Preponderance of the Evidence

It's been almost ten years since the ivory tower dwellers at the Board for Certification of Genealogists rejected from on high the long-held "preponderance of evidence" standard of proof.

For those of you who aren't "into" family trees, "preponderance of evidence" means that all available material INDICATES a kinship, even if it doesn't EXPLICITLY state so-and-so begat so-and-so.

This has been a pretty important standard, particularly for those of us with Southern roots. I mean, Sherman did a number on us back in the 1860s. And, we've had to infer a lot of relationships from documents other than birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, etc.

Anyway, the rejection by the BCG continues to be a bone of contention in the Root-Diggin' community.

If you'd like to join an in-depth discusion, join us at GenTrek tonight at 10pm (EDT).

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~genealogylookup/chatroom.html