Missing records still missing

Well, my family and I made it through the blizzard of 2011. And with the small exception of the snowblower dying and one shovel handle breaking in two, it really wasn't that bad. Just two weeks after the 3rd largest snowstorm in Chicago history, we are having a heat wave of sorts. Believe it or not, by Thursday it will be close to 60 degrees. Most of the two feet of snow that was dumped on the city is melting away and it almost feels like spring, something Chicago doesn't get to see very often.

Last week, I finally order some additional memory for my computer and it came (via UPS) today. My brother installed it and so far, its running much faster and smoother than it did a few hours ago. I can even play some Facebook games that I couldn't before because they were very slow to load.

I was going through my files, try to decide if I should rearrange my binders and perhaps divide them up into collateral lines and direct lines. At this point I have lines that I don't even research taking up space in binders and ones that could be in binders in smaller 3-prong folders, which don't hold that much.

Remember when I thought I had found Fred A. Ring's parents because I matched his birthdate EXACTLY to a Frederik Alexander Gotje Ring? And then those records mysteriously disappeared? Well, they are still missing, except his two sisters are there, just not him or his brother. I just don't understand how they could disappear, but I'm glad I wrote them down. Now the question I'm pondering is whether or not I should put this information into my family tree file on my computer. And there's also the matter of Fred's death certificate which says his father's name is Hans, another name for John. How confident am I that even though the record itself has somehow disappeared from the website, that it is reasonable because of the dates of birth being EXACTLY the same its probably the same person? I am but I'm not, after all death certificates are only as reliable as the person that provided the information. In Fred's case it was his daughter, Carrie. And that's another thing, IF the parents I found ARE the right ones, its not just because of the matching birthdates, but the fact that Carl's (or Carel) wife's name is Anne CAROLINE and Frederik's middle name is ALEXANDER, two names that belong to two of his children.

I guess for now, I can keep the information in my binders until such a time (if any) that the records mysteriously reappear or I find some other evidence to corroborate the missing ones. My genealogy instincts have been pretty good, but this one is a tough call. But then again that's just part of the research experience I guess. You have to learn as you go along and as you learn you develop those instincts and feelings and have to decide whether or not to agree with them. Don't count them out.