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How to Write a Professional Genealogy Research Report

Whether you are writing a genealogy report for your family or you aspire to become a professional genealogist, thorough and accurate documentation is an essential skill. Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Robert Call provides six core components that professional genealogists use that can help make your research more organized and enjoyable for others to read.

Professional Genealogy ReportWriting is an important part of the genealogy pursuit. In genealogy, the simplest form of writing we might do is data entry—entering the names, relationships, dates, and places—into an online or offline family tree. Make no mistake, data entry may seem “simple,” but the work that goes into uncovering that data is frequently quite exhaustive and we must be careful to be accurate with our data entry. It can be satisfying to weave that data into written stories—short life sketches, a book, a blog post, etc.—that illuminate the lives of our ancestors. Our research may be presented in an article or volume organizing vital information for the descendants or ancestors of a particular person.

Another form of genealogical writing is the research report. It is the report that is the focus of this blog article.

Professional genealogists and hobbyists alike compose research reports to fulfill a critical function of our work. At its core, the purpose of a research report is to document and communicate what was done to meet the research goal(s). At Legacy Tree Genealogists, the report is at the heart of our deliverables. Clients purchase our expertise to be devoted to their questions for a specified amount of time and the report presents what was done in pursuit of answers.

Research reports are useful for non-professional research as well; in fact, we recommend using them when appropriate in your personal research. The work we do, whether for others or ourselves, can benefit greatly because reports do more than simply account for the time spent towards a goal. Reports also assist in the analysis process. They fulfill the fifth point of the Genealogical Proof Standard, which is “a soundly reasoned, coherently written [emphasis added] conclusion based on the strongest available evidence.”[1]

Reports can save valuable time by communicating what research has been done so that future researchers will not duplicate efforts. Reports can be shared with others who may be interested in the topic. I have written reports for myself and have taught my former students—most of whom were only interested in college genealogy classes for their own research—to write reports. Therefore, even if you have no intention of writing a research report for a client, what you will learn in this article will improve your personal genealogy research.     

Genealogy research reports often have at least six core components:

  • Research Objective
  • Background Information
  • Research & Analysis
  • The Conclusion
  • Research Recommendations
  • Executive Summary

These components may be phrased or organized differently, but the purposes for each component remain the same. For example, at Legacy Tree Genealogists, one of our report formats is as follows: goals (research objective), progress (executive summary), recommendations (research recommendations), background information, the body, and the conclusion. We’ll delve into each of these components so that you can understand the purpose of each section and what to expect from a report.

Research Objective

The research objective or research goal is where the research should be focused; therefore, it is critical that the goal is defined accurately and is understood by everyone involved. In writing a report, it is important to include the goal at the beginning because it signals to the reader what the topic of the report is, which provides context for understanding the content.

Let’s talk a bit more about goals. The beginnings of a research goal are often expressed as general interests. Some examples include: “I want to know who my ancestors were.” “I want to know more about my ancestors.” “Grandma always talked about her grandfather who fought in the Civil War. I want to know more about him.” “My family is Irish, and I want to know who my immigrant ancestor was.”

Our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists will work with you to turn these interests into specific goals that our researchers can work towards, such as, “Extend all ancestral lines of Jane Doe. Jane was born on 18 August 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, and was the spouse of John Smith.”

You’ll notice that this goal is composed of five elements: the specific objective (“extend all ancestral lines”), the full name of the research subject or starting ancestor (Jane Doe), a date (18 August 1924), a place (Chicago), and a relationship (husband John Smith). Each of these components is critical because they serve as identifiers for where our research begins and indicators of the direction of our research.

If the goal had fewer or unclear details, we may start in the wrong spot in the family tree or focus on the wrong interests. The analogy I like to use is this: If a genealogist were to find the goal written on a slip of paper blowing down the street, they should be able to pick it up and begin research with some degree of confidence that they are on the right track without knowing anything else. Of course, additional background information is welcome—in fact, it is often critically important—but at a minimum, a goal needs a specific objective, name, date, place, and a relationship to allow us to start our work.

Background Information

Another critical element to include is a section outlining what was known about the objective prior to undertaking new research. Doing so brings the reader up to speed on previous research before new research begins. Including background information lays a foundation that helps us to understand why certain research avenues were pursued or not.

The length of this section often depends on the amount and relevancy of information provided at the beginning of the project. For instance, an adoptee may only have a few clues about his or her birth and biological parents, and it may not take long to recap that information in a couple of sentences. On the other hand, someone may come to us with scores of documents gathered over decades on a family line or brick wall problem. Summarizing extensive research such as this may take more space in the report.

Reviewing these documents and describing that review in the report, is a critical step because doing so will reduce duplicated effort, help determine if an accurate analysis has been performed, and reveal what research avenues have not yet been pursued.

For instance, if a researcher knows that all federal census entries for an individual have been found previously, then there is no need to spend time looking for those same documents. And, if those previously located censuses are described in the background section of the report, then the reader will understand why that work was not done during the research session.

When reviewing background information, we sometimes discover errors in the family tree that need to be corrected. Explaining these errors in the background section of the report will help the reader understand why steps were taken to rectify those errors. Lastly, it may become apparent while reviewing background information that a potentially helpful record or type—such as county property records—had not yet been consulted and could be examined during the research session.

One project I had a few years ago began with a man born in the mid-1700s in Colonial America with the goal of extending his ancestry. The client provided numerous historical documents about this man, and it could have been presumed that he was well-researched since there appeared to be so many documents about him.

However, as I began reviewing those documents, it quickly became apparent that multiple men of the same name in the same region had been “merged” into one fictitious man who had fought in the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Civil War. Reviewing these background documents resulted in starting research at a more recent generation, with the client’s approval, to ensure those correct ancestral identities, and therefore the correct pedigrees were discovered.

Another example may be insightful. I once had a research project where the client wanted to know where in Ireland her family lived before immigrating to the United States around the year 1900. The client provided a large, well-organized binder of documents which was the result of years of research.

When reviewing this information, it was determined that the client was correct in her conclusion about the specific place of origin for the family in Ireland. This meant that future researchers were free to move forward with extending the ancestry in Irish records, confident that the correct family lines were being followed.

What the client needed was a set of professional eyes to evaluate the work to ensure that good methods had been employed and that correct analysis had been performed. Reviewing the documents took a lot of time but eliminated duplication of research, ensured that correct conclusions had been reached, and determined that nothing more needed to be done relevant to the goal of identifying the Irish town of origin.

For these reasons, it is important that all background information is provided at the beginning of a research project, reviewed by the researcher, and is summarized in the report.

Research & Analysis

The body of the report is focused on describing the research, analysis, and conclusions that occupied most of the research time. The structure of this section will vary greatly from project to project and is tailored to the unique needs of each project.

Genealogical research is sometimes thought of as only pedigree charts, family group records, copies of historical documents and photos, and family stories. Underlying all of this is the extensive research and analysis needed to uncover those end-products. That research and analysis must be described in a report because doing so provides evidence for the conclusions presented in those other end-products. Without evidence, the accuracy of our family trees is questionable.

Genealogical conclusions are often nuanced and require a detailed explanation that is best conveyed in a report format rather than a simple pedigree chart or family group record. The Board for Certification of Genealogists describes three types of written “proofs” that are appropriate for different situations. These are proof statements, proof summaries, and proof arguments.

As may be surmised, these categories advance from the most basic to the most complex, and typically follow the complexity of the research problem. Proof statements are used when good research produced a reliable conclusion that needs no explanation. If a conclusion is perhaps a bit more complex, a proof summary can be used to quickly outline in paragraph or list form why it is believed the conclusion is correct. For the most complex genealogy problems, detailed explanations may be presented in the more involved argument format—think persuasive essay—that clearly explains why the conclusion is correct.[2]

One aspect of genealogy reports that is crucial is an explanation of the research scope. Describing the scope conveys what was and was not done in pursuit of meeting the objective, which signals to the reader the degree of reliability of the conclusions.

Genealogical research is an investigation using historical documents and DNA test results, when appropriate, to reach conclusions about individuals and family relationships. As with any other type of investigation, our genealogical investigations must be thorough to rule in or out hypotheses that could impact the validity of the conclusions. A lawyer cannot stand up in court and simply say, “Yeah, we investigated the situation, and our client is innocent,” and expect the jury to believe it. Rather, the lawyer must also present evidence proving the client’s innocence. Similarly, genealogy reports must present evidence of why each conclusion is correct.

The Conclusion

Throughout this blog article, I have used the word “conclusion” in the sense of “an opinion or decision that is formed after a period of thought or research.”[3] Let’s switch gears and think of a conclusion as it is used for writing essays in school, meaning the final summary of the report. Conclusions are great ways to bring home the main points of the report, especially after examining a complex research problem.

Writing the conclusion is an opportunity to perform a high-level assessment of whether the research objective, defined at the beginning of the report, was met and what was done to meet that objective. Conclusions are not a time to rehash everything, but to highlight the major points.

Research Recommendations

Genealogy reports also include a list of recommendations for future research. If the goal was not met during the client’s purchased time (either because the problem was quite complex and/or there was not enough time to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard), then the recommendations can include research avenues for future researchers. If the goal was met, the recommendations may suggest new goals and what can be done to achieve them.

Providing recommendations in a report can make things more efficient in the long run because the researcher often has good ideas about what needs to be done to solve the problem at hand if additional research time will be available in the future. These recommendations can provide a jump-start for the next research session.

Executive Summary

The last section to discuss is the executive summary. Although it is almost always included at the beginning of a report, the executive summary is often one of the last sections to be written. 

The executive summary offers a solution by providing a high-level overview of the major findings discussed in the report. Placing this summary at the beginning can serve as a guidepost, by signaling to the reader the important takeaways they should look for when reading the rest of the report.   

Writing has an important spot in the world of professional genealogy. Research can be presented in many written formats that each have a proper use and function. In professional genealogy, the research report is the most common means of communicating the work we do for our clients. Reports have several critical components that each serve an essential purpose that ensure clients receive a high-quality product that meets professional standards.   

If writing a genealogy report is outside of your skillset, time, or interest, Legacy Tree Genealogists is always available to assist. We have tens of thousands of hours of experience crafting proof summaries and biographical narratives for our clients. Contact us today to request a free quote!

 

[1] Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, second edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2019), p. 1-2. 

[2] Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, second edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2019), p. 34-35.

[3] Merriam-Webster, entry for “conclusion,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclusion, accessed December 2021.

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The Genealogy Research Process: 5 Steps to Maximize Your Research

We outline the 5 steps in the genealogy research process that will help you maximize your research efforts.

When researching your family history, have you ever asked yourself: “Where do I even start?!” Or, in the thick of researching have you ever thought: “What do I do next?” or “How do I know what I’ve found is correct?”

These are questions we’ve all asked ourselves in one form or another at some point. Genealogy can be overwhelming and sometimes that feeling of being overwhelmed turns into discouragement. In some cases, there is so much information out there, it is like trying to drink from a fire hose. In other instances, you may become discouraged because there is so little information about your family. 

As with most things, planning and organization can help. The genealogy research process brings the desperately needed structure that will carry us through all of our research problems. If we stick to these five simple steps, we can have peace of mind that we are doing the best we can in our research—even if the answers we want aren’t always forthcoming. The steps in the research process are:

  1. Identify Known Information
  2. Plan the Research
  3. Search the Records
  4. Analyze the Records
  5. Make Conclusions

When organized into a circle, as the chart below illustrates, we see how the five steps are really just a cycle that sets us up for efficient and successful research.

So why do we need the process? Can’t we just jump right in and start? It helps us in at least three ways:

  • Organization: The process gives our research structure and keeps it focused.
  • Gauge of Progress: The process is a tool to measure what has been achieved and what is left to do.
  • Efficiency: The process ensures every step is accomplished in the correct order and based on the best sources available.

We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of each step—and work through an example together—but first, let’s introduce you to each of the five steps so you get an idea of what to expect. 

Identify Known Information – Establish a baseline on which to build future research. Do so by determining what is known about a family or individual. Understanding what others (or yourself) have concluded previously—whether correct or incorrect—provides a point at which to begin research.

Plan the Research – Ask a question about the individual or family you will research. Formulate a goal based on the question and create a plan to meet that goal. The goal should be specific and achievable and the plan should be precise yet flexible.

Search the Records – Historical records provide the answers to research questions. Records created during or near the lives of the research subject(s) are the primary media that convey information from the past to the present; thus, research cannot be conducted without historical records. 

Analyze the Records – The information conveyed by historical records must be evaluated for credibility and pertinence to the research goal. Determining the value of the source, the information, and the evidence facilitates arriving at a sound answer to the research question.

Make Conclusions – Reaching a defensible conclusion is the purpose of family history research. This is done through goals, records, and analysis. Research conclusions should be written for preservation and collaboration. Doing so contributes to the body of knowledge concerning the research subject(s).

Step 1: Identify Known Information

Let’s dig into the first step of the genealogical research process: Identify Known Information.

When we tackle a new genealogy problem—whatever that problem may be—we need to first identify what we already know about the people or circumstances involved. Doing so forms a foundation for our research and provides the first clues that will help us as we are searching for answers. 

In this step, we’re not going to get too caught up right now on whether a piece of information is correct, but it is important to note where that information came from. You have the names of your grandma’s grandparents, but where did you get that information? Did she tell you those names? Is it in the family bible? Or were they just names you think you heard your uncle mention once? Whatever the case, record the information and make note of where it came from. 

When we are identifying known information, there are several different places we can look.

  • Yourself. What stories or information do you already know?
  • Your attic, basement, or wherever you keep boxes of old stuff. Maybe you have family histories, birth, marriage, and death certificates, obituaries, funeral cards, baptismal and other church documents, or old pedigree charts stuffed away somewhere.
  • Your relatives. Maybe you have a cousin, grandparent, parent, aunt, or uncle who you know has researched the family history. Reach out to them and ask them what they know and if they are willing to share their research.
  • Online family trees. These are notorious in the genealogy world as they often contain errors—major and minor—but they are a place to start. Maybe someone has researched some of your family and posted that information on the “Family Tree” at FamilySearch.org or in a “Public Member Tree” at Ancestry.com or MyHeritage. Poking around on these sites or others may give you some good clues—though of course, they are only clues and not facts without proper sources.

Let’s look at an example.

When researching the Loveday family, we found a biography of Isaac Loveday and his wife Mary Danks published in 1908. The following is an excerpt from that history naming their children:

Progressive Men of the State of Wyoming (Chicago, Illinois: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1908), p. 867-868.

Particularly interesting to us was daughter Fannie E. Loveday who married Thomas Lewis. We didn’t know much about Fannie, but from the history we knew that she and her husband Thomas Lewis lived in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, probably shortly before the history was published in 1908. We could also hypothesize that Fannie was born in about 1857 since her younger brother was born in 1859. 

Using this information, we found the family of Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis in the “Family Tree” at FamilySearch.

This online family tree suggested Fannie Loveday was born in 1858 and that she married Thomas Lewis in 1877 in Wales. We don’t know if the information here is correct, but the tree states Thomas and Fannie had three kids: Ada (1883), Albert (1886), and Ethel (1891). The gaps in the birth years between these children leave room for additional children. In other words, it was possible Fannie had another child born between 1883 and 1886 and another child between 1886 and 1891. In fact, if Fannie and Thomas were really married in 1877, they could have easily had one, two, or even three kids between their wedding and the birth of Ada in 1883. 

Having identified what is known about the family of Fannie Loveday and Thomas Lewis, we are ready to begin planning our research. This simple initial review has left us already with questions and possibilities.

Step 2: Plan the Research

After identifying what is known about an ancestor, we need to plan how we are going to research that ancestor. Part of planning is setting goals for our research. These help us stay focused, give our research purpose, and allow for clear achievement. 

Goals are a narrowly defined objective for our research. One good way to set a goal is to identify a specific individual or family and decide on a specific event or relationship which you wish to learn more about (such as the parents of an individual, when someone died, or if someone served in the military). Each goal should include a name, year, place, and relationship. These pieces of information set the stage for our research.

Using the family of Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis we can set the following goal: 

Determine if Thomas Lewis and Fanny Loveday, who lived in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1908, had additional children.

After setting a research goal, we need to make a plan for how we are going to meet that goal. Research plans provide a checklist of steps that keep our research moving, help us stay focused, and make sure we use the best records for answering a goal. Plans should include the first few record types to be searched, though they should remain flexible and not be overly detailed. Why? As our research progresses, the discovery of new or unexpected information may mean that our plans have to change.

Here is our plan for researching the Lewis family:

  1. Locate the Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis family in the 1900 to 1930 United States censuses. The censuses may reveal additional children in the family.
  2. Determine when and where Fannie (Loveday) Lewis died. This information could lead to records created at Fannie’s death that name her children.
  3. Obtain Fannie (Loveday) Lewis’s obituary because her children may have been named in that document.   

3: Search the Records

At this point in the five-step genealogy research process we have identified some known information and plans regarding our research. These important steps lead to what many find to be the most exciting part of genealogy: searching the records! The information that we need to answer our research questions can be found in historical records. These documents (or artifacts) convey information from the times when our ancestors lived to our day. They are therefore the best place to get the answers we need about our ancestors. 

Our research plan for the Lewis family started with identifying Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis in the 1900 to 1930 censuses. The reason for this was two-fold: 1) Our background information indicated that the Lewis family lived in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in about 1908. This meant they could have been living there when the 1900 and 1910 censuses were enumerated. 2) There was the possibility that the censuses would show additional children in the family. 

Here are excerpts for the Lewis family in the 1900, 1910, and 1930 censuses (neither Fannie nor Thomas could be found in the 1920 census).

Thomas Lewis household in the 1900 enumeration of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1900 U.S. Census (population schedule), Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, ED 123, sheet 9B, Thomas Lewis household, https://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Thomas Lewis household in the 1910 enumeration of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1910 U.S. Census (population schedule), Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, ED 183, sheet 6B, Thomas Lewis household, https://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Thomas Lewis household in the 1930 enumeration of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1930 U.S. Census (population schedule), Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, ED 14, sheet 13A, Thos. Lewis Sr. household, https://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

At this point, let’s sneak in a little analysis because it helps with our research plan. Fannie (Loveday) Lewis last appeared in the 1910 census and her husband Thomas Lewis was listed as a widower in the 1930 census. This suggests Fannie died—probably in Washington County, Pennsylvania—between 1910 and 1930. This little bit of analysis allowed us to find Fannie’s death certificate.

Death certificate for Francis E. Lewis. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1967 (image and transcription), Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate for Francis Elizabeth Lewis, 3 June 1914, certificate no. 57785, Washington County, Pennsylvania, http://www.ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Obituary for Fannie (Loveday) Lewis. Mrs. Thomas Lewis Dies After A Long Illness,” The Daily Notes (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania), 4 June 1914, p. 1, http://www.newspapers.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Importantly, the obituary named one of Fannie (Loveday) Lewis’s surviving children as I.T. Lewis. This new information allowed us to find the following death certificate for Isaac T. Lewis of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, confirming his relationship to Thomas and Frances (Loveday) Lewis:

Death certificate for Isaac T. Lewis. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1967 (image and transcription), Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate for Isaac T. Lewis, 19 February 1940, certificate no. 21352, Washington County, Pennsylvania, http://www.ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

The research presented so far is not thorough, nor is it complete, but it is a solid start in researching the Lewis family. 

Step 4: Analyze the Records

Discovering the historical records is exciting but we can’t stop there! We need to determine if the information conveyed in the records is credible and if it answers our research question. Evidence analysis is a big topic in and of itself and we’ve covered it depth before in this three-part series, so we’ll just reiterate the main points here.

When we talk about evidence analysis in genealogy, what we mean is that we need to think critically about the sources we use, the information presented in the sources, and the evidence we have uncovered. Is the information reliable? Are there major discrepancies in the records? Do we have enough evidence for our claims? Does the information we found provide answers to our research questions? Who wrote the information? When were the records created? Do we have reason to suspect the information could have been falsified? These are just some of the questions we need to ask ourselves when examining the records found during Step 3. 

Our goal for the Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis family was to determine if there were more children in the family than the three listed on FamilySearch.org. While the 1900, 1910, and 1930 censuses offered evidence that those three children did exist, none of the censuses named any other children. However, a close examination of the 1900 and 1910 censuses provides very important clues about the Lewis family. Take a look at those numbers outlined by the red boxes:

Thomas Lewis household in the 1900 enumeration of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1900 U.S. Census (population schedule), Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, ED 123, sheet 9B, Thomas Lewis household, https://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Thomas Lewis household in the 1910 enumeration of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania.1910 U.S. Census (population schedule), Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, ED 183, sheet 6B, Thomas Lewis household, https://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed March 2020.

Those two columns requested the number of children Fannie (Loveday) Lewis had birthed and how many were living. According to both documents, Fannie had given birth to ten children, but only four were living in 1900 and 1910! Because these two documents were consistent in their reports concerning Fannie’s children, we can presume that they were accurate. While we don’t know the names of all ten children yet, we now have an answer to question about whether Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis had more than the three children listed on FamilySearch.

It is probable the six children who had died before 1900 died in childhood or during their teenage years, but we know that a fourth unknown child—one distinct from Ada, Albert, and Ethel—lived until at least 1910. As noted in the previous post, Fannie (Loveday) Lewis’s obituary named that fourth child as I.T. Lewis. This new information allowed us to search a database of Pennsylvania death certificates for a matching individual. The certificate for Isaac T. Lewis—born in Wales in 1878 to Thomas Lewis and Frances Loveday—who died in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1940 was strong match. Isaac’s name, place of death, birth year, birthplace, and parents all corroborated the theory that he was the missing fourth child. 

Now that we’ve analyzed the records and information uncovered pertaining to the Lewis family, we are prepared to make conclusions.

Step 5: Make Conclusions

The last step in the research process is forming conclusions. Finding documents and analyzing the information is not enough—we must make and write down a conclusion, describing our reasoning and the outcome of the first four steps! Completing this last step means that our research will be preserved for our future reference for future family members or genealogists to read. If we do not take the time to write down our conclusions, they will become lost over time and our research will be for nothing. 

Conclusions should address the research goal we made at the beginning of our research. Did we meet the goal? Has thorough and complete research been conducted? Do we have a partial answer? Is more research needed before we can close the books on the problem? 

Our written conclusions can come in many different formats. Some conclusions may be recorded using genealogy software, others in a brief research summary, or a detailed report outlining each step taken to meet the goal. Our conclusions can be posted to a family blog, expanded into a book, printed in a genealogy journal, or presented as a report for private distribution among family members. 

Using the research we’ve done for the Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis family, we were able to write the following brief conclusion:

Our goal was to determine if Thomas Lewis and Fanny Loveday had children in addition to the three (Ada, Albert, and Ethel) listed on FamilySearch. This goal was accomplished through research in the censuses, newspapers, and death certificates. 

The Lewis family consisted of at least ten children. Six of those children died before 1900.  Besides the three known children, Fanny’s 1914 obituary listed the fourth surviving child: I.T. \

Lewis. This child was identified as the Isaac T. Lewis who was born 28 October 1878 and died 19 February 1940 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. 

This conclusion sets us up to continue the research process to discover more children in the Lewis family, which places us back at the beginning of the research cycle. Step one is to identify known information and it is now known that Thomas and Fannie (Loveday) Lewis had six more children who all died before 1900. With that knowledge, we can make plans to find and document those other children by searching the records, analyzing our findings, and making new conclusions. 

What if parts of this process had yielded fewer answers? What if we had not found an obituary for Fannie or a death certificate for Isaac? One important consideration in all of this is that NIL results can often be as important as positive ones. A key task within the analysis and conclusions steps is to make note of sources which were searched which did not bear fruit. Sometimes the fact that a person was not found in an expected dataset is a clue in and of itself. Sometimes it means you have to dig deeper into the local laws, customs, and record creation practices of the time. Finding little information in one place is a clue to move on to another. Sometimes this might be a hint that your ancestor moved. Maybe they were born before the county began keeping birth certificates but there might be a baptismal record or headstone which you could look for next. Perhaps you are struggling to find a woman in later life records because she married again unexpectedly and is catalogued under a different name than expected. In each of these cases, the absence of information is a guidepost to a different path. High-level research requires us to be very thorough in considering and documenting all possibilities. 

As you incorporate the research process into your own genealogy your efforts will become more focused, effective, and efficient. The process is simple and designed to set researchers up for success.  

If you need help evaluating evidence in your family history research, the team at Legacy Tree Genealogists is here to help! We’re experts at scouring every possible record source for clues to ensure our client’s genealogy is accurate and verifiable. Get started today by requesting your free quote.

We outline the 5 steps in the genealogy research process that will help you maximize your research efforts and have you researching like a pro genealogist!

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Evidence Analysis Explained Part III: Evaluating Genealogical Evidence

This third and final installment in the evidence analysis series considers the concept of genealogical “Evidence” and then overviews the Genealogical Proof Standard which allows for defensible conclusions in genealogy. 

The purpose of genealogy is to reach defensible conclusions about our ancestors. This is done through proper analysis of the evidence. When we consider the sources, the information, and the evidence we can reach conclusions which are reliable.

Evidence Analysis in Genealogy

When the sources have been gathered and the information examined, it must be determined what type of evidence has been accumulated pertaining to the research problem. Evidence is the researcher’s interpretation of pertinent information and sources. This evaluation of the information as a whole in relation to the research problem is how conclusions are formed and advances made in family history. There are three types of evidence: 1) Direct, 2) Indirect, and 3) Negative. The categories of evidence are defined as follows:

evaluating genealogical evidence

Questions for Evaluating Evidence in Genealogy

As you research, use these questions to help evaluate the evidence you collect:

Does a single piece of information answer my research question?

If a piece of information provides the answer to a research question then “direct” evidence has been uncovered; however, that does not mean that your research is complete. The newly acquired information could be incorrect and it must be verified that the information pertains to the subject of the research. The veracity of a piece of information should be corroborated by context and additional records. Hence, the standard of “reasonably exhaustive research.”

Do multiple pieces of information work together to answer my research question?

If none of the data gathered independently answers the research question, then the answer may be found through linking information uncovered in multiple sources; thus, the answer to the question was arrived at indirectly. Note that indirect evidence is different than obtaining several pieces of direct evidence to corroborate each other.

Are there discrepancies in the information?

As the information and sources are examined, it is possible (if not probable) that discrepancies will be discovered. It is important to resolve discrepancies because family history is concerned with obtaining accurate information. Discrepancies can be resolved through an evaluation of the credibility of the sources and information, sound reasoning, and perhaps the accumulation of additional sources.

What situation should have existed if the proposed scenario was accurate?

This question gets to the heart of negative evidence (which is different than a negative search). Negative evidence occurs when a situation fails to exist when it should. An example best illustrates this concept.

A woman named Jane Doe married John Smith in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1832. It is believed that Jane was either the ancestor who was fifteen at the time of marriage or another woman also named Jane Doe who was eighteen. Upon further examination of the marriage register it is noticed that the clerk included notations if the bride or groom had received a parent’s consent to marry which would have been necessary for legal minors. Because the marriage record for Jane Doe and John Smith did not include a notation of parental consent, it can be reasonably presumed that the Jane Doe who married in 1832 was the older of the two women.

This can be described as negative evidence that the woman who married in 1832 was not the ancestral Jane Doe because a situation (a notation of parental consent) failed to exist when it should have if the fifteen-year-old Jane was the one who married that year. Please note that the obtaining of one marriage record does not represent “reasonably exhaustive research” as the Genealogical Proof Standard requires, but additional information will be required before the hypothesis about which Jane Doe married John Smith is corroborated.

Examples of Types of Genealogical Evidence

Direct Evidence

This entry from a marriage register provides direct evidence that James Johnson Jr. and Mary P. Crawford were married. It does not, however, prove that this marriage was for the ancestral couple.[1]

direct evidence

Indirect Evidence

These two baptisms, taken from the same collection of church registers, at first glance appear to indicate that Arnold Harrison had two daughters named Bennett. However, it was unlikely for two children in the same family to have the same first given name; therefore, these two documents present indirect evidence that the first child died before the baptism of the second.[2]

indirect evidence

Negative Evidence

This excerpt from a marriage register demonstrated that the clerk made notation when a guardian provided consent for a marriage. Since the second marriage displayed above does not have a notation, there is negative evidence that the both John and Eveline were of legal age.[3]

negative evidence

Defensible Conclusions and the Genealogical Proof Standard

The final step in our research is measuring our work against the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) as defined by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.[4] The five elements of the GPS are:

  1. Reasonably exhaustive research.
  2. Complete and accurate source citations.
  3. Thorough analysis and correlation.
  4. Resolution of conflicting evidence.
  5. Soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence.

These five standards ensure that our research investigates all relevant avenues, is documented properly to facilitate an evaluation of our research methods, that critical thinking was applied to the sources and information uncovered during our research, and that our conclusions are logical and clearly explained in written format.

By following the principles outlined in our three-part evidence analysis series, you will ensure your research efforts are accurate, and the conclusions are defensible–key attributes of researching like a professional genealogist.

We have carefully selected the members of our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to make sure they are experts at analyzing evidence to draw accurate research conclusions. We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote.

[1] Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 (image and transcription), marriage register entry for James Johnson Jr and Mary P. Crawford, 10 October 1855, p. 232, Butler County, Ohio, http;//www.familysearch.org, subscription database, accessed June 2019.

[2] England, Kent, Church of England, Parish Church of Preston-next-Faversham, “Archdeacon’s Transcripts, 1563-1912,” baptism of Bennett Harrison, 21 May 1598, and baptism of Bennet Harryson, 3 June 1599, Family History Library microfilm 1752061.

[3] Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 (image and transcription), marriage register entry for John L. Stevens and Eveline Barrett, 17 May 1832, p. 100, Chamaign County, Ohio, http://www.familysearch.org, subscription database, accessed June 2019.

[4] Genealogical Proof Standard, Board for Certification of Genealogists, https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards, accessed July 2019.

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Evidence Analysis Explained Part II: Evaluating Genealogy Information

This post is the second in a three-part series focusing on the concepts of evidence analysis as used in genealogy. The first post provided an overview of the evidence analysis process and discussed the concept of sources. This post picks up with evaluating genealogy information, which is the second category in the process.

Understanding the Types of Genealogy Information

After the source (the document itself) has been examined, the next category to consider is “Information.” Information is the data recorded on the source. Information must be analyzed because errors – both intentional and unintentional – occur and those errors must be reconciled to arrive at the best answer available for a research question. Again, this category is subdivided three ways: 1) Primary, 2) Secondary, and 3) Undetermined. The definitions for these types of information are:

evaluating genealogy information

Questions for Evaluating Genealogy Information

As in our previous article, Evidence Analysis Explained: Digging Into Genealogical Sources, we’ve provided a list of questions that will prove useful as you conduct thorough evidence analysis, this time in reference to evaluating genealogical information obtained from different sources and records:

When was the information recorded and who provided it?

evaluating genealogy informationKnowing when and by whom the information was recorded is key to sound genealogical research. If the informant was present at the event of interest and recorded the event’s proceedings soon after the event (primary information), then the information is likely more accurate than information recorded much later or by someone who learned about the event through another person (secondary information). The passage of time and the number of people information passes through both allow for more errors to appear in the reporting. Sometimes the informant for a record is not known and, therefore, the origin of the information is simply undetermined.

Where did the information come from if the informant did not witness the event?

If the information is secondary, can it be cautiously hypothesized how the informant acquired the data? Understanding the chain of information can help determine whether the information is credible. For instance, a death certificate may state that a daughter of the deceased was the informant. The birthdate of the deceased was secondary information, but it can be carefully assumed that the daughter obtained the birthdate from her parent, another family member, or perhaps family records like a family bible.

Did the informant have reason to modify the information?

The information on a source may not always be accurate. In some cases, the informant had a reason to provide intentionally inaccurate information. While most of the time the informant was honest in reporting the facts of an event, sometimes the informant may have modified the facts for various reasons. For instance, a bride or groom may have provided ages other than their own to avoid social or legal implications regarding their marriage. Knowing whether inaccurate data was provided depends on the accumulation of multiple documents that will provide accurate information.

Examples of Types of Genealogy Information

Primary Information

The date and place of birth as well as the child’s name on this birth certificate can be considered primary information because the certificate was likely created soon after the child’s birth. Note, however, that even primary information can contain errors; the child’s name was originally reported as “Martha Schack” but modified to read “Mathias Schmuck.”[1]

birth certificate - example of primary information

Secondary Information

Although the death information on this death certificate is considered primary information, the birth date and place is secondary because the document was created long after the birth and the person making the report was likely not present at the deceased’s birth.[2]

death certificate - example of secondary information

Undetermined Information

Because this obituary does not name the informant, the origin of the information is considered “undetermined.”

obituary of John Baldwin - example of Undetermined Information

As you dive into the exciting world of exploring your personal family history and learning more about your ancestors, keep in mind that not all genealogy information is created equal. By employing the concepts of evidence analysis in your research efforts and carefully evaluating the information garnered from various sources and records, you can help ensure your conclusions are sound and your family history is accurate.

We have carefully selected the members of our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to make sure they are experts at analyzing evidence to draw accurate research conclusions. We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote.

[1] Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906 (image and transcription), Division of Vital Statistics, birth certificate for Mathias Schmuck, 27 November 1904, certificate no. 22682, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, http://www.familysearch.org, accessed June 2019.

[2] Arizona Deaths, 1870-1951 (image and transcription), Arizona State Board of Health, death certificate for Inez Blanche Ashley, 18 May 1922, certificate no. 733, Maricopa County, Arizona, http://www.familysearch.org, subscription database, accessed June 2019.

[3] “John Baldwin,” The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), 15 August 1931, p. 10, http://www.newspapers.com, subscription database, accessed June 2019.

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Evidence Analysis Explained: Digging Into Genealogical Sources

This article is the first in a three-part series that explores evidence analysis concepts through easy-to-understand definitions, probing questions to be utilized while researching, and real-world examples to illustrate the concepts that will help you analyze genealogical evidence like a pro! 

What does a genealogist do, anyways?

evidence analysisWhen I talk with those unfamiliar with genealogical research, they are often surprised by all that goes into what we do as professional genealogists. Rather than simply “looking up” family trees online, our work is characterized by the thorough, detailed, and careful examination of historical documents in relation to a specific research problem. These documents are located through databases, research libraries, and archival facilities (in all shapes and forms) from across the world.

As professional genealogists, we understand that thorough genealogical research includes properly analyzing the evidence to draw research conclusions. When evidence analysis is utilized, it facilitates sound conclusions concerning the research problem. Author and fellow genealogist Elizabeth Shown Mills is well known for distilling the concepts of evidence into distinct categories which ensure thorough, careful, and accurate interpretations of evidence are applied to our research. Her work on the subject can be read in “QuickLesson 17: The Evidence Analysis Process Model” and in her book Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace[1]

The first article in this three-part series will provide an overview of the evidence analysis process and discuss the concept of “Sources” in genealogy. The second article will investigate the concept of “Information” and the third will discuss “Evidence” as well as “Defensible Conclusions.”

What is Evidence Analysis?

Evidence analysis is the mechanism—comprised of critically evaluating sources, information, and the nature of the evidence—that leads a researcher to a defensible conclusion. Because the most basic purpose of genealogy is reaching defensible conclusions about our ancestors that means evidence analysis is pretty important. Each of those categories—sources, information, and evidence—have three subcategories. How these categories work together to reach defensible conclusions is illustrated by the following chart:

Evidence Analysis

After we have thoroughly examined the sources, information, and evidence we can arrive at a defensible conclusion concerning the proposed answer to the research question. Note that a defensible conclusion is only reached if the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) has been applied to the research. The GPS will be discussed in our third post in this series. It is worth mentioning now, however, that the first component of the GPS is “reasonably exhaustive research” which means that frequently a research problem will be examined over the course of several research sessions before a defensible conclusion can be reached.

Evaluating Genealogical Sources

This first category in the evidence analysis process deals with the document itself, not the data the document transmits. Examining the document is necessary because doing so will assist in determining the credibility of the information the document preserves. There are three categories of sources: 1) Original, 2) Derivative, and 3) Narrative. Definitions for these categories are given in the chart below:

Evidence Analysis

The following questions are of assistance when evaluating sources:

What is the format of the source?

Knowing whether the source is the original sexton’s record book, or a later transcription derived from the original can be of immense value. An original source, by its very nature, is more reliable than a derivative because the original was the first instance of a document about an event while a derivative was created from the original (or from another derivative). That extra step (or steps) in the creation process between an original and derivative source allows for human error. Derivative sources may come in several different formats, including transcriptions, extracts, abstracts, indexes, or databases.

Narrative sources are items such as a history book or a written family history (or reports like those created by Legacy Tree Genealogists). Narrative sources rely on research done in any or all of the source types.

Does the format impact the legibility of the source?

While original sources should always be sought out, sometimes they have deteriorated so much that they are no longer legible. In these instances, it may be necessary to rely on a derivate source that was created when the original was still legible. A prime example would be a grave marker that is currently illegible, but a cemetery transcription done previously may have preserved the information.

Does the derivative source appear reliable?

Sometimes an original source is not available for consultation and a derivative must be used. In such cases, the reliability of the derivative should be considered. Some derivative sources were created with great care and attention to detail others were done hastily which allows for more errors.  Do different sources list conflicting information? Check out our article on how to resolve conflicting information in sources. Note also that although the derivative may be reliable, the original source frequently reports more information.

Does the narrative’s author provide references?

When evaluating a narrative source, the researcher should determine whether the author provided citations to support his or her claims. The citations convey the reliability of the author’s conclusions. If the conclusions appear sound and the citations reveal that appropriate sources were consulted, then the researcher may be comfortable citing the narrative author. If no citations were provided or if the citations were inadequate, then the researcher will likely choose to rely on other sources.

What was the narrative author’s scope?

If consulting a narrative source—a published family history, a history book, a research report, etc.—it is necessary to consider whether the author’s scope was appropriate for the research question. This can be done by considering the format of the narrative; are there items such as in-text citations, footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography? If the author did not consult the best record types for a research problem, missed important collections, or did not utilize enough sources then the researcher will likely choose to supplement the author’s work with additional research.

Examples of Types of Genealogical Sources

Original Source

This birth certificate is a high-quality digital reproduction of the original certificate kept by the county recorder and is, therefore, considered an original source.[2]

Derivative Source

This clipping from an online grave memorial is a derivative source because it is not the original sexton’s record book nor does the memorial have a high-quality reproduction of the grave marker.[3]

evidence analysis

Narrative Source

This excerpt from a genealogical research report demonstrates a narrative source because the author presents new conclusions based on his research. The citations placed in footnotes allow the reader to easily evaluate the author’s work.

evidence analysis

If genealogists, whether hobbyist or professional, do not apply rigorous standards to our research then our genealogy turns into (at best) fun stories, regardless of whether they are true. Because we at Legacy Tree Genealogists are committed to providing clients accurate family histories, our researchers employ industry standards and practices to their work. Any genealogist can, and should, apply the same standards to his or her research.

