VAUGHAN, ETC N EW S L E T T ER
June 1986
EDITOR: Verna Baker Banes
Page 19
VOL. IV, June. 1986
EDITOR: Verna Baker Banes Daughter: Rebecca Banes Krohn
DOCUMENTATION vs. LEGEND or ASSUMPTION
The editors of "DISTANT CROSSROADS", Hawkins Co TN Genealogical Society publica-
tion remind all searchers that, "Those of us in genealogy learned a long time ago to never assume anything, and to require at least circumstantial evidence before setting up an hypothesis. A genealogist* s approach in the search for evidence should be similar to that of an attorney seeking information that 'will hold up in court'. If someone's guesswork and assumptions from an earlier generation are repeated long enough, they are likely to be accepted as 'gospel'• This could create a chaotic situation in the event two or more sets of information ara opposed. This could even 'take you from the beaten path'."
With that introduction, I call your attention to an assumption I made on page 18 of the January
1986 issue of the NEWSLETTER. The next to last paragraph on that page should read: LAURA
CANTRELL KINSER was the .daughter of MALCOLM CANTRELL and MARGARET
ADALINE CLARK. I had assumed that she was the dau/of REYNOLDS CANTRELL
(bro/of Malcolm) and SARAH vaughan because she knew so much about the Vaughan family.
But a few weeks later, in response to my query on Vaughans in the FAMILY TREE column in
the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, I heard from Mrs. FRANCES BEDNAR, 6730 Brookshire,
Dallas, TX 75230, whose lines descend from both Vaughans and Cantrelis. She had evidence that
put the data straight. This illustrates how easy it is to roix up family liries.
This story has another point that should be emphasized. Mrs. Bednar's family had done extensive research on their family lines and had tried to get more data on the Vaughan-Cantrell connections. When I sent her a copy of the sketch written by Mrs. Kinser in 1926, Mrs. Bednar answered, "I am amazed that no one in my grandmother's family knew that she was doing genealogical research." Mrs. Kinser had errors in her sketch, so just think how much they could have helped each other!
The objective of this newsletter is to help researchers share with one another. Those of you who are sharing information are doing a marvelous service for present and future searchers on your lines. And besides, sharing is very exciting and rewarding.
Forty new readers have joined the one hundred fifteen who have continued from former years so the ripple on the pond continues to expand into 1986.
Thanks again for your suggestions, words of encouragement, and help with expenses —some even beyond the requested seven dollars a year. Your correspondence makes the arrival of the mail carrier a pleasant experience.
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