Michele, Been "away" from the list for a bit, but thank you so much for including your sample. I like using the Research Notes field to pull together all the bits of indirect evidence for an individual into one proof argument---a lot! Regarding the "drawback" to using the Research Notes field: Wouldn't you already have recorded each bit of indirect evidence elsewhere on the person's record and cited the source there? In your example, Silas' enlistment would be an event, the Simmons brothers would be individuals with enlistment events, the parents' birth and death dates in the Bible, etc. I suppose it depends on how disparate the indirect evidence is. --Paula
________________________________ From: Michele Lewis <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sat, July 21, 2012 9:10:44 AM Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Webinar (research plans) I frequently have to “prove” a relationship using indirect evidence. I am going to copy and paste a sample of this from my file. This is in my research notes in Legacy. We conclude that Silas Simmons is the son of James Simmons and Ellenor Lee through indirect evidence. The first known record of Silas Simmons is his enlistment into the 10 and 20 Consolidated Regiment, Louisiana Militia on 25 December 1814. It is unknown why Silas joined a Louisiana Militia instead of a Mississippi unit. We do know that this is the correct Silas Simmons (the only Silas Simmons that served in the War of 1812) because he later filed for bounty land in Perry County based on this service. There were two other Simmons men that joined this same unit on the same day, James Simmons and William Simmons. This James Simmons is, most likely, 18 year old James Jr. and not James Sr. who would have been 50 years old. We can tie James Simmons, Jr. to his father through his Bible which still exists. In the Bible James Jr. lists James Simmons, Sr. and Ellenor Lee “his wife” complete with birth and death dates. Though James and Ellenor are not listed specifically as his parents, they are the only ones listed that are of age to have been his parents (the remaining persons listed in the Bible are James Jr., his wife Lucinda and their children). James Jr. and Silas were only 3 years apart in age and most likely brothers. On the 1820 Perry County tax roll, James Sr., James Jr., and Silas are listed right next to each other. The one drawback to recording it this way in the research notes is that I can't footnote each individual fact (you CAN attach multiple sources to the research notes). If this was in a research report (and it actually IS in a research report that I wrote) each statement would be individually sourced. Michele Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
