Order of the Founders of North America Lineage Documentation Guidelines 09/18/2012 A. General Application requirements. 1. Application completeness

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1 Order of the Founders of North America Lineage Documentation Guidelines 09/18/2012 A. General Application requirements 1. Application completeness Documentation of applicant s biological bloodline ascent is required. All names, dates, and places birth marriages and death for the first three generations must be documented. Beyond that, emphasis will be placed on the bloodline to the ancestor. It does require that all such known data on spouses be included in the Lineage section of the application. The distinction is that, while not needed for the immediate purpose of proving the lineage claimed on the application, added data contributes to verifying the bloodline, and may be of use to future applicants who share common lineage. Proof of each generation through primary or secondary sources meeting current genealogical standards is necessary. 2. Applications on hold Applications that have been put on hold will be kept for possible submission of additional data for one year from the signature date of the application. After one year, the application will be then returned and a refund issued except for the genealogy approval fee of $100. One substitution of a new application for a different ancestor may be made within that timeframe without penalty. Any others will require payment of the whole fee. 3. Applications from other lineage organizations The OFNA may accept as proof official approved record copies of applications with all signatures from other heritage organizations, to include the Societies listed in the By-Laws as long as the lineage has not been disproven or rejected. Societies other than those listed may be considered but no society s application will be accepted that does not list verifiable and acceptable proof for each generation meeting current genealogical standards. The record copy will not simply refer to older applications under the same or a different society as proof. When using the approved application of another society, it is desirable to list the proofs for each generation exactly as on the record copy and at the end as given in XXX Society record copy, member No. ###.

2 4. Applicants must submit one paper copy of the original application form containing all necessary signatures and one editable digital copy. The paper copy will be on acid free or archival paper, 8 1/2x11. Only one copy of the proof material is to be presented and copies can be on regular paper, single sided. 5. Paper copy applications submitted must be prepared as follows: a. Forms must be typed or computer-printed forms using black print. Handwritten applications will not be accepted. b. Applicants must submit the original application form containing all necessary signatures. Photocopies of applications will not be accepted. c. Nothing may be attached to the application form by staple, glue, tape, pin, thread, or other means. 6. Standard date format The standard date format used by will be day, month, year, e.g.10 Jan 1900, rather than 01/10/1900. Dates in the latter format are unacceptable because of their ambiguity: this date could be interpreted either as 10 Jan 1900 or 01 Oct Many foreign documents conform to the latter and must be noted on any translation for clarity. 7. Citing Sources on the Application One major value of establishing a lineage for membership in the OFNA is the information provided in the application as a source for future members to use in establishing their own memberships. Incomplete citations such as death certificate, census record, family history are of little help. Provide enough information for the source to be relocated by an interested party such as: 1870 Census Mead Co., TX. Publications need to be referenced in a standard bibliography format with Author, Name of Publication, vol. #, Publisher, date of publication, page numbers etc. 8. Member numbering of accepted applications The Member numbers will begin with 1C indicating the first charter member which will be the first elected Grand Viscount General. The numbers will proceed with the order of the officers stated in the by-laws. After that, the numbering will continue as applications are approved for the Charter period with the C after the number. After the Charter period, L for life member. A J will be used for a junior member and CJ if a junior charter member.

3 9. Decisions as to validity of documentation will be made by the Genealogista General. 10. Multiple Lines of Descent from the Same Qualifying Ancestor Occasionally, a member may be able to demonstrate that he is descended from the same ancestor through more than one line of descent. It shall be the policy of the OFNA that while we will accept supplemental applications from members demonstrating more than one line of descent from an ancestor, the OFNA shall not issue more than one certificate per qualifying ancestor, nor may the member wear more than one insignia representing the same ancestor. B. Proof of Lineage documentation requirements 1. Vital record data available in electronic format OFNA will accept vital record data that is available on the Internet or sold on a CD-ROM, which have been compiled from reputable sources and would otherwise be acceptable to the OFNA as documentation. In all cases of Internet documentation a hard copy that identifies the URL and/or source of the document shall accompany the submission so its authenticity can be verified if necessary. 2. Underline in RED pencil/pen to indicate applicable text of documents showing the bloodline links, specifically any (and only) text that states or supports the relationship. Alternatively, the applicable portions can be highlighted by a red vertical line in the margin. DO NOT USE HIGHLIGHTER. Add in RED as a marginal note the generation number(s) to which the underlined items apply. At the top of a source document, add an annotation in RED listing all of the generation numbers to which the document refers. Include a narrative describing how multiple documents provide indirect proof of a conclusion. Without this, the genealogist must analyze the documents and arrive at their own conclusions. Make sure the narrative resolves any conflicting evidence, and in the case of multiple persons of the same name in the same area, that all ambiguity is eliminated. 3. Acceptance of Direct Evidence or Proof Arguments in a Lineage

