Do Not Add or Change Data Without a Valid Source

We believe that we should never add or change any data in Family Tree without a valid source. The last document in this section explains what sources are valid and how to apply them to an event in Family Tree. This document will discuss the need to make correct decisions when we apply a source to a record in Family Tree. Even when we have a source to prove an event we still have to decide if that event applies to a specific individual. We cannot simple assume that it does. Factors such as the time and place of the event, culture of the people and probability must be considered.

We know that infer and assume mean almost the same thing. In this document we define "infer" as to 'deduce or conclude that information is correct from evidence and reasoning even if there are no explicit statements to prove it' and "assume" as to 'suppose to be the case even though there is no evidence that it is so'.

With those definitions in mind we believe that in family history we may infer a relationship between names and events, but should never assume that it is so.

A family history example of the difference between infer and assume is the John Waite and Ann Davis family. We have an image of a marriage entry for John Waite and Ann Davis in the Gosberton Parish Register. The entry records that 'John Waite and Ann Davis, both of this Parish were Married by Banns the Twelfth Day of October, 1796' in the parish church of Gosberton'. Most people at that time in their area were married at age 20-25 therefore we can infer that John and Ann were born from 1771 to 1776. That inference does not have much to support it, so we might be very wrong in making it.

The list in the box shows the names and christening dates of children in the same parish church shortly after John and Ann were married.

  1. William Waite, 2 November 1797
  2. Elizabeth Waite, 24 January 1799
  3. John Waite, 9 February 1801
  4. John Waite, 6 March 1803
  5. Bartel Waite, 7 July 1805
  6. Joseph Waite, 9 March 1808
  7. Esther Waite, 11 August 1811
  8. James Waite, 31 October 1813

We have inferred that each of those in the list are children of John Waite and Ann Davis. Their records do not specifically say that they are the children of the John Waite and Ann Davis who were married in Gosberton 12 October 1796. The parents in each christening were listed as John and Ann Waite and there are no other records of a John Waite marrying an Ann in that parish about 1795-98 therefore we have inferred that they are all in the same family. We have also inferred that the third child, John, died before 7 July 1803 because the fourth child was given the same name on that date.

We have found a listing of a John and Ann Waite in the 1841 census records for Gosberton. Their ages are listed as 60 and 65, which would mean that they were born about 1776 and 1781. We infer that these are the same John Waite and Ann Davis who were married in 1796. They were living next door to another John Waite and his family. That John Waite is the same age as their fourth child. Since that is true and they are all in Gosberton we have inferred that they are the same family, however, there are no specific statements that say they are the same.

The 1851 census in Gosberton contains a John and Ann Waite. There they give their ages as 70 and 76. Again we inferred that they were the same family. There John said he was born in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire and Ann said that she was born in Manchester, Lancashire.

Because John stated that he was born in Pinchbeck we searched for his christening in the records of Pinchbeck and surrounding parishes for the years 1760 through 1790 and have not found him there.

A William Waite married a Mary Heasle on 6 June 1765 in Pinchbeck. The Pinchbeck parish records show christenings for nine children of William and Mary Waite starting in 1767 and continuing until 1784. Because the christenings were in the same parish shortly after William and Ann were married, we infer that these children belong to William Waite and Mary Heasle. Some of our relatives have assumed that William and Mary are the parents of John Waite who married Ann Davis on 1796 and have added him as one of their children in FamilySearch's Family Tree even though there is no christening record to prove it.

We disagree with their assumption. Since there is a christening record for nine of their children we believe that if John Waite was one of their children there would be a christening record for him. We also believe that to make the assumption is a misuse of the temple ordinances. If we can not find John's real parents he will still have the opportunity to be sealed to parents when the research is completed. At this time all family lines will end by the year 1500 A.D. because we can't find the records to continue.

Family members also attached John's wife Ann Davis to John Davis and and Mary Fulager in Family Tree. The Family Tree entry for John Davis is nebulous. There is one source attached that proves his christening in St. Helens, Lancashire. However Family Tree lists him as the husband of four women whom he married in the same year in different places in England and Wales. There are no sources attached to any of these marriages. In other words all of the records that attach John Davis to those wives are based on assumptions. Also there are no sources to prove that he is the father of the Ann Davis who married John Waite in 1796 so I removed the relationship.

Then someone else attached Ann as a child to a William Davis and a Mary Cluley, again with no evidence. Not only were there no sources to prove they were Ann's parents, but there were no sources attached to either one to prove they even existed. There are at least 13 sources attached to Ann's record, but none of them prove her parentage.

There can be many different people living in the same area at the same time with the same names. We must not assume that all events involving a person with a specific name are really the same person.

Consider the following:

In this case we infer that the Gould children christened in Paulton were the children of Edward Gould and Christian Carter and that the Gould children christened in Nether Compton were the children on Edward Gould and Christian Hine.

There were many Edward and Cristian Goulds living in south western England at the same time.

Alexander Blacker married Ann Naish in Clutton, Somerset, England on 22 May 1768. Another Alexander Blacker married Ann Parfitt in Clutton on 10 February 1776. There were fifteen children of Alexander and Ann Blacker christened in Clutton from 1768 through 1791. We can infer that the four children christened before 1776 belong to Alexander Blacker and Ann Naish. The children christened after 1776 could belong to either couple, and to assign them to a specific couple would be an assumption.

One of our goals in Family History is to follow our direct lines as far back as possible with each generation composing a family unit. Because of this sometimes we are tempted to make relationships based on assumptions.

Our primary Family History goal should be to see that the temple ordinances are completed for all of our 'relatives'. With that in mind consider the following ideas.