Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 Chapter 6 Homework

Reference:
Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2013), 6. 
[Book available from the publisher at 

http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof ]

Chapter 6: 

Genealogical Proof Standard Element 4: Resolving Conflicts and Assembling Evidence

1. We have conflicting evidence when 2 or more items providing evidence are not in agreement.
2. If we wish to proof our hypothesis then all the evidence to support this must be in agreement or we must explain why we think there is disagreement or we think that the evidence supports one conclusion compared to another.

The other questions deal with discussing the analysis of the evidence and the types of evidence that are in conflict. In another post I have discussed conflicting direct evidence the conclusion of which looks at the reliability of the evidence and the time frame for when the information was recorded.

Please see my post on dealing with conflicting information  http://genemeet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/dealing-with-conflicting-information.html  

In evaluating any conflicts it is important that all factors are taken into consideration, even eyewitness accounts can be false, if the person reporting the information has a reason to hide the truth. Being unable to determine where the information originated can make that information appear as hearsay, which is why it is important to cite sources accurately, and to discuss and review any factors which may have a bearing on the validity of the information.
Analysis & correlation are essential ingredients when deciding whether there are any serious conflicts which require explanation as we assemble the evidence needed to write our conclusions. A clear understanding of why, what, when, who by and for what purpose a record was created comes with experience and if necessary additional reading around the subject area. Beginners cannot expect to fully understand all the records they may need to use, and this may mean that to truly reach a conclusion may in some cases take years.

This next Sunday 27th April 2014 we shall be discussing The Written Conclusion which should help pull together why we need all 5 parts of the Genealogical Proof Standard and why all parts are interdependent.

Dealing with Conflicting Information

This post is a follow on from my previous post about the parents of my grandmother Florence Ann Compton. If you have not read that post I suggest you read it first to give you the background information http://genemeet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/florence-ann-compton-was-orphaned-who.html

Sunday 13th April 2014 we discussed conflicts in the Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 hangout on air at DearMyrtle's genealogy Community on Google+ and I briefly mentioned I would be doing this follow up post.

The 3-2-1 Cite challenge involved me using 3 sources to inform my assertion that the parents of my grandmother Florence Ann Compton were Edmund John Compton and Thirza Ann nee Robbins.
However these were not the only sources I had available.
All genealogists need to take all the available evidence and assemble it so that they can analyse it and review any conflicts.

So what other sources did I have and do I have any conflicts that need to be resolved.
I have assembled the information in chronological order and highlighted my conflict in the spreadsheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_NldO8SxIHCVSDLWNTH6pQ4G9vA4HaYhwt62AnTgxtE/edit?usp=sharing


Almost all of the information in the documents is in agreement.

Many who have more than one forename will not use their first name or prefer to use a middle name. This appears to be the case for both Edmund and Thirza with both being recorded as John and Ann at some point in the records.

The records where information was given by others, close to her date of birth and the dates when her parents died, all seem to be in agreement, as spelling and using only one of 2 forenames, are minor conflicts. 

But when Florence Ann Compton married at the age of 26 her father was recorded as Walter John Compton (deceased). 

There was a Walter John Compton and he had indeed died before 1927. He had been responsible for Florence Ann Compton when she left the orphanage at 16 years of age.

below are 2 of the 48 orphanage documents. 
A letter from her brother and the discharge from the orphanage to explain how I know this to be true.

Walter would have been responsible for her up until his death during the flu epidemic post WW1. 

Since the most reliable evidence was recorded at the time of her birth when both parents were still alive, it seems reasonable to state that the incorrect information she gave at the time of her marriage was due to the fact that she barely knew her parents as she was orphaned at the age of six.
The only parent figure she would have likely remembered would be her eldest brother Walter John Compton.