Proof Statements – Frances E. Lowe Died 23 October 1964

Dear Myrtle is holding a new study group session on the written conclusion as part of the Genealogical Proof Standard. Chapter 7 in Thomas W. Jones’s book, Mastering Genealogical Proof, covers this topic. Tomorrow’s Google Hangout over in DearMyrtle’s Genealogy Community will cover proof statements.

Dr. Jones defines a proof statement as, “a documented data item or sentence stating or showing a conclusion within a documented genealogical article, chapter, chart, report, table or other printed or online work.”[1] A proof statement needs to contain direct evidence and there can be no conflicting information.

I chose the family group sheet (see below) for the Daniel A. Robinson family. The proof statement in that piece of writing is for daughter Frances E. (Robinson) Lowe’s death date and location. Many of you will remember Frances from my time capsule series.

Proof Statement:

Frances E. Lowe died 23 October 1964 in Lynnwood, Snohomish Co., Washington.

·       The citations:

• Washington State Department of Health, death certificate no. 22770 (1964), Frances E. Lowe; Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia. 
• Theodore Lowe Family Bible Records, 1831-1964, Holy Bible (Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872), “Deaths;” privately held by R. Lowe [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], 1997. All of the entries in the Bible are in two different inks and handwriting, indicating they may have been made at the two different times. Both of the handwritings are unidentified. The Bible was likely passed from Theodore Lowe to his eldest son Milton Clark Lowe to his eldest son Milton Ashley Lowe who then passed it to R. Lowe. Michelle Goodrum photographed and transcribed the pages of interest in July 1997.     
• The Seattle Times (Seattle, Washington), 25 October 1964, p. 33; Suzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle. 
• Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 25 March 2015), memorial 36888505,  for digital image by Stephen Kronberg, 9 May 2009, of Acacia Memorial Park (Lake Forest Park, WA), Frances E. Lowe marker.

Evaluation

• The death certificate states where and when Frances died. It’s an original record and the physician signing the death certificate had firsthand knowledge of her death.
• The death date in the family Bible also has the same death date. The handwriting is not identified. At the time of Frances’s death, her son was in possession of the Bible. It’s likely that a close family member made the entry.
• The Seattle Times obituary was published two days after Frances died, so the information is timely, and the information in it agrees with all the other information in the family group sheet. We don’t know exactly who the informant was but it was likely the funeral home or a family member.
• The death date on the Findagrave marker also is in agreement.

Dr. Jones indicates (among other criteria on page 84) that it’s important for the citations, “the proof statement’s context or both,” to identify two or more “independent sources.” So let’s take a look.

• The physician provided the death date and place. He wasn’t involved with any of the other documents.
• The Bible information was provided by an unidentified family member who wasn’t the physician.
• The obituary information was probably provided by the funeral home or possibly a family member. In any case the informant is independent from the physician on the death certificate.
• The death date on the Findagrave marker would have been provided by a family member so again this is definitely independent of from the physician on the death certificate.

Wow. That’s a lot of words for one short proof statement!

And now, here’s the family group sheet with the footnotes pertinent to Frances. Be sure and tune in tomorrow at 9:00 am Pacific Time if you are interested in Dear Myrtle’s Written Conclusion Study Group. https://plus.google.com/communities/104382659430904043232/stream/2e065d0c-a2ae-4981-86fd-93bbbab09bc7

By the way, if you are descended from this family I'd love to hear from you. I have lots of pictures and letters. Also, I'd be willing to pay for an autosomal DNA test for any descendants of this family. Just sayin.

Daniel A. Robinson Family Group Sheet

Husband		Daniel A. Robinson		Wife		Nancy A. Ballinger
Birth		Ca. 1837 Massachusetts[i]		Birth		30 Sept 1850 or Sept 1851 Illinois[ii]
Marriage		25 Apr 1870 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado[iii]		Marriage
Death		5 Feb 1900 Columbus, Montana[iv]		Death		7 Sept 1927 Seattle, King Co., Washington[v]
Burial		9 Feb 1900 Boulder, Colorado[vi]		Burial		11 Sept 1927 Acacia Park, Lake Forest Park, King Co., Washington[vii]
Notes				Notes
Children			Birth		Marriage		Death & Burial
1	Frances E. Robinson		11 Jan 1871 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado[viii]		13 Mar 1895 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado Milton Clark Lowe[ix]		23 October 1964 Lynnwood, Snohomish Co., Washington Burial Acacia Park[x]
2	Georgia Lucinda Robinson		28 Oct 1872[xi]				29/30 Dec 1876 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado[xii] Burial 31 Dec 1877[xiii]
3	Daniel W. Robinson		16 March 1874 or 1875[xiv]		3 May 1909 Sweet Grass Co., Montana Bessie Gobraugh/Snyder[xv]		7 March 1943 Seattle, King Co., Washington[xvi]
4	Georgia Robinson		1878 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado[xvii]		Livingston, Park Co., Montana Charles Williams[xviii]		29 Dec 1932 Seattle, King Co., Washington[xix]
5	Julia Malinda Robinson		5 Dec 1880/1881 Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado[xx]		28 December 1898 Columbus, Montana Leonard A. Ekwortzel[xxi]		23 March 1957 Columbus, Stillwater Co., Montana[xxii]

---

[i] 1870 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado Territory, population schedule, Boulder City, page 7, dwelling & family 45, Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 26 March 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 94. Also, 1880 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 25, p. 25 (penned), dwelling & family 8, Danl Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 26 March 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 89. Also, 1885 Colorado State Census, Boulder County, population schedule, p. 77 [penned], dwelling 874, family 186, Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 March 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M158. Also, “Dan Robinson Dead,” Boulder County Herald (Boulder, Colorado) 7 February 1900, p. 5; Norlin Library Archives, University of Colorado, Boulder. Also, Historical & Descriptive Review of Colorado's Enterprising Cities: Their Leading Business Houses & Progressive Men (Denver: Jno. Lethem, 1893), p. 167.