We have carefully selected the members of our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to make sure they are experts at analyzing evidence to draw accurate research conclusions. We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote.

[1] Elizabeth Shown Mills, “QuickLesson 17: The Evidence Analysis Process Model,” Evidence Explained: Historical Analysis, Citation & Source Usage (https://www.evidenceexplained.com/content/quicklesson-17-evidence-analy… :  11 January 2019); and

Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017).

[2] Delaware State Birth Records, 1861-1922 (image and transcription), birth certificate for Margaret Jane Smith, 28 September 1862, New Castle County, Delaware, http://www.familysearch.org, accessed June 2019.

[3] Find A Grave (images and transcription), Rose Hill Cemetery, Fort Gaines, Clay, Georgia, headstone and memorial for Ann Jones, 1875-?, memorial no. 82234588, http://findagrave.com, accessed June 2019.

[4] Robert M. Call, “Report on Research Concerning Four Generations of the Call Family,” typescript, 2015, original in author’s possession.

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Top 3 Online Resources for Finding Colonial Ancestors

Colonial ancestorsDiscovering colonial American ancestors is a frequent request we receive at Legacy Tree Genealogists. Colonial ancestors pose a unique challenge to the genealogist in that they often appear in many online family trees, but those trees frequently lack sufficient documentation. Eliminating the purely speculative and identifying verified relationships and accurate data is the goal. Here we share three of our favorite online resources for finding colonial ancestors.

1. AmericanAncestors.org

This fantastic subscription-based website is the creation of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. NEHGS was founded in 1845 and is the oldest genealogical society in the United States. As such, they have had nearly two centuries to gather and preserve materials pertinent to family history. According to their “about” page AmericanAncestors.org presents “more than 1.4 billion records spanning twenty-two countries” and is “one of the most extensive online collections of early American genealogical records.”

Of the 435 databases hosted on AmericanAncestors.org, 286 are focused on pre-1800 records. These databases include vital records, censuses, migration, bible, cemetery, tax, voter, property, probate, court, and military records as well as family histories, local histories, biographies, reference material, and periodicals. Searching these records is easy with the “Search All Databases” page which allows the user to add a variety of search terms—names, years, record types, locations, keywords, and additional family members. With so many record types available to the genealogist, the databases at AmericanAncestors.org are a must for colonial family history research.Colonial ancestorsBesides research databases, AmericanAncestors.org offers access to a number of other helpful services. Two of these services are the “Digital Collections” and the “Library Catalog” both of which are portals to the extensive collections housed at the NEHGS library in Boston, Massachusetts. When searching the “Digital Collections” webpage the family historian will find personal family papers such as photographs, diaries, and letters as well as records created by non-family entities like organization and business records and newspapers. The “Digital Collections” section of the website also has a focus on the history of the Jewish community in the Boston area and offers material helpful to both the historian and genealogist.

The “Library Catalog” gives the family historian the ability to begin their research of NEHGS’s extensive collections at home. Of course, a catalog is different than a database in that a catalog lists the titles of the library’s holdings and not every name mentioned within each item. However, if planning a trip to NEHGS to conduct research, it would be wise to have a starting point for your research—that way you can hit the ground running and make the most of your time at the library itself. Use the catalog by searching family surnames and ancestral residences to find books, manuscripts, or photographs that may be beneficial to your research.

2. Finding Colonial Ancestors in Digitized Books

Our experience reveals that many online trees presenting colonial American ancestries are based upon genealogies published in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (although the online trees themselves frequently do not cite the published genealogies). Genealogies published in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century are not always accurate and rarely included extensive citations supporting each statement of fact as contemporary genealogies should, but they can still be helpful. These genealogies occasionally referenced original sources (such as wills or deeds) or made blanket statements about what type of records were used (like family correspondence or county records). Additionally, the printed genealogies provide a clearer picture of what previous generations believed about their genealogy before the advent of the internet which escalated confused and inaccurate pedigrees because of the ease of data sharing and a general lack of quality control. Thus, published genealogies can provide important clues about colonial American families. Accessing these published genealogies was much more difficult just a few years ago, but thanks to websites like Archive.org and Google Books many can be viewed right at home. These organizations have taken the time to digitize genealogies which are now in the public domain due to copyright laws. Interested in learning more about using Google Books for genealogy research? Check out our previous article, Google Books: An Untapped Genealogy Resource.

3. The FamilySearch Catalog

One underutilized resource on FamilySearch.org is the FamilySearch Catalog (formerly known as the Family History Library Catalog). This tool inventories all of the holdings at the massive Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. A majority of the holdings at the Family History Library are on microfilm, which FamilySearch plans to digitize by 2020. While some of these digitized microfilms have been organized into databases available through FamilySearch’s “Historical Records” portion of the website, many are only found listed as microfilm in the FamilySearch Catalog. In other words, there may be a collection of digitized microfilms that can only be viewed online by clicking on the link in the FamilySearch Catalog and will not be found in a “Historical Records” database.Colonial Ancestors

So what does this mean for researching colonial American ancestors? There are two record types in particular where the FamilySearch Catalog becomes exceptionally beneficial to colonial research—property and probate records. These record types are useful because they can prove, through both direct and indirect evidence, family relationships in times or places where other documents (like vital records and census) are lacking. However, because property and probate records are difficult to index there are fewer databases in FamilySearch’s “Historical Records” which focus on them. This is where the FamilySearch Catalog comes in; many microfilms of probate and property records have been digitized and are accessed in the catalog. These high-quality digital images—often of better quality than the microfilm itself—can be clicked through in search of an ancestor’s property or probate records.

Here’s an extra tip: Some of the probate records which have been digitized in the FamilySearch Catalog can only be viewed at the Family History Library or a Family History Center—due to agreements the Family History Library has with the original agencies, the images are locked and cannot be accessed at home. If you can’t make it to your local Family History Center, one work around is checking Ancestry.com to see if that database has the probate records in question. Ancestry’s probate databases include a searchable index, but these indexes are very incomplete and it is best to browse through the images.

Using these resources and many others, our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists has assisted many with their Colonial American research problems and would be glad to assist in discovering your Colonial ancestors as well.

Our professionals believe in leaving no stone unturned, and they have been trained in analyzing records and migration patterns to help you learn more about your Colonial American ancestry. Contact us today to get started on your family history research goals!

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The Key Records You Need for Southern U.S. & Mid-Atlantic Genealogy

Some of the most difficult genealogical research problems filter down to us through the poor record keeping, burned depositories, and social customs of our ancestors who lived in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern United States. Notoriously challenging, many of the requests that we receive at Legacy Tree Genealogists are to assist others in discovering their Southern ancestors. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the key record types we use when solving a Southern State or Mid-Atlantic genealogy research problem.

