Hi John et al,
I have read this absorbing article with great interest mainly because I am
missing one piece of vital information with my Bound ancestors. My great,
great grandfather Joseph Bound was born c1810 and according to the record of
his marriage in 1838 his father was a Joseph Bound. An extensive search has
been made for Joseph's Baptism in the parish in north Radnorshire where it
is likely he was born plus neighbouring ones as well and also others
connected to the family. I have concluded that either the records has been
lost or that the family were Baptists. I have, however, discovered
information which I believe pinpoints his father Joseph as follows:
Joseph Bound senior died at Pulle, St. Harmon, Radnorshire in 1840 age 88
years and the informant was named as his son Joseph Bound. From the census
and births of his children I know that Joseph, junior was living at Pulle at
the time of the death although when he married in 1838 it was at Llanwrthwl
where was living and working as a servant. It is possible that Joseph
junior was the grandson however I have found no evidence of another Joseph
who could have been jis father and son of Joseph senior. According to the
censuses Joseph junior's place of birth was given as St. Harmon and also
Llanbadarn Fynydd, the latter shares a border with Llandinam. The family
moved many times before Joseph junior died in Llanidloes.
I have found a marriage in Llandinam for a Joseph Bound to Ursula Jones in
1785 although in what was Montgomeryshire it isn't far from St. Harmon and
the two parishes share a border. Joseph would have been thirty-three when
he married although according to other information I have found his age at
death could have been wrong as I have noticed that as they got older some of
my ancestors added a few years to their ages. I have no idea of Ursula's
age however it wouldn't have been impossible for her to give birth
twenty-five years after marrying if she was in her mid twenties. Joseph
junior named one of his daughters Ursula, I find this very significant
especially as it is an unusual name.
Relating to the five stages you quote I have made an exhaustive search for
evidence with the help of more experienced researchers and have not come up
with anything conflicting or that didn't add up. I have copies of all the
necessary records and the census images as well as transcriptions. I have
unfortunately not been able to find a Will for Joseph senior or his wife
Ursula. In fact she is a complete mystery as she doesn't appear in any
records except for her marriage one. I have spent a great deal of time
analysing the information I have gathered and hope I have obtained a
reasoned conclusion. I have run it by experienced researchers and they have
agreed with my facts. I have been relucatant to add the information to my
family tree because I don't have a Baptism for Joseph. After reading your
email I feel that my research has been as thorough as possible. I would now
like to add Joseph and Ursula to my family tree with the proviso that "in
all probability" they are the parents of Joseph. I would welcome the views
of other researchers.
Regards,
Margaret Harvey
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Ball" <john(a)jlb2005.plus.com
To:
"Powys List" <powys(a)rootsweb.com
Sent:
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 11:00 AM
Subject: [POWYS] What is Genealogical Proof?
Dear Listers,
When investigating our family histories, I'm sure we sometimes wonder what
level of proof is needed in order to satisfy ourselves, and others, that
our
research results are sound. Each conclusion we reach about an
ancestor
must
have sufficient credibility to be accepted as *proved*. Of course,
to
satisfy ourselves we can set whatever standard of proof we wish, but to
satisfy others we need to work to a standard of proof which is widely
accepted in the field of genealogy.
Traditionally, genealogists have employed a standard of proof based
closely
on the legal principle of 'preponderance of the evidence',
which Black's
Law
Dictionary defines as evidence which shows "...that what is
sought to be
proved is more likely true than not true". The evidence available at the
time is weighed, and a decision is made based on whichever evidence is the
most convincing.
["Black's Law Dictionary" edited by J. R. Nolan and M. J. Connolly, 6th
edition published 1990, West Publishing Co., Minnesota; p. 1182]
However, unlike the law, genealogy is not constrained by deadlines (such
as
the date of a court trial) at which time a decision on the evidence
*must*
be made. If convincing evidence for a genealogical event is not available,
we can always delay making a decision or drawing a conclusion until we are
able to find suitable evidence. And if no suitable evidence comes to
light,
we can say "not known".
Over the past decade or so, genealogists, particularly in North America,
have moved away from the legal principle of 'preponderance of the
evidence',
to a standard of proof which is more relevant to the circumstances
prevailing in family history research. This standard of proof has become
known as the 'Genealogical Proof Standard' or 'GPS'.
The Genealogical Proof Standard sets out the requirements that
genealogists
must satisfy before using the terms 'proved' or
'proof'. The GPS is
usually
described in five stages. The first four stages relate to the way
genealogical evidence must be tested before reaching a conclusion, while
the
final stage relates to how that conclusion must be constructed and
written.
The five stages require:
1. a reasonably exhaustive search for evidence;
2. complete and accurate source citations;
3. analysis and correlation of the collected information;
4. resolution of any conflicting evidence; and
5. a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.
The GPS has become the accepted standard in genealogy in North America
since
1997/98. It is clearly and fully explained on the website of the [US]
Board
for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) at
http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html
It is an interesting and sometimes sobering exercise to see how one's own
family history research measures up to the Genealogical Proof Standard!
Kind regards,
John
--------------------
John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK
E-mail: john(a)jlb2005.plus.com
John's Homepage:
http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/
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http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/
Welsh Family History Archive:
http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/
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http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/
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