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From:
Subject: TMG-L: Re: Sources - are we losing our way?
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 17:20:40 EDT
In a message dated 04/04/2000 2:43:42 PM Central Daylight Time,
writes:
<< but the date of death will
remain suspect and dependant on a check of the primary source by me or my
reader some time in the future, just as it would have done if I cited Auntie
Elsie and Uncle Fred and a whole list of others. So why bother with these
mental contortions at all. The only proof is the official proof, which may
itself be wrong, but is the best we can get. What Auntie Elsie told me
doesn't matter to anybody. What is anybody else going to do with the
information that it was she who gave me the date of death? It's pointless.
>>
Hi Brian,
I would have to disagree with you on this one. Every piece of information
and it's source may be important to your research. I am listing some of the
"mental contortions" that I had to use. I would certainly have had a more
difficult time if I had been unable to cite my sources and evaluate the
surety of my data. As you will see none of the official sources listed the
correct information on his father.
I descend from Lona Ellis Perry who was illegitimate. He was the s/o of
Mahala Elizabeth Perry and an unknown male. I began my research to find out
who his father was. I began by documenting the "official sources" of
information on Lona Ellis Perry that might provide info on his father:
The "official" sources follow:
1. Delayed birth of Lona Ellis Perry: father: John Perry
2. Social Security Application of Lona Ellis Perry: father: Henry Perry
3. Marriage Record of Lona Ellis Perry: father: James Perry
4. Marriage Record of Lona Ellis Perry's mother to Albert O. Agee, lists
this is her first marriage.
5. Obit of Lona E. Perry, father: John Perry
6. Deeds of Jackson Co., KY never mention John Perry but do mention a Henry
Perry (not married to Mahala. Census records do not list.
I then went to the unofficial sources, I documented each one and began
assigning a value for each source I found. Based on the data below I also
had to go in and reassign new values for the info found above:
7. Colleen Taylor Perry daughter in law of Lona stated he was illegitimate.
This was told to her by Ma McGinnis who was know for her veracity by all the
folk on Gobler's Knob.
8. Donald C. Perry s/o Lona stated that he believed his father's last name
was Stewart, someone told him this at one time. Also remembered hanging out
with their cousins who were Stewarts growing up.
9. Delores Perry d/o Lona stated that her father had a half brother who was
named Wm. Also said there was a picture of him standing next to an old car
with another half brother.
10. Picture in collection of estate papers of Lona Ellis Perry showed
Everett Stewart standing next to Lona Ellis Perry. Delores Perry verified
this as the other half brother.
11. Russell H. Perry s/o Lona passed on info to Delores Perry immediately
before his death, (he had heard that I was searching for this info) that his
mother, the wife of Lona, stated that Lona's father was James Stewart.
12. The Stewart cousins mentioned in #6, #7, #8 were children of James
Stewart.
13. James Stewart was the husband of Mahala Elizabeth Perry's sister,
Louetta.
14. Esther (Agee) Morgan sister of Lona Ellis Perry said that all of the
above was a lie. Lona was the son of Mahala Elizabeth Perry and John Perry
who were married in Jackson Co. KY.
15. Records of Jackson Co. KY do not list a marriage of Mahala Elizabeth
Perry to anyone in the county.
16. Delia (Perry) French, cousin of Lona Perry, in 1996 gave a video
interview to Donald C. Perry s/o Lona Perry. She told of the circumstances
of Lona Ellis Perry's, mother Mahala Elizabeth Perry "getting in trouble"
with her sister's husband. She said it was "hush hush" but finally spoke of
this when Donald C. Perry stated he knew his father was a Stewart.
15. June Agee, half brother of Lona Perry, confirmed in a phone interview
that Lona was the s/o of James Irvin Stewart.
16. Dorothy Nevin, d/o Everett Stewart, stated that it was common knowledge
in their family that Lona Perry and Everett Stewart were half brothers. The
Stewart and Perry families always stayed close even after Mahala Elizabeth
Perry "got in trouble"
These are not all the sources but gives you a good idea. TMG sure made it
easier to do this research and the source feature was invaluable.
take care,
Donny Perry
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