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Proving a Pedigree in England: Difference between revisions
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'''Lack of evidence<br>'''Evidence may be accidentally lost or destroyed but it may not have existed in the first place. Absence of evidence should, however, never be construed as purposeful destruction of evidence. One is almost certainly looking in the wrong place. Search elsewhere.<br>This is particularly true when attempts are being made to connect two families of the same surname and the so-called ‘link’ cannot be found. Such a link may not exist and the true ancestry will not then be found until wider searches are made.<br>Absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence. A nonconformist family may not appear in the parish registers. A family may be temporarily absent on the night of a census. The indexes may be incomplete or the surname may be incorrectly copied. Indexed entries may be grouped under a surname variant quite unfamiliar to the searcher. It will be important to go back to the original records at some stage and not to rely on the indexes alone. | '''Lack of evidence<br>'''Evidence may be accidentally lost or destroyed but it may not have existed in the first place. Absence of evidence should, however, never be construed as purposeful destruction of evidence. One is almost certainly looking in the wrong place. Search elsewhere.<br>This is particularly true when attempts are being made to connect two families of the same surname and the so-called ‘link’ cannot be found. Such a link may not exist and the true ancestry will not then be found until wider searches are made.<br>Absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence. A nonconformist family may not appear in the parish registers. A family may be temporarily absent on the night of a census. The indexes may be incomplete or the surname may be incorrectly copied. Indexed entries may be grouped under a surname variant quite unfamiliar to the searcher. It will be important to go back to the original records at some stage and not to rely on the indexes alone. | ||
'''Conflicting evidence<br>'''It is always important to keep an open mind. There was a time when some genealogists, influenced by a legalistic approach to evidence<ref>as provided by Noel C. Stevenson, Genealogical evidence: a guide to the standard proof relating to pedigrees, ancestry, heirship and family history (Laguna Hills, California: Aegean Press, 1979, 1989).</ref> advocated the deciding of relationships by ‘the preponderance of the evidence’. It is now generally agreed, however, that this should never be done unless there is a significant body of evidence, all possible documents have been consulted and all point in the same direction. If there is a conflict in the evidence both accounts must be recorded. In any case, it is doubtful that any genealogist working amongst English records could truthfully say that all the possible documents had been consulted. | '''Conflicting evidence<br>'''It is always important to keep an open mind. There was a time when some genealogists, influenced by a legalistic approach to evidence<ref>as provided by Noel C. Stevenson, Genealogical evidence: a guide to the standard proof relating to pedigrees, ancestry, heirship and family history (Laguna Hills, California: Aegean Press, 1979, 1989).</ref> advocated the deciding of relationships by ‘the preponderance of the evidence’. It is now generally agreed, however, that this should never be done unless there is a significant body of evidence, all possible documents have been consulted and all point in the same direction. If there is a conflict in the evidence both accounts must be recorded. In any case, it is doubtful that any genealogist working amongst English records could truthfully say that all the possible documents had been consulted. | ||
'''Negative evidence<br>'''Negative evidence is sometimes almost as important as positive evidence. However, once more the breadth of sources consulted, the area and the period, should all be recorded before any statement is made.<br>There are dangers, however, in accepting an entry just because it is the only one in the right area at the right time and fits the known facts. Further connecting evidence should be sought.<br>In such cases it is necessary to attempt to disprove the relationship as well as to prove it. The efforts to do both should also be recorded. If a possible baptism is found for a given ancestor the possible burial of that child should always immediately be sought for, as well as that child’s later possible marriage to someone other than the known wife. The evidence of the wills of the presumed parents and of the child’s presumed brothers and sisters must be investigated. The names of the witnesses at the first ancestral marriage will need to be studied with care. | '''Negative evidence<br>'''Negative evidence is sometimes almost as important as positive evidence. However, once more the breadth of sources consulted, the area and the period, should all be recorded before any statement is made.<br>There are dangers, however, in accepting an entry just because it is the only one in the right area at the right time and fits the known facts. Further connecting evidence should be sought.<br>In such cases it is necessary to attempt to disprove the relationship as well as to prove it. The efforts to do both should also be recorded. If a possible baptism is found for a given ancestor the possible burial of that child should always immediately be sought for, as well as that child’s later possible marriage to someone other than the known wife. The evidence of the wills of the presumed parents and of the child’s presumed brothers and sisters must be investigated. The names of the witnesses at the first ancestral marriage will need to be studied with care. | ||
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'''Conclusion<br>'''Record and show your evidence at all times. Only then can someone with more time in the future continue your work or judge its reliability. Place the compiled results in appropriate libraries and repositories and welcome critical comment. Someone will soon say if they think your facts are wrong, but do not necessarily accept their statements unless they too cite their evidence. | '''Conclusion<br>'''Record and show your evidence at all times. Only then can someone with more time in the future continue your work or judge its reliability. Place the compiled results in appropriate libraries and repositories and welcome critical comment. Someone will soon say if they think your facts are wrong, but do not necessarily accept their statements unless they too cite their evidence. | ||
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'''Bibliography<br>'''Richard S. Lackey, ''Cite your sources: a manual for documenting family histories and genealogical records ''(Jackson, Mississippi: University of Mississippi, 1985) [FHL 929.1 L118c].<br>Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''<span style="display: none" id="1310998470197S"> </span>Evidence! Citation & analysis for the family historian<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1310998469490_911" /> (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997) [ FHL 929.1 M625e].<br>Brenda Dougall Merriman, ''About genealogical standards of evidence: a guide for Canadian genealogists''(Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2nd ed. 2004) [FHL 971 D27mb].<br>''Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2nd ed. 2009) [FHL 929.1 M625ee].<br> | '''Bibliography<br>'''Richard S. Lackey, ''Cite your sources: a manual for documenting family histories and genealogical records ''(Jackson, Mississippi: University of Mississippi, 1985) [FHL 929.1 L118c].<br>Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''<span style="display: none" id="1310998470197S"> </span>Evidence! Citation & analysis for the family historian<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1310998469490_911" /> (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997) [ FHL 929.1 M625e].<br>Brenda Dougall Merriman, ''About genealogical standards of evidence: a guide for Canadian genealogists''(Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2nd ed. 2004) [FHL 971 D27mb].<br>''Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2nd ed. 2009) [FHL 929.1 M625ee].<br> | ||