Dear Readers - I respond to this discussion ONLY because I had just this week been reading an article which mentions "hearsay" evidence (and other definitions). The article is "Evaluating Evidence" by Val. D. Greenwood (an Accredited Genealogist and a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association). It is found in the 1997 Genealogical Journal of the UGA, Vol. 25 No. 2, which I had picked up at the FGS convention in SLC last month. He defines evidence as "anything that pertains to or establishes the point or issue in question. It is the medium by which facts are proven." He talks about the types of evidence: direct, circumstantial primary, secondary collateral and hearsay. His definition of hearsay evidence is: any evidence that is outside of the personal knowledge of the witness providing it." He goes on to say that the term hearsay applies to that which is WRITTEN (my emphasis) as well as to that which is spoken. Therefore, he points out, "virtually all evidence we use in genealogical research is hearsay evidence..." Another point he brings up is one he says "not everyone agrees with me on this issue..." - "but I believe that it is useful for the genealogist to think in terms of evidence rather than sources." He points out that sources may contain more than one type of evidence, secondary as well as primary, and uses a death certificate as an example. The primary evidence is the date and place of death, whereas any other data may be secondary - parents' names, place of birth, even the actual name of the decedent (my interpretation). You mention the gravestone - the date of death may have been given to the engraver from a primary source, but there might be errors in transcription of the date, or the name or anything else. But, by his definition, it is still hearsay. Which should not, in the instance of genealogy, count against it. Mr. Greenwood also suggests more reading on the subject of evidence and its relationship to genealogy: 1. His own book "The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, 2d ed. (Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co.) 1990, chap. 4, "Evaluation of Evidence." 2. Noel C. Stevenson, Genealogical Evidence, rev. ed. (Laguna Hills, CA: Aegean Park Press) 1979. See especially chapter 21, "Rules of Evidence Applied to Genealogy," and chapter 22, "Hearsay Evidence." Then again, we have our own expert, Paul. Oh, by the way, I consider a "clue" as undocumented information I receive from others. Paul Drake wrote: > Hi, Karen. You have done much searching and analyzing; good for you!! You have a substantial little pile of evidence. > > If you don't mind my saying so, you explained what you had clearly, but why did you tell us you had "hearsay" sources? Can you see, Nice and Dear Lady, that after you say those words, we know not one whit more about those bits of evidence; the label helped us not atall? > > Finally near the end, you say that your "secondary sources" were books. Why not just tell us that "Books were my sources as to facts X and Y", rather than force us to guess what those bits of evidence really were ? > > Then too, you say "hard evidence"; would a headstone so qualify? If you think not, then tell us why, please. If you think it would, I would suggest that headstones are hearsay in its most classical and purest form, yet we do not call those by any label, do we? And for good reason; that goofy label tells us ZIP about the headstone, yet we surely put headstones in our little piles of evidence for whatever truth there may be there, huh? > > Oh yeh, did I mention that a headstone also is "circumstantial" in its purest form? Hey too, headstones are surely "secondary", don't you guess? But wait, those stones are certainly also "primary" (even if in error) that someone is buried there, huh? All these faults and different labels, yet we still keep the headstone info in our files. > > Again, good job of collecting and ordering your bits and scraps of evidentiary material. > > Paul > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb > Do Not Flame other Members on List. > If you have problems or concerns with list posts, contact the List Administrator. [email protected] > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx > > >