I've been having a devil of a time getting ancestors to arrange properly in my tree prior to the marriage of Burwell Pope (b.1751; d.1800) and Priscilla Wootten (b.?, d.?). Like others (I'm sure), I have been relying on two of the more popular publications in my genealogical research. The first is 'William and Mary College Quarterly: Col. Nathaniel Pope and his Descendants' by Rev. G. W. Beale, D.D. The second publication is 'The Hills of Wilkes County, Georgia and Allied Families'.

I have noticed that both of these publications have been referred to as reliable sources of information in applications for membership in the Sons of The American Revolution. The problem is that these two books do not agree with one another in the ancestry of Burwell Pope, as follows...

In the 'William and Mary College Quarterly' the family line is given as such:
[Col. Nathaniel Pope & Luce ?] ->
[Nathaniel Pope & Mary Sisson] ->
[Nathaniel Pope "aka Bridges" & Jane Brown] ->
[John Pope & Elizabeth Pope (cousins)] ->
[John Henry Pope & ? Burwell] ->
[Burwell Pope & Priscilla Wootten]

In 'The Hills of Wilkes County, Georgia and Allied Families' the family line is given as such:
[William Pope & Marie ?] ->
[Henry Pope & Sarah Watts] ->
[John Pope & Mourning McKennie] ->
[Henry Pope & Tabitha ?]
[Burwell Pope & Priscilla Wootten]

Both of these publications appear to have been authored by men who would have been knowledgeable in the family lineage. One was a Reverend which leads me to believe that he would have had access to old bible, birth, burial and baptism records to assist him in his work. The other author, Lodowick J Hill, Sr., is a family member who (even according to his book) was well armed with records kept by the family.

So, now I am completely puzzled for the moment. Which of the two genealogical works should I trust to be the most accurate?

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Roy Pope, Jr.