TMG-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Do you limit relatives in your database?
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:56:04 EST

In a message dated 1/31/2000 11:10:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

> Karla, since you were so nice to say "hear, hear" a couple of messages ago
> (thank you <g>), I hate raising this question . . . but how do you know a
> witness is unrelated when you find a new document and record the info?
>
> It seems to me that this strikes to the heart of one of the best things
> databases have to offer -- the ability to record all those
> witnesses-with-relationships-not-yet-identified. As we begin to see
repeated
> references to the same witness-of-no-known-relationship, a little birdie
> starts whispering "Kinfolk! Kinfolk! Clue to grandma's maiden name!" And
> every time we run across a "new" person in a "new" document, if we've
> recorded all those witnesses in the past, then we can quickly run a search
> to see if this one has appeared in a family connection before.
>
> We all know that justice is supposed to be based on the premise "innocent
> until proven guilty." But I have a lot better luck in genealogy by turning
> that around and deeming every associate "guilty (of a relationship) until
> proven innocent." <g>
>
> Elizabeth

This is especially true when researching French Canadian baptism records. So
often one godparent is a family member and the other one is that godparent's
betrothed. Rarely is the godparent's relationship to the newborn stated.
Which is why I keep them all. Now the original marriage records will often
state the relationship of the people who attended the marriage ceremony.
Another reason to go beyond the index of church records as such things are
not recorded in an index. But that is a different subject for another day.

- Bob Page -
"The man who doesn't read has no advantage over one who can't."
Mark Twain

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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:

• Re: TMG-L: Do you limit relatives in your database? by <>

  • Re: TMG-L: Do you limit relatives in your database? by <>

  • Re: TMG-L: Do you limit relatives in your database? by "Mills" <>