I recently had a phone call from a distant cousin. We are both descendants of Jesse Savage and Hannah Wills through different children. He had read my Savage family article on the website www.mcwieser.info He wanted to see a copy of the will of Francis Allen, mother of Isabella Allen Malcolm who some people have chosen as the Isabella who married Isaac Savage circa 1750 in York County Maine. I assured him that I would get him a scan as soon as possible. However, I was mortified to discover I had never taken a copy of the original. I had a complete transcript. Word for work, including all the strange spellings. But I hadn’t taken a copy. Trying to read my mind in hindsight, I think that I reasoned this way 1) Francis Allen was not the mother of the Isabella who married Isaac Savage 2) therefore I didn’t really need a copy of her will.
In hind sight this is sloppy and completely wrong. I may be sure in my mind that Francis is not the mother of MY Isabella (In fact, I more than sure, I’m totally, completely and absolutely convinced – I consider this to have been definitively proven.) But I should still have a copy of the will on hand to support my proof argument. Now I have to go back and get a copy from the microfilm. I thought I was past redoing research. But as long as I have uncorrected sloppy work in my files, I guess I’ll keep repeating myself.
By the way, I’m trying a new look. Is it easier to read? Let me know