NYFingerLakes-L Archives
Archiver > NYFingerLakes > 2000-04 > 0955818542
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Subject: [NYFL] Fwd: Documentation of genealogical info
Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 13:09:02 EDT
A tombstone would ONLY be considered to be primary evidence IF it was erected
at the time of a person's death and should always be considered to be the
least reliable of the kinds of primary evidence available for the reasons
being stated (information being given during a time of grief, etc.)
"Usually" the information given for the tombstone is given by a relative who
"should" know about the deceased at the time of the death. However, the date
of birth carved on a tombstone is not considered to be primary evidence
because the person who supplied the evidence for the tombstone probably
usually wasn't around for the birth of that person (for example, a spouse or
a child giving information. They were not a witness to the event of the
deceased's birth, so that evidence is merely hearsay).
Yes there is room for error in ALL records. Humans are fallible. But the
chances of a record being correct are more likely if the event was recorded
at the TIME IT HAPPENED by people who SHOULD know what happened. The longer
the time between the occurrence of an event and the time it was recorded, the
more the chance for memories to fade or become distorted.
Terri Mulliken Allen
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