XPost: soc.genealogy.computing, soc.genealogy.misc, alt.genealogy   
   XPost: soc.history   
   From: goddai01@hotmail.co.uk   
      
   On 21/03/17 06:57, Steve Hayes wrote:   
   > On Mon, 20 Mar 2017 21:57:10 +0000, Ian Goddard   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >> As a final comment I'd suggest that we should be treating this as   
   >> *evidence*-based genealogy, not event-based.  For instance a single   
   >> record which describes the baptism of John, the posthumous son of   
   >> William Brown is evidence of 3 events, the birth and baptism of John and   
   >> the death of William.   
   >   
   > It depends on your point of view.   
   >   
   > I am more interested in the events in the life of a person, than in   
   > the documents that provide evidence of it.   
   >   
   > When I read a biography of someone, I read the text, with occasional   
   > glances at the footnotes/endnotes to see what evidence there was for   
   > what is described. It sounds from what you are saying that you read   
   > the footnotes first, with only occasional glances at the text.   
      
   The original documents are the only evidence - the only indication -   
   that the events happened.  If we didn't have the documents we wouldn't   
   know that the events, or even the people, existed.   
      
   The documents I quoted are part of a series from Snaith parish.  They   
   have never, as far as I know, been written up as a book.  From my point   
   of view they include a series of names from the late C13th - Godard;   
   Thomas, son of Godard; John, son of Thomas Godard; John Godard - which   
   show the emergence of my surname in my native Yorkshire (similar   
   sequences must have taken place elsewhere because Goddard is not   
   geographically unique).   
      
   Unless someone takes an interest in such original documents your books   
   will never be written, with or without footnotes.  The sort of software   
   you mention would be an invaluable tool for those who write the books   
   for you to read (and glance at the footnotes).   
      
   Evidence is where it all starts.   
      
   --   
   Hotmail is my spam bin.  Real address is ianng   
   at austonley org uk   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)