4 On any given application, direct evidence or a compelling proof argument meeting all of the elements of a standard genealogical proof is required for each genealogical link between any two generations. Any link in an application may be accepted by the OFNA Genealogista General if it is determined that the link has been sufficiently established based on primary evidence or by a genealogical proof argument for that link (sometimes referred to as Preponderance of Evidence or Genealogical Proof Standard). A genealogical proof argument can be made to build a case using indirect evidence of lineage, to resolve inconsistencies in available evidence, or to differentiate between persons of the same name and should include the following elements: 1) A reasonable search of available evidence, 2) Complete and accurate source citations, 3) An analysis and correlation of the collected evidence, 4) Resolution of any conflicting evidence, 5) A soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion. A discussion of the reliability of any evidence that is open to question or in conflict with other evidence is needed as part of the proof argument. 4. Use of DNA in OFNA Applications DNA test results may be accepted on a case by case basis at the discretion of the GG as it complies with the following. DNA test results are best used to locate others researching a solid male line of descent (a patrilineal descent) from a common male ancestor. This is usually, but not always, a line of descent with the same surname, or a variation of such surname. DNA test results also have limited application in proving that an applicant is genetically descended from a particular ancestor. The OFNA shall consider DNA test results to prove that an applicant is descended from a patriot ancestor when there is a 90% probability that the most recent common ancestor of the applicant and another male descended from a known ancestor was no further back than eight generations, as shown by their closely matching Y-chromosome results. This is possible under the following circumstances: a. DNA test results may be used in the OFNA application process as one piece of supporting evidence in a "preponderance of evidence" case, or as one of the additional pieces of evidence. b. An applicant's DNA test results show that a match for at least 65 of 67 genetic markers on the Y-chromosome with another male who has an accepted documented paper trail back to the common ancestor. DNA test results of the Y- chromosome are only useful for an applicant who is attempting to prove that he is

5 a descendant of an ancestor from whom he has a solid male line of descent, and the applicant can compare his DNA with another man who has a solid male of descent from the same ancestor, but whose lineage is supported by an accepted, documented paper trail back to the common ancestor. 5. Unsupported statements Unsupported statements in prior applications, town and county histories, biographical dictionaries, family histories and genealogies may not be accepted. 6. Use of Family and Local Histories Properly annotated published family histories and genealogies, including biographical sketches included in published local histories, may be accepted as evidence. When the family history or genealogy is authored by the applicant or any member of his immediate family, copies of the sources used for the compilation must be furnished. When sources are not properly annotated in a family history, genealogy, or local history but the author was in a position to personally know information regarding the persons described in the bloodline, that evidence may also be considered on a case-by-case basis. For instance, the biographies in many county histories were provided by the subjects themselves. While the author may be presumed to have known his own parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren, portions of such sketches relating to the subject s family in colonial times would properly be deemed unacceptable hearsay. Include a copy of the title page with date of publication. 7. Proof documents written in foreign languages English is the language of use for OFNA applications. A document in a foreign language must be accompanied by an English translation of the critical part. 8. Bible records and other original family documents used as proof documents Bible records and other original family documents, such as old letters and journals may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. To prove lineage, the relationship between two generations must be explicit, or used with other documentation to reasonably prove a parent-child relationship. If possible, a photo or scanned image of all the pages showing the family information must be submitted, and in the case of a Bible, a photo of the Bible s title page and page that has the date of publication if different, will be presented to give an indication of the Bible's age and

6 genealogy presented. Entries will be evaluated based on the date of publication and evidence that the events were recorded soon after they occurred. If the writer can be identified through the handwriting (through old letters, etc.) that proof should be included. Bible entries apparently entered long after the event will reduce their usefulness. The Genealogista General will also evaluate notarized transcripts of Bible records, though having less value, on a case-by-case basis. 9. Proof of a maternal bloodline If the bloodline goes through the maternal side, there must be acceptable evidence of the connection between the woman and her parents, as well as between the woman and her child. By themselves census records usually will not suffice, unless one shows the father and/or mother living in the married daughter s household, but other indirect evidence may establish the linkage 10. Birth certificates Short-form birth certificates will be accepted as proof only to the statements found on them. They can not be used to prove parentage unless stated on the document. The long-form birth certificate often provides additional information regarding the parents' ages and birthplaces. If the child of an OFNA member is applying for membership, a birth certificate or other acceptable proof of relationship is required between the OFNA member and the child. Likewise for each subsequent generation. 11. Annotations Extraneous annotations by others on records are not generally acceptable. This includes such things as annotations listing the family with a photo or transcription of a tombstone record. 12. Tombstone records Tombstones used as supporting evidence must be contemporaneous to the time of the subject s death and include a photograph of the marker. Only data on the tombstone can be accepted. The record must list the name and location of the cemetery 13. Abstracted records

7 Full transcriptions of documents are preferable to abstracts. Either must contain source information, including state, county, volume/book, and page number. 14. Unacceptable documentation The following unacceptable sources will not be submitted as proof of a bloodline: a. LDS Ancestral File and/or IGI records b. User-submitted family information from online websites, including GEDCOMs, Ancestry.com, World Family Tree, Rootsweb.com and similar sites c. US and International Marriage Records from Ancestry.com; d. Documents so illegible that the applicant has had to write in the pertinent information. 15. Initials or use of middle names instead of first names Documents containing initials rather than a full given name can be problematic, and normally require additional supporting evidence that the subject is the correct person. It is not to be assumed that one record referring to J. W. Smith and another referring to J. Smith, or John Smith, refer to J. William Smith, without additional evidence that J. William went by both names. Other records may be required to show this, such as a census recording the names of other family members in the household with him. 16. Death certificates of remarried wives If her death certificate is under the surname of a second spouse, proof of the name change from that of the bloodline spouse to that of the second spouse is needed. 17. Missing title pages for published sources The title page showing the name and date of the publication is required for all published source records used. 18. Do not supply redundant information when the package already contains adequate proof. For example, omit the obituary if a death certificate is submitted, unless there is a problem with information in the death certificate that the obituary helps to correct. 19. Do not submit multiple copies of the same document when it covers more than two generations. Use the annotation at the top of the document to indicate those generations to which the document relates.

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