TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2000-01 > 0946914715


From: Gary Ruppert <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Source Surety Values
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 10:51:55 -0500 (EST)


Connie: Welcome to the TMG-L and hopefully to TMG. I don't think you
will be disappointed in TMG and would encourage you to make the leap
from your current program.

I am surprised that there have been so few responses to your Surety
Question. Usually this topic generates a lot of discussion. For what
it is worth, and I **know** that I am in the minority here, I do not
find Sureties of much use. It is one of the aspects of TMG that I
don't utilize. Lee and Bob and others have pointed out how they have
made Sureties useful in their utilization of TMG. From my perspective,
this is simply too much work with too little benefit. Like you
suggested, I make heavy use of the memoes. If there is a conflict or I
don't have much confidence in the source, that info goes in the memo
or is left for the reader to interpret. Bob Gillis makes a point of
the usefulness of Sureties in generating reports. I cannot argue here,
but you can accomplish the same ends by using the primary tags,
selecting which tags you want to print and as you have already
suggested, making use of your word processor. I am of the opinion that
even though the computer generated narrative reports are very nice in
a pinch, there is no substitute for "pen and ink" [or keboard and
printer!]

The only really sound advice here is to make your choice early on and
stick with it. At least that way if you do utilize Sureties you will
be able to benefit from them in the future.

Good Luck.

Gary
3 Jan 2000
Baltimore



------------------ Reply Separator --------------------
Originally From: Connie Sheets <>
Subject: TMG-L: Source Surety Values
Date: 01/02/2000 01:26pm


As a relatively experienced genealogical researcher, new to TMG (and
still
trying to decide whether I will completely abandon a large database in
BK
for TMG), with a bias that the best genealogical report is produced
with a
word processor, I'd like to request a discussion of the surety codes.


How do you use them?

What practical benefits do they give you?

How many of you ignore them completely (i.e. make no attempt to assign
a
value)?

My initial inclination is to do the latter, as they seem to me both
too
subjective and too restrictive, and I can't conceive of a practical
use I
would have for them. I have discovered on many occasions that sources
which "should" be accurate are not, whereas those which "should" be
less
accurate are closer to the truth. These discoveries come from finding
and
analyzing all available sources and looking at the big picture,
usually not
from any one piece of data from any single source that I might label a
"3"
surety.

The only one that makes much sense to me is the negative value, but
even
then I think I'd be more likely to explain in a Note/Memo why I know
the
info is erroneous.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
TMG-L The Internet Mailing List for The Master
Genealogist
To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail to with 'UNSUBSCRIBE
TMG-L'
or... if you get the digest version: 'UNSUBSCRIBE
TMG-L-DIGEST'
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TMG-L The Internet Mailing List for The Master Genealogist
To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail to with 'UNSUBSCRIBE TMG-L'
or... if you get the digest version: 'UNSUBSCRIBE TMG-L-DIGEST'
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This thread: