Types Of Evidence

PRIMARY SOURCE EVIDENCE

SECONDARY SOURCE EVIDENCE

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE

Circumstantial evidence is that which does not state relationships, but leaves them to be inferred, or pieced together in conjunction with other evidence. This sort of evidence may be acceptable but should be thought of as a last resort. Further, the “circumstances” and associated reasoning put forth must appropriately incorporate primary sources.

UNACCEPTABLE SOURCES:

OLDER MAYFLOWER SOCIETY LINEAGE PAPERS:

Standards of proof have varied over the years. While many older lineage papers are very well documented, some are not. Often, a line is found to be in need of updating. In such cases, new documentation will be required. All new applications must meet current documentation requirements and standards of proof.

SUGGESTED WEBSITES:

Ancestry.com $The world’s largest collection on online records
Archive.org $Advanced search engine portal
County Formation MapsHistorical maps and atlases of most of the states
Cyndi’s List of Tutorials & GuidesVariety of topics
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection $Historical Map Collection
Family SearchWorld’s largest shared tree – great records source
Family Search BooksDigital Library search portal
Find A GraveWorld’s largest collection of gravesites
Fold 3 $Military records
Google BooksSearch for published family books
HathiTrust Digital LibraryDigitized books
Library of Congress digital Collections
Moms (moms.mn.gov)Access to Minnesota Marriage records (except Scott or Washington Counties)
Minnesota History CenterAccess to Birth/death records in Minnesota plus
Minnesota Genealogical LibraryAccess to pay genealogy sites (free)
National ArchivesNumerous records
New England Historic Genealogical Society $American Ancestors web site