On this page you will find two links to view the Index of names in my database. One link provides a list of individuals that have been compiled over the past few years from an abundance of sources (many not independently verified by me). The other provides a listing of only those that I have been able to document independently.

A word about documentation: Over the course of several years in genealogy, I have found that it is very easy for one to find someone else working on a related branch of the family tree and just add all of their information to one's own. With the advent of the Internet and the ability to transmit family files back and forth, it can be as simple as a few clicks of the mouse to instantly add hundreds of individuals to one's family tree. Regrettably, I engaged in this practice, and found that I was able to double or triple the size of my work by adding the work of other genealogists. However, the end result is a big file, full of names, with little documentation or evidence to support your findings. Even worse, someone may then take a large, undocumented file and consider it a reliable source of information for their own research.

A few months ago, I decided to start from scratch -- basically, beginning with my family, and expanding back one person at a time, I started looking for documentation for everyone in my tree. I looked for civil records (birth, marriage, and death certificates), census records, bible records, or family group sheets completed by a member of the family in question. If I do not have documentation for a person, that person is not listed in my work. This new documented tree has fewer people, but better information. This method is the one that I and all other genealogists should embrace. I will be careful not to repeat my errors again.

Why have I left the undocumented names on my site? I'm not saying that the information I have received from other researchers is wrong... but I cannot verify that it is correct. In genealogy, one should draw conclusions based on ones' interpretation of all available information. As I gather more information about the history of my family, I will draw conclusions on lineage and then post these conclusions in the listing of documented individuals. More likely then not, I will reach similar conclusions as others, but until I do, I will leave the findings of others in my undocumented group.

Last Updated: May 09, 2002