Harriet said twenty years ago may not be accurate! That's my real concern--the number of family traditions and tales that just don't hold up under examination--which means they HAVE to be examined. ....Gale Fuller just summed it up nicely. Don't label--just look at every piece of evidence carefully! Karen My point was precisely that; the labels tell us nothing concerning the measure of reliability to be accorded ANY scrap of evidence. For any label to have value other than to one's self, it must have an agreed definition. The responses here have revealed that the words mentioned have slightly different meanings to everyone who responded. Most of all, and in large measure for precisely that reason, I learn NOTHING from any label, and must examine carefully EVERY scrap of evidence that in any way tends to prove lineage. Thanks to all for the contributions to all of us. Paul ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== Always Keep Your Anti Virus Program Updated Regularly. USGW Archives Pension Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pensions/ ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237