Lisa, I very much doubt if one can ever estimate the quality of a "Fact". Neither that assessment nor the assessment of the quality of a Source are mathematically sound but are in reality subjective. I'm afraid I will have to use British terms but for example consider an uncle (not mine!).
Censuses show he was a company director. Companies House show he was a director of three companies and was the owner of two. The death certificate showed he died of a heart attack aged 67, the death being reported by his wife. Probate of his will gave an estate valued at £1.5 million which in his will was split between his wife and family. A further £1.0 million had already been settled in a trust for his family to avoid inheritance tax. The accounts also show his personal tax to be up to date after the settlement of current liabilities. Now all that looks copperplated doesn't it? Not so! He had a few more million in Swiss bank accounts which he had aquired through his own company "off the books" mainly through currency and other illegal transactions. So in reality he was a crook! In the UK, and no doubt elsewhere, in the 19c one could not even guarantee that the parents of a child as registered were the actual birth parents ( and I do mean both). I make no comment about the 20c! It seems to me that it is more realistic to estimate the quality of the Source rather than the quality of the Fact the latter being just about impossible in many cases. Ron Ferguson _____________________________________________________________________ For Genealogy, Software and Social visit: http://www.fergys.co.uk *Over 650 Surnames from 11 Countries* View the Grimshaw Family Tree at: http://www.fergys.co.uk/Grimshaw/ For The Fergusons of N.W. England See: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fergys/ _____________________________________________________________________ > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: LegacyUserGroup@legacyfamilytree.com > Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Master Location List - Surety > Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:57:09 -0700 > > I don't think it is really the same thing. Currently, surety is attached > to a specific citation, not to the fact. One's surety about a given fact > depends on analyzing and correlating all 5 (or whatever) citations > attached to it and coming to a conclusion based on all the evidence. I > really wish the surety was attached to the fact and not the citation. > > Lisa _________________________________________________________________ 100’s of Music vouchers to be won with MSN Music https://www.musicmashup.co.uk Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
