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Elizabeth
Shown Mills' stunning book, Evidence!, provides the
family history researcher with a reliable standard for both
the correct form of source citation and the sound analysis
of evidence. In successful genealogical research, these two
practices are inseparable, and the author's treatment of
this little-understood concept is nothing short of
brilliant.
This dual-track theme is introduced early on, and is best
summed up in a few choice paragraphs from the introduction:
"Successful research--research that yields correct
information with a minimum of wasted time and funds--depends
upon a sound analysis of evidence. Source citation is
fundamental, but it is not enough. The validity of any piece
of evidence cannot be analyzed if its source is unknown.
Citing a worthless source is an effort that produces
worthless results.
"Research, evidence, citation, and analysis are inseparable.
Evidence is the vehicle that moves our research from
curiosity to reality. Citation and analysis are the twin
highways that get us there, smoothly and safely.
"Evidence! tries to strip away much of the confusion that
researchers experience in this adventure. It offers a road
map for beginners, who hope to avoid mistakes, and
guideposts for the advanced, who already appreciate the need
to map their own course precisely. . . .
"Evidence! stems from the belief that most researchers want
to do good work. We simply need guidelines and explicit
models--ones tailored to genealogy and to the original
sources we commonly use but cannot find discussed in The
Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Handbook, or similar
manuals aimed at a broader marker."
CONTENTS
Introduction
Part 1
Fundamentals of citation
Fundamentals of analysis
Part 2
Citation formats
Appendixes
Sample: documented family group sheet
Sample: documented ancestor chart
Guidelines for citing credentials
Bibliography
Index
REVIEWS
"Not just
every genealogist, but every historian as well, should own a
copy. Evidence! is filled with useful information that is
difficult to find elsewhere."--Grady McWhiney, Ph.D. Lyndon
Baines Johnson Professor Emeritus, Texas Christian University.
"Evidence! provides librarians, archivists and others a manual
to hand genealogists as a solid guide, to make research easier
for themselves and future readers."--Eric G. Grundset, M.L.S.
Director, Daughters of the American Revolution Library; Vice
President, National Genealogical Society
"Evidence! is for all of us--the novice, the experienced
family historian, and those who come into genealogy from other
academic environments. The wide-ranging citation formats cover
not only traditional sources but the latest technological
ones."--Cameron Allen, J.D. Professor Emeritus of Law, Rutgers
University; President, American Society of Genealogists
"In this book, one of America's foremost genealogical scholars
has taken on a Herculean task and accomplished it
superbly...Elizabeth Mills has provided the best single source
for genealogical documentation and a seminal discussion of
genealogical analysis. This is a book that every genealogist
should be required to own."--THE AMERICAN GENEALOGIST, Vol.
73, No. 3 (July 1998), p. 233.
"The importance of [Mills'] book to every genealogist cannot
be understated...we can heartily recommend this book. Every
genealogist should own a copy."--THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND
BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol. 129, No. 1 (January 1998), p. 53.
Click here to
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