Page 21 - index

20 About Genealogical Standards of Evidence

sources is usually necessary to make a convincing, reasonable
case regarding identity, relationship or an event.
Case: Evidence is direct about the birth and parentage when
Robert Kent's birth registration unequivocally states the
name of his father who registered the event. Evidence is
indirect about his birth and parentage when you see Robert
as a young child in the 1881 census household of James and
Charlotte Kent. His birth registration directly answers the
questions of date and place and who his father is, without
apparent need for corroboration. The census, an original
type of record, does not have a column for relationships
to the head of household. It is not direct evidence that
Robert is their son. It only hints that all the children in the
household belong to James and Charlotte, even though it
demonstrates Robert's existence and age at a gven point in
time.

Direct and indirect apply to evidence we are studying
with a special purpose in mind, a hypothesis we are working
on. To quote Donn Devine, a master genealogist, "They
are classifications we assign to statements in relation to a
particnlar i~~ne. Any piece of information may offer direct
evidence on one point and indirect evidence on an~ther."~

Analysis Of Evidence
Each piece of information about an ancestor should be
examined within its source and evaluated in its own right.
The first part of the evaluation process is not merely asking,
c c
Does this source answer my question or support my
hypothesis?" regarding BMD or NDP but also "How
qaal$ed is this source to answer my question?" In other

Donn Devine, "Evidence Analysis" in Pmfessioonal Genealogy, A ~1Clan/~a/Jbr
Researchers, Writers, Editors, I~cturers and Ltbrarians, p 334. This chapter is
key reference reading for serious students of genealogy. [Devine's
italics]