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Archiver > TMG > 2000-01 > 0946889562


From: "J. O'Neall" <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Source Surety Values
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 09:52:42 +0100


You've received lots of good advice about sureties by now, so I don't have
much to add. But I think one should keep in mind, i.e., decide ahead of
time, how one is going to _use_ sureties, meaning, what practical purpose
they will serve.

Personally, I consider that their principal use is to sort events to appear
in reports. So for me, a surety of 0 never appears in a report (nor do
blank sureties), whereas others do. Surety 1 is something that I have a
source for, but which I consider dubious enough that I want to find a better
one. It essentially is there to remind me to investigate this tag/event
more thoroughly. Meanings of surety 2 and 3 are the standard ones: Surety
2 is for fairly dependable secondary sources (such as Hinshaw's
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy); 3, for dependable primary
sources (contemporary articles, letters, etc.).

In short, the personal interpretation of sureties, however subjective it may
be, should be practical, not theoretical.

Hope this helps. John
------
John O'Neall
Genas, France
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~joneall/

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