ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>First Families of Western Pennsylvania - Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society</title> <meta name="description" content="add your site description here"> <meta name="keywords" content="add your search engine keywords here separated by commas"> <meta name="designer" content="My Arts Desire/Round the Bend Wizards"><!--Do Not Remove Credit--> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="imagetoolbar" content="false"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css"> <script type="text/javascript" src="flashobject.js"></script> </head> <body> <div align="center"> <table class="wrapper"> <tr> <td colspan="3" class="header" valign="bottom"> <!--webbot bot="Include" U-Include="includes/globaltop.htm" TAG="BODY" startspan --> <img border="0" height="16" src="images/buttons/iconhome.gif" width="16" align="middle" /><a href="default.aspx"><strong> <span style="color: #ffffff">Home</span></strong></a>&nbsp; | <img border="0" height="16" src="images/buttons/iconfaqs.gif" width="16" align="middle" /> <a href="faqs.htm"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff">FAQs</span></strong></a>&nbsp; | <img border="0" height="16" src="images/buttons/iconcontact.gif" width="16" align="middle" /> <a href="contact.aspx"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff">Contact</span></strong></a>&nbsp; <!--webbot bot="Include" i-checksum="47183" endspan --></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img border="0" src="images/topbar.jpg" width="250" height="10"></td> <td><img border="0" src="images/topbar.jpg" width="250" height="10"></td> <td><img border="0" src="images/topbar.jpg" width="250" height="10"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="sidebar1"> <br> &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Include" U-Include="includes/mainnavigation.htm" TAG="BODY" startspan --> <div class="rollover"> <A href="aboutus.htm">About Us</A> <A href="membership.htm">Join WPGS / Renew</A> <A href="publications.htm">Publications</A> <A href="events.htm">Upcoming Events</A> <a href="research.htm">Library & Research</a> <a href="free_databases.htm">FREE Databases</a> <a href="memberpages/members.aspx">Members Only</a> <a href="contact.aspx">Contact WPGS</a> </div> <!--webbot bot="Include" i-checksum="13717" endspan --><p>&nbsp;</td> <td class="mainimage"><div id="flashcontent"><img src="images/mainimage.jpg" width="250" height="250"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> var fo = new FlashObject("052-01.swf", "_052-01", "250", "250", "7", "#FFFFFF"); fo.addParam("quality", "high"); fo.addParam("wmode", "transparent"); fo.write("flashcontent"); </script> </td> <td class="sidebar2"> <h3>News and Events:</h3> <div style="text-align: center"> <!--webbot bot="Include" U-Include="includes/calendar.htm" TAG="BODY" startspan --> <div align="center"> <SCRIPT SRC="calendar.js"></SCRIPT> </div> <!--webbot bot="Include" i-checksum="46077" endspan --></div> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="events.htm"><img border="0" src="images/buttons/buttonmoreinfo.jpg" width="100" height="20"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="sidebar"> <h4> Upcoming Events</h4> <p><b><a href="events.htm"></a> </b></p> <p> <img border="0" class="imageright" height="59" src="images/carnegie.jpg" width="75" /><strong>June 9, 2007:<br /> </strong><em>What's Old and New at the National Archives</em>, Marie V. Me<strong>l</strong>chiori, CG, CGL<strong> </strong><a href="events.htm"> <img height="13" src="images/bullet.gif" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic" width="10" /></a><br /> <br /> </p> <hr /> <div align="center" style="text-align: left"> <h6 style="text-align: left"> New Publications</h6> </div> <!