The information provided on this website has been compiled by Kevin L. Sholder and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Some of the information here has been contributed by other researchers, the author has endeavored to authenticate this information independently wherever possible. However, inaccuracies are certain to exist.

All of the sources and contributors used to compile this information are listed on this site for easy reference, but sometimes unverified. While the information here is generally sourced, there are holes in the sourcing of every fact since the research has been done over several decades. The basic framework for my research started as a 4-H project in the mid-1970's and needless to say, sources were not mentioned at that point in time. The sources that I have used in the last 25 or so years still vary widely in their quality and no doubt do contain some errors.

While this website is still very much a "work in progress," it is currently using 172,202 citations that reference 2,573 sources, researchers or family members that have provided direct information.

As I continue to consult original records, undoubtedly some of this information has and will continue to change. I have used both original and derivative sources in compiling the information contained on this website. It is suggested that you may need evaluate them for yourself. If the reader finds errors of any kind (factual or typographical) on these pages, you are encouraged to contact me. The information presented here is not infallible, nor should it replace conducting your own research with primary records whenever possible. Always verify!!

Sources 101


Elizabeth Shown Mills, "Sources 101" blog post, QuickTips: The Blog @ Evidence Explained (https://evidenceexplained.com/quicktips/sources-101 : posted 28 January 2015) viewed on 6 March 2019.
Sources come in endless types, but six basic rules apply to using all of them:
  • There is no source we can trust without 'sweating it.'
  • No one is infallible. Everyone is expected to be able to provide proof for what they assert.
  • When we use sources from fields with less-stringent standards of acceptability, we don't suspend our own standards. If we are using that material for our work, we apply the standards of our field.
  • The reliability of sources and information can be "weighed" (figuratively speaking) but it cannot be measured or counted.
  • The word proof is just shorthand for "At this point, the weight of the evidence points to a conclusion that ..." (But, of course, anyone who asserts this must then provide all the individual pieces of evidence, analyze each, rebut any contradictory evidence, and explain why the evidence should be considered reasonable proof.)
  • In historical research, there is no such thing as a "final answer."