The primary objective of the First Families / Pioneer Families, Century Families and Civil War Families of Coshocton County, Ohio, is to identify and honor the memory of our early settlers, to show the proven settlers lasting mark on the county they helped to develop, and to preserve documented family records. The research and work necessary to discover the settlers and their descendants are intended to foster and encourage increasing interest in the people who contributed in any way, great or small, to establishing Coshocton County, its customs, history and genealogy.

The following rules and procedures apply to all applications for First and/or Pioneer Families, Century Families and Civil War Families of Coshocton County, Ohio. First and Pioneer Families at present are combined as one society, Century Families and Civil War Families are separate.

Applicants must submit an application, the application fee and full documentation to each society they wish to join. Documentation is currently shared by First and Pioneer Families but not by Century Families and Civil War Families.

2. Applicants must prove:

1. For First Families of Coshocton County, OH, that the ancestor(s) resided in Coshocton County by 1 January 1831.
2. For Pioneer Families of Coshocton County, OH, that the ancestor(s) resided in Coshocton County by 1 January 1851.
3. For Civil War Families of Coshocton County, OH, that the direct ancestor(s) or collateral relative(s) served in the Civil War, for the Union or the Confederacy. The ancestor(s) or collateral must have lived in or served from Coshocton County, Ohio. Dates of service must be between 1861 and 1865. Service is not limited to an Ohio outfit. Squirrel Hunters and spies are also eligible. Female ancestors or relatives who served in some capacity (i.e. nurses) are eligible.
4. For Century Families of Coshocton County, OH, that the ancestor(s) resided in Coshocton County from 1 January 1851 to 100 years before the date of your application.

Form 2011

Page 1

1. Do not use highlighter, staples, paper clips, and tape of any kind, whiteout products, gummed labels, sheet protectors, or binders.

2. To indicate specific evidence in some copies, use red pen or pencil to mark an arrow in the margin of the document or use blue, non-photographic pencil to underline. Print, type or computer print your full name and address on the back of each piece of evidence. Do not use gummed address labels.

1. Organize your proof documents by generation before beginning to number them. A sheet of acid free paper may be used to separate the generations. Number each piece of evidence in the upper right hand corner according to its corresponding number on the Documentation Record Sheet. You may substitute a numbered list of proof documents typed on another sheet of paper instead of the record sheet.

2. Female ancestors named on the application must be identified by their maiden names and, if married, their marriages proved.

3. Married female applicants, who use their husband’s surname, must include a copy of their marriage record to document their change of name. Each legal name change must be documented. Also include spouse’s birth (and death, if applicable) record(s).

4. If more space is needed to list additional ancestral lines, for Civil War Families, photocopy and use the unnumbered sections at the top of page 4 under Direct Ancestor Application.

5. If an ancestor has been previously proved by another individual, the applicant may submit proof only to the nearest common ancestor. A citation to the name and number of the appropriate lineage society member must be included. Including a photocopy of pertinent pages of that application would be helpful.

6. Deadline for applications to be submitted is September 1^st of each year.

7. The final application approval decision rests with each lineage society chair (s).

Form 2011

Page 2

The rules of evidence applying to membership in First Families and Pioneer Families, Century Families of Coshocton County, OH and Civil War Families of Coshocton County, OH listed below are the standards by which all proof is judged. There are no exceptions.

The nature and extent of the evidence submitted as proof in all applications shall be sufficient to prove that the applicant is directly descended from the ancestor (s) named in the application, and shall be sufficient to differentiate between any two persons of the same name residing in the same area at the same time.

For Civil War Families of Coshocton County, a collateral line relationship must be documented. You must prove your direct ancestor and the collateral soldier are the children of the same parents.

For Civil War Families of Coshocton County, proof of military service can be found in enlistment, discharge, pension or other Federal, Confederate or state government records.

Documents used as proof, either alone or in conjunction with other acceptable documents, must state the fact to be proved. Inferred proof is not acceptable. See # 25 next page for example.

All documents must include a full citation to the original source. Citations should be written on the front of the photocopy (or True Copy transcription), or you may include a photocopy of the title page showing:

1. Give state, county, volume and page for all court documents.

2. Title page information for published works should include author, copyright (if there is one) publisher and date.

3. Give all identifying information for military records such as packet number, microfilm roll number or other information.

4. Family Bible pages must be accompanied by a photocopy or True Copy transcription of the Bible’s title page and any section showing the publication date of the Bible. Bibles must be contemporary with the information they prove. Please list the current owner of the Bible.

5. Family records were kept in other ways. Old family papers and letters, may be accepted as proof for only the facts that the writer could know as contemporary knowledge. Identification of the writer, document date and statement of document provenance must be submitted.

6. Census photocopies should show, or have written in, all necessary finding information. If copy is from the internet, copy the source page, full page showing ancestor (s), and if necessary, for better clarity, zoom in on image to area needed and copy.

7. Documentation must be provided for each date, place or name written on the application.

8. Dates should be written in day, month and year format (1 September 2007). Dates may be estimated using censuses or tombstones. If estimating a date (circa), write it like this: c1808, Dates calculated from census or tombstones must have cal written after the date on the documentation pages.

9. Evidence from vital statistics, courthouse or other government records, and church records is usually considered as corroborating (primary) evidence.

10. Oral, written, or published family traditions may be in error and cannot be accepted as evidence.

11. Printed or manuscript genealogies, genealogical records or compilations, family group sheets and charts, family reunion records and similar material are not considered documentation.

     

    Form 2011

    Page 3

     

     

    Rules of Evidence cont.

     

12. Unsupported information from an amateur or professional genealogist is not acceptable, including such records printed in genealogical, historical, or similar publications. Scholarly journal articles that are supported by citations to acceptable documentation may be acceptable.

13. Published or manuscript material authorized by the applicant or his family will not by itself be accepted as proof but may be included with other qualifying proof.

14. A marriage license is not acceptable as proof for a marriage; it only proves intent. If no marriage record exists, write the word Lic after the license date on the application.

15. Pre-1880 censuses cannot be used as sole proof of relationship.

16. Pre-1850 censuses cannot be used as sole proof of relationship or residence for anyone other than the head of household.

17. Land or real estate is acceptable only if they specify that the individual was a resident of Coshocton County, Ohio.

18. Photographs of tombstones are acceptable. Include the name and location of the cemetery in which the tombstone is found. Tombstone photographs must be transcribed when they are difficult to read.

19. Documents written or printed in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation into English and the translation certified as a True Translation by the translator (third party not related).

20. Lineage applications, accepted or unaccepted, from other patriotic or hereditary societies are not considered proof.

21. E-mail is not considered proof.

22. Information taken from Internet is not always proof. Information taken from Internet sources, to be acceptable evidence must be in its original form. The original source and URL must be fully cited. Web site information will be judged on an individual basis as to the credibility of the data presented.

23. The Social Security Death Index and similar documented or governmental indexes may be acceptable.

24. DNA evidence and supporting documentation will be viewed on an individual basis.

25. Examples of implied proof which are not acceptable are:

1. Unnamed individuals specified in court records as heirs or heirs-at-law unless it is known that applicable laws at the time included only bloodline descendants.

2. A father is not proven as being in an area just because his child was born there. The birth only proves the mother and child were there.

3. Blood descent, is not necessarily proved by owning the same land as an earlier owner by the same name.