Section 16.26 Pedigree Exception

• Library: Evidence 2017

E. (§16.26) Pedigree Exception

The “pedigree” exception to the hearsay rule allows, if the declarant is unavailable, testimony concerning:

· familial relationships;

· the fact of births, deaths, and marriages; and

· the time of these events.

In re Imboden’sEstate, 86 S.W. 263, 267 (Mo. App. E.D. 1905). The decedent’s declarations about a fact involving personal history are admissible as an exception to the hearsay rule if the fact is in controversy. Also, statements of an unavailable declarant are admissible under the “pedigree” exception. The declarants must be members of the...