First, three general tips are good to keep in mind when we are researching Mid-Atlantic and Southern ancestors.

mid-atlantic genealogyResearch problems from these states generally require much patience—slowly chipping away at the problem at hand, searching out documents, considering the evidence, and letting it simmer. Rushing through a problem will result in missed evidence, conclusions with insufficient proof, or even just accidental errors. Giving a research problem time allows for more evidence gathering, more critical evaluation, and for fresh ideas and potential solutions to emerge from the documents and our analysis.

Evaluate the pertinent work others have done on the same ancestral families. Usually, the best places to find the best genealogy research are periodicals such as National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (which publishes articles pertaining to all regions of the United States), and The American Genealogist. In addition to these, there are state, regional, and local genealogy journals. Similarly, use search engines and library catalogs (such as the FamilySearch Catalog, university catalogs, and WorldCat) to discover if book-length treatments of your family have been published. Because these volumes are usually not published by academic presses, are self-published, and are rarely peer-reviewed the credibility of each history must be carefully evaluated but could offer important clues for your own research. Online family trees like those found at MyHeritage.com or FamilySearch.org may provide good research or the holy-grail source—a property deed, a family bible, a probate document, etc.—that provides the necessary evidence. Of course, there is a lot of bad information floating around the Internet so be careful about what you accept as reliable.

Pay attention to the extended kinship network and friends of your ancestors.  These people often followed similar migration patterns which can help you discover where ancestors originated, especially as people frequently moved throughout the South. For example, perhaps you know your Fitzpatrick ancestors in Georgia were born in North Carolina, but you cannot determine where in North Carolina. If many of the Georgian neighbors migrated from Rowan County, North Carolina, it would be worth a look in Rowan County’s records for your ancestors. Documents pertaining to aunts, uncles, cousins, or in-laws may shed light on your direct ancestors and help untangle the web of relationships not clear from documents related to your ancestors.

Now for some insight into record types we frequently use for Mid-Atlantic and Southern States problems.

Property Records. This record type is one of the most useful when tackling families in the South or Mid-Atlantic regions. Property records document the transaction of real and personal property among the parties to the transaction. This usually means the transfer of land but could also include enslaved people or other high-value items (we’ve even seen the rights to use and sell a patent in designated areas recorded in property collections). The property was often transferred among family members which in turn helps the genealogist in his or her work. Family relationships are not always stated in deeds, but sometimes can be inferred from the phrasing or even just a possible relationship is noted until additional evidence proving or disproving the hypothesis is discovered. Don’t ignore the witnesses! Property records usually include one, two, three or more witnesses attesting to the validity of the transaction and the witnesses were sometimes family. Beginner genealogists sometimes only search the deed volumes, but a county may have kept other types of property records, mortgages being a common one, which should be searched as well. Property records are helpful when researching enslaved ancestors as well because they document the movements among various slaveholders and sometimes the enslaved person’s family relationships. Because property almost always constituted an inheritance—which fell to family members after debts were paid—the distribution of an estate is sometimes documented in the property collections rather than the probate records.

mid-atlantic genealogy

Excerpt from a property transaction between William C. Cross and his wife, Elizabeth, and William D. Cross, recorded in Calhoun County, Alabama. FamilySearch.org.

Probate Records. Probate records are the documents a court generates to distribute a deceased person’s estate. As mentioned above, the property almost always was divided among the deceased’s family members (instances where the testator chose to bequeath his or her property exclusively to non-family which was a rarity). Thus, in the absence of good vital records, as is the case in Southern and Mid-Atlantic states for most periods, probates may offer the necessary evidence to prove a family relationship. A word of caution: That someone was listed as an heir to a deceased person’s estate is not proof that he or she was a child of the deceased. Frequently, when an heir was not a child, he or she was a grandchild of the deceased suggesting the parent of the grandchild was deceased and his or her portion of the inheritance then went to the grandchildren. Like property records, probate records can also help in researching enslaved individuals because they were considered property in the law and were included in probate records as property sold to pay debts or bequeathed to the deceased’s heirs.

mid-atlantic genealogy research

Excerpt from a 1730s will from Cecil County, Maryland, where the testator leaves property to his “couzens.” FamilySearch.org.

Guardianship Records. These records were created when a minor needed a legal guardian to represent them in legal matters (especially when the child inherited or could inherit property). It was not necessary for both parents to be deceased for a legal guardian to be appointed for a minor child. We have seen guardians appointed in instances when the mother was still alive, but the father deceased, and when the mother was deceased with the father still living. Guardianships can help prove a parent-child relationship or even whether a set of proposed siblings were truly siblings. These records also help prove the death of an ancestor. Guardians were sometimes older siblings, in-laws, grandparents, or extended families so noting who the guardian was can help crack your Southern or Mid-Atlantic States research problem.

mid-atlantic genealogy research

Excerpt from a guardianship bond from Butts County, Georgia appointing a guardian for William, Samuel, and John Shedrick, orphans of Samuel Shedrick. FamilySearch.org.

 

Civil Court Records. Once again, this type of record for Mid-Atlantic and Southern States research problems often focused on property. When a dispute arose over property ownership these matters were usually settled in the courts and there is a good chance that the documents pertaining to those proceedings may survive today. Disputes over property ownership may have been caused by conflicts regarding an inheritance. Or, perhaps neighbors argued over where a property boundary was located and the court records may document how the parties came about owning the property—which could have been through the family. Court records may be more difficult to access because fewer have been microfilmed (the collections at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, are a good place to start but are by no means complete) or digitized, so it may be necessary to contact the local courthouse or the state archives but the patience and effort may be well worth the discoveries.

mid-atlantic genealogy

Excerpt from the 1820s civil actions collection of Macon County, North Carolina, naming Su-e-Killah and Yo-hoo-lah as the children and heirs of Au-back, a Cherokee Indian, and his widow, Ta-nah. Ancestry.com.

While Southern and Mid-Atlantic States genealogy research is some of the most challenging research in the United States solving those “brick wall” problems is exciting and satisfying! Patiently working through the property, probate, guardianship, and court records while searching for our direct ancestors and those connected to them can help extend our ancestries and discover previously unknown ancestors.

Legacy Tree Genealogists has specialists who know how to find and piece together the trail of records as people migrated across the U.S., and our experts know a variety of strategies for working around record loss. Many times it takes a combination of traditional research and DNA testing to solve tough mid-atlantic and southern states research problems, and our experts know how to use these tools together to get the best results. Contact us today for a free quote.