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Archiver > TMG > 2000-05 > 0957374563


From: "Diana and Mike Begeman" <>
Subject: [TMG-L:] TMG-L: proof
Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 10:22:43 -0700


I am by trade most recently a software engineer and system test engineer.

One of my bosses got us mugs that said "In God We Trust... All else we
test".

I believe "family lore", i.e. people's memories, no matter how recent, fits
in the later catagory. "Family Lore" acts as good starting clues but does
not, generally, qualify as "proof".

The problem with "proving" things is that you are relying on someones
current memory, or someone in the pasts memory when they filled out
applications or records. You are also assuming that they thought it was in
their best interest to tell the truth. Maybe they thought so and maybe they
didn't. Maybe they answered with how they wanted to be "remembered". And
maybe they were going on what they believe to be true.

There are so many reasons the answers people gave might not be what we are
looking for:
1. People making up answers as a "joke" on the person asking (one of them
ended up in the mormon IGI).
2. People believing things told to them by their parents who were "teasing"
and the children didn't realize it.
3. People mixing up family stories based on first names without taking
surnames into account.
4. People filling in forms incorrectly on purpose because they felt it was
"none of their business" (this was an 18 year old and his draft record but
could
easily apply to stubborn relatives I could name).
5. People who answered the question "where are you from" instead of "where
were you born".
6. People who didn't know and guessed because they felt they could "come
close".
7. People who feel that accuracy on forms is not important because that
level of detail just doesn't matter in life. They have more important
things (to them) than filling in every little square accurately.
8. Families who mixed up maiden names where the names had been mixed so long
that everyone believed the wrong name.
9. People who didn't believe it was appropriate to talk about the past or
record accurate information about it.
10. People who provide information, true or not, because they want to
"help" by answering my questions. They may not know the answers but want to
be remembered as being helpful or have their name in whatever I produce or
just want to be helpful. There is no malice in this, just human nature.
"Dear, you've put so much work into this, of course I'll help."
11. Other "genealogists" sometimes provide misleading information (not
inaccurate, just misleading) because they want to be the "one" with the
answers. (This is not common but has happened to me a couple of times.)

These are just examples I can substantiate because I can talk to people
about why the answers were given. I have example after example of this. We
have to keep the "seriousness" of our quest for "information" in perspective
with relation to the real world.

I have a very wide body of "family" to pull from (I go way out on "limbs",
so to speak, to find people) and a wide range of personalities that I get
"information" from. They are all wonderful people, whether they are
accurate or not.

I believe it is possible to sift through the family information and come up
with a "preponderance of the evidence" that we can come to believe. The
puzzle aspect of this with all it's varied pieces and challenges is part of
what makes it fun.

It's also what makes TMG great. Citing your sources and being explicit
about what that source contained is vital. Entering all the varied
information you find can help create the "preponderance of evidence". With
the massive amount of "information" and "facts" out there TMG is just the
tool to help sort them out.

Diana Begeman

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