--webbot bot="Include" i-checksum="46077" endspan --> <p> <b> <img class="imageleft" height="59" longdesc="WPGS Publications" src="images/coal_mine_sm.jpg" width="75" />Deaths in the Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Districts 1888-1897, Vol 1<br /> </b>Summary of published reports sent to the Pennsylvania Mine Inspector for the western bituminous counties of Pennsylvania for the years 1888 through 1897. </p> <p> <strong>Index to the Registration of Deaths Allegheny County Pennsylvania 1893-1905<br /> </strong>Statewide registration of deaths in Pennsylvania did not start until 1906. The index to death registrations in this publication is a result of an act in 1893 requiring assessors of the townships, boroughs and wards to record such deaths within their district. <a href="publications.htm"></a> </p> <p> <strong>Marriages in Allegheny City<br /> </strong>Prior to 1906, Allegheny City was an independent entity separate from the City of Pittsburgh. Information includes place of birth for bride and groom, residence of each, age, race, occupation, date of marriage and the name of the person performing the ceremony. </p> <p> <a href="publications.htm"> <img border="0" height="20" src="images/buttons/buttonmoreinfo.jpg" width="100" /></a><br /> &nbsp;</p> </td> <td colspan="2" class="maintext"> <h1>First Families of Western Pennsylvania</h1> <h2> <em> Rules of Evidence</em></h2> <ul> <li>All evidence submitted as proof shall be sufficient to prove that the applicant is directly descended from the claimed ancestor. The evidence must prove residence of the ancestor by the required date and be sufficient to differentiate between any two persons of the same name residing in the same area at the same time.<br /> </li> <li>The direct line from applicant to first family ancestor must be proved at every step. Blood line descent only is acceptable; adopted children do not qualify as a step in the lineage.<br /> </li> <li>Remember that <i>quality</i> of evidence is more important that <i>quantity.<br /> </i></li> <li>Each document submitted must include a complete citation on the <b>front</b> of the document. Applications without citations will be returned. Examples of proper citation may be found in <i>Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian</i>, Elizabeth Shown Mills, GPC, Baltimore, 1997.<br /></li> <li>Documents must state the fact being documented. An individual names as an "heir" in court records is not necessarily related to the testator.<br /></li> <li>Primary evidence is the best evidence. Birth, death and marriage certificates, and courthouse records such as wills and deeds, are considered to be primary evidence.<br /></li> <li>Bible records may be considered to be primary evidence if event dates are contemporary with the publication date of the Bible. A copy of the title page must be submitted. The current location of the Bible should be given.<br /></li> <li>Letters, diaries and family records can be accepted if they state facts that the writer could have known "first hand." The identity of the writer and the date of the document are necessary.<br /></li> <li>Secondary evidence such as census records, newspaper accounts., etc., will be considered as corroborative evidence.<br /></li> <li>County histories and family genealogies (published or unpublished) will not be considered as documentation, but as secondary or corroborative evidence.<br /></li> <li>Lineage papers from other societies will not be considered as documentation.<br /></li> <li>Photocopies of original documents are acceptable. Transcripts must be certified as a "true copy" by a courthouse official, cemetery employee, etc.<br /></li> <li>Tombstone photographs must be legible and accompanied by a transcription of the stone.<br /></li> <li>Documents written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation certified as a  true translation by the translator (a person other than the application or family member).<br /></li> <li>Female ancestors living in western Pennsylvania before 31 December 1810 must be identified by their maiden names.<br /></li> <li>Married female applicants must include a copy of their marriage record, if they use their husband s surname.<br /></li> <li>Your name and address must be on the reverse of each piece of paper submitted.<br /></li> <li>The First Families application form may be duplicated for use as a worksheet for for submitting additional ancestors.</li></ul> <p style="text-align: left"> See <a href="first_families.htm">First Families of Western Pennsylvania</a> for more information or <a href="http://www.wpgs.org/FirstFamiliesForm.pdf"> download the FFWP Application</a> and get started!<br /> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" class="footer"> <!--webbot bot="Include" U-Include="includes/footer.htm" TAG="BODY" startspan --> <p>© 2011 Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society <br> 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-4080</p> <!--webbot bot="Include" i-checksum="52326" endspan --></td> </tr> </table> </div> </body> </html>