[ii] 1900 U.S. census, Sweet Grass County, Montana, population schedule, Stillwater Township, Enumeration District (ED) 134, sheet 5, dwelling 116, family 116, Nancy Robinson in household of Milton C. Lowe; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 25 March 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 915. Also, 1880 U.S. census, Boulder Co., CO, pop. sched., ED 25, p. 25 (penned), dwell. & fam. 8, Danl Robinson. Also, 1885 Colorado State Census, Boulder Co., pop. sched., p. 77 [penned], dwell. 874, fam. 186, Daniel Robinson. Also,Washington State Department of Health, death certificate no. 2443 (1927), Nancy Robinson; Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia.

[iii] Boulder County, Colorado, marriage certificate, J:88, Daniel Robinson to Nancy Ballenger, 25 April 1870; Boulder County Clerk & Recorder, Boulder. Also, “Married,” Boulder County News (Boulder, Colorado), 4 May 1870, p. 3; digital image; Colorado Historic Newspapers (www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org : 25 March 25, 2015). Also, Theodore Lowe Family Bible Records, 1831-1964, Holy Bible (Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872), “Marriages.”

...

[viii] “Born,” Boulder County News (Boulder, Colorado), 18 January 1871, p. 3, col. 3; digital image; Colorado Historic Newspapers (www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org : 25 March 2015). Also, 1880 U.S. census, Boulder Co., Colo., pop. sched., ED 25, p. 25 (penned), dwell. & fam. 8, Frances Robinson in household of Danl Robinson. 1900 U.S. census, Sweet Grass Co., Mont., pop. sched., Stillwater Township, ED 134, sheet 5, dwell. 116, fam. 116, Frances E. Lowe in household of Milton C. Lowe. Theodore Lowe Family Bible Records, 1831-1964, Holy Bible (Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872), “Births;” privately held by R. Lowe [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], 1997. All of the entries in the Bible are in two different inks and handwriting, indicating they may have been made at the two different times. Both of the handwritings are unidentified. The Bible was likely passed from Theodore Lowe to his eldest son Milton Clark Lowe to his eldest son Milton Ashley Lowe who then passed it to R. Lowe. The Michelle Goodrum photographed and transcribed the pages of interest in July 1997.

[ix] Certificate of Marriage, Milton C. Lowe to Frances E. Robinson, 13 March 1895; Goodrum Family Papers, privately held by Michelle Roos Goodrum, Mesa, Arizona. This 9 x 11 ¾” certificate was passed from Milton C. and Frances to their son, Milton A. Lowe (1898-1972) to his daughter Colleen Lowe Roos to her daughter Michelle Roos Goodrum in 2007.  Also, Boulder County, Colorado, marriage certificate, 161:150, Milton C. Lowe to Frances E. Robinson, 13 March 1895; Boulder County Clerk & Recorder, Boulder. Also, “Lowe-Robinson,” Boulder Daily Camera (Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado), 13 March 1895, p. 2, col. 2; digital image, Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org : accessed 9 November 2014). Also, 1900 U.S. census, Sweet Grass Co., Mont., pop. sched., Stillwater Township, ED 134, sheet 5, dwell. 116, fam. 116, Frances E. Lowe in household of Milton C. Lowe. Also, Theodore Lowe Family Bible Records, 1831-1964, Holy Bible (Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872), “Marriages.” 

[x] Washington State Department of Health, death certificate no. 22770 (1964), Frances E. Lowe; Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia. Also, Theodore Lowe Family Bible Records, 1831-1964, Holy Bible (Ziegler & McCurdy, 1872), “Deaths.” Also, The Seattle Times (Seattle, Washington), 25 October 1964, p. 33; Suzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle. Also, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 25 March 2015), memorial 36888505,  for digital image by Stephen Kronberg, 9 May 2009, of Acacia Memorial Park (Lake Forest Park, WA), Frances E. Lowe marker.

[xi] “Death of the Little Ones,” Boulder County News (Boulder, Colorado), 5 January 1877, p. 3, col. 3; digital image; (http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org :  accessed 25 March 25, 2015). Also, “Death’s Harvest,” Colorado Banner (Boulder), 4 January 1877, p. 5, col. 6; digital image; Colorado Historical Newspapers (http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org :  accessed 25 March 25, 2015)..

[xii] .........

[1] Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2013), p. 84.

To cite this blog post:
Michelle Goodrum, "Proof Statements - Frances E. Lowe Died 23 October 1964," The Turning of Generations, 26 March 2015 (http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/2015/03/proof-statements-frances-e-lowe-died-23.html : [access date].

 © 2015, copyright Michelle Goodrum