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From: "Yolanda Campbell Lifter" <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Cite Your Sources!? Tombstones
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:10:31 -0500
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I'm sure most of us have found errors on tombstones whether it's a mistake
in a date or spelling.

I have always assumed (until recently) that when you have a woman and a man
listed on the same stone, with the surname across the top, and a phrase like
"Together in Eternity" that they are married. Not long ago I was contacted
by a daughter of the man whose name was on the stone (I had the photo posted
on one of my GenWeb sites). She was quite upset that the photo was there
and wanted me to remove it. She said that woman was not his wife and she
had proof they were never married. In fact, her grandmother had her father
exhumed and relocated to another part of the cemetery. That was definitely a
new experience for me...and the story intrigues me so I may have to do some
research on this couple. : )


Yolanda


Yolanda Campbell Lifter
Malabar, FL




----- Original Message -----
From: "Alvie L. Davidson CG" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 5:49 AM
Subject: [APG] Cite Your Sources!?


> That question about the tombstone is a very interesting one. I would
> treat
> it as a derivative source since all of us know the stone is real but the
> information carved into it gives us no assurance that it is accurate. We
> would have to find other documents such as a birth certificate and death
> certificate to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that those dates and that
> name is positively accurate.
> Of course I cannot say what I put on my CG application for I have never
> used
> a tombstone as a source in that way. The only times I have used
> tombstones
> in any fashion is by using them as supporting evidence while preparing a
> lineage society application such as DAR or SAR.
> The fact that you see, handle, and photograph a tombstone does in no way
> make that information correct but you can prove you saw that tombstone,
> handled the tombstone, etc. I know this sounds so basic and elementary
> but
> that is just my two cents worth.
> Based upon questions being asked recently by Elizabeth Shown Mills I can
> only hope she is hot on the trail to releasing a second edition of Citing
> of
> Sources book...
>
>
> Alvie L. Davidson CG
>
> CG and Certified Genealogist are Service Marks of the Board for
> Certification of Genealogists used under license after periodic
> evaluations
> by the Board.
>
>


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