Dear Margaret, you have just proved my point. There are so many definitions of those words - including the ones you have just set forth - that the terms now have been rendered meaningless. Plus, perhaps I was not explicit; I do freely and often use the words "proof", "prove", "proven", but what there are not are what some folks call "proofs". There are no places where "proofs" are required to answer a question, hence there is only evidence that when gathered in sufficient quantity - weight, probity, reliability - constitutes "proof" of a proposition or an answer. Paul Subject: evidence Oh my!!!! Paul and I always butt heads on this one. Allison, I use the terms, "Primary", "Secondary" and "Proof". Primary, in my opinion, (which will not buy you a cup of cold coffee) refers to evidence you can touch, see, feel. For-instance, a Family Bible, birth and death certificates, school records. Secondary, in my opinion, refers to books. For instance when an author discusses those families that resided in Lunenburg. Finally, proof is what I call these two types of evidence put together. You can prove that, for instance, a person lived because of the Family Bible, birth and school records, marriage certificate, he died because of a death obit, or a tombstone inscription. If he served in a War, a record from the War Department or research in a book listing these men would be proof. Also, don't get hung up on words..Just look for, as dear Paul said, the "who, what, when, where". Fondly, Margaret