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THE GENEALOGICAL PROOF STANDARD OF FAMILY HISTORY

Adding credibility to your research and family history

Many of us are used to using GPS systems in our vehicles to guide us on our journeys. Family History research also has its own GPS in the form of the Genealogical Proof Standard. This is our guidance in our journey to find our ancestors. It is important to confirm the reliability and quality of our research which is essential as family historians begin their ancestral quest.

Like any pursuits, genealogy and family history are worth doing well. Set yourself high standards of research, documentation and presentation of your results, and stick to them. The Genealogical Proof Standard is used by family historians to demonstrate what is needed to make their research credible.

There are often very few absolute truths when establishing family relationships or discovering what happened to an ancestor (although DNA testing helps). Research is both a science and an art but is totally dependent upon the skill and knowledge of the researcher. You will probably make mistakes in the early stages of your quest (we all do) and have to come to terms with the “probability” factor.

The protocol of proving you have located the correct ancestor is paramount; it will prevent you from lurching off in the wrong direction researching an incorrect ancestral line. Many researchers have traced back several generations of the incorrect family because they did not take the time to prove a connection before moving on; it is only much later that they discover that they were on the wrong track. Just like using a GPS navigation system when driving a car and knowing you will arrive at the correct destination, so there is a GPS for tracing the correct ancestry associated with your family.

Understanding the Genealogical Proof Standard

To apply the GPS we need to understand it. We are able to research dozens of records containing direct evidence about our ancestors which can be more relevant than a box full of memories or someone’s recollection of an event, albeit that these may provide clues. The overriding element is that you should be prepared to re-evaluate if and when new evidence becomes available.

Just remember that the quality of the information contained within a particular record depends upon the type of record researched.

Primary information is deduced from records created at, or very close to, the time of an event, with information provided by a person who had first-hand knowledge of that event. Where possible this category of record should be used as prime evidence in your research.

Secondary information is information found in records created some time after the event occurred or was contributed by a person who did not have first-hand knowledge of an event. It follows, therefore, that primary information usually carries more weight than secondary information.

The Genealogical Proof Standard isn’t a physical device like a car satellite navigation system, but it is a process that will help us undertake sound research. The process will help us fully determine what we know, what we want to find out about an ancestor, give us the confidence to share our research with others and help determine the direction of further research. It also sets a guiding principle to help us approach research challenges and then arrive at sound conclusions.

Why adopt the Genealogical Proof Standard process in your research?

Applying GPS to your research from the start will save you having to revisit old research and review what you did earlier. A question may easily arise about whether a previous genealogical conclusion you came to is correct. It can also be beneficial if you find new or additional information that could affect or conflict with existing research.

GPS is a methodology that any family historian can use to help break through brick walls and resolve research challenges. Researching family history can be complex. To find an elusive ancestor your research may mean you are looking at many documents, each providing different pieces of information for you to correlate. Incorporating the GPS methodology into your research allows you to clarify your research and feel confident you have arrived at the best conclusions.

So how do you apply the five GPS steps?

Reasonably exhaustive research

This aspect may be a challenge in itself because who defines exhaustive research.? We know that there will always be some other record that we can look at; after all most of our ancestors have generated around a hundred different records from the cradle to the grave. Because of this there are a few guidelines worth following:

Consider all possible sources of information.

Make a checklist for each of the sources you need to research and work through them methodically.

Analyse the information you find at each stage of your research by asking yourself the question “Where do this fit in?” “What information is it giving me that I did not already know?”

What is next in my research? Not all records will be helpful in every situation, and some of them won’t even be available.

Most family historians know that reasonably exhaustive research cannot be undertaken by relying solely on online records. While there are an increasing number of records becoming available on websites such as FamilySearch, FindmyPast and others, their content is only a small percentage of the information available. So make an effort to visit record offices and archives.

Complete and accurate citation of sources

It is vital the sources are correctly recorded because doing so serves a number of purposes.

Most importantly it records where you found your information, a step which is crucial as you make progress in your research. You may find new or conflicting information on an ancestor you have already researched. Having recorded your source, you will be able to easily revisit that record and compare information enabling you to decide what information remains relevant. You may also need to revisit a record to research information on additional ancestors that you originally knew nothing about.

Record your sources as you progress with your research; don’t try and cite them retrospectively. Recording sources is as important as recording research results, so each source record should be include the following:

The repository in which the record was researched.

Date of research.

Document title and call number from the archive catalogue.

Coverage - the period you actually searched in the record – month and year.

Medium and condition of the record. Was it Microform, transcript, original, and what condition was it in.

Purpose of search - who were you looking for at the time?

Analysis of collated information for quality as evidence

Learning to analyse research is a skill that only comes with practice and experience. Just collecting information and doing nothing with it is pointless. How you analyse the information determines what you find out about your ancestor.

Review whether the information you have is from a primary or secondary source. This will help you determine the reliability of the information.

Analyse your information using the following perspectives and visualise what it was like at the time the document was compiled. Look at legal precedence, historical context and the societal and cultural traditions of the period.

Resolution of any conflicting evidence

This is the step which is often overlooked by many family historians. It is more than likely that during your research you will discover mismatching evidence, but don’t fall into the trap of dismissing information that doesn’t align with your own thoughts or put off dealing with it to a later date because by then, you may have forgotten why the mismatch existed.

As you become more experienced you will begin to understand and anticipate contradictory evidence. You should acknowledge, evaluate, and attempt to provide answers for each contradiction. Contradictions may irritate but need to be resolved rather than just brushed aside.

A useful piece of advice can be found in the FamilySearch Wiki on this subject: Evaluating evidence starts as soon as you find a document that must be evaluated to see if it is relevant to the family you are researching. It continues as you transfer the information from the source to your genealogical records and compose a source footnote. In that phase you are evaluating in two ways - a preliminary evaluation of the reliability of the source, and a comparison and contrast of data on the source with other information about the family to see if it corroborates or contradicts other sources.

Ask yourself simple questions about any conflict:

When and where was the record created?

What information is missing or incomplete from the record?

How was the information recorded?

Who created the record?

How reliable is the information in the record?

It is always a good idea to be objective when looking at your evidence. Making sense of your evidence is different from just gathering the records. There are many ways to resolve conflicting evidence. Try using timelines, charts and even notes on pieces of paper that you can move around to fit. Look at your research from different angles because that way you can find elements which were not initially obvious.

Soundly reasoned conclusion

This is effectively the finishing line.

It is up to you to make sure that you have explored all the records and resources that will give you the full picture about your ancestor. As stated earlier, soundly reasoned research is subjective and as long as you are convinced the information is correct and cannot be disputed, then you should be happy.

No matter how you record you family tree, be it using genealogical software, writing a narrative or life story, uploading it to a website or using audio visual facilities, it needs to be both accurate and well-sourced. Anyone else tracing the same family line should be able to see where you have found the information and more importantly find it impossible to contradict.

Mastering the GPS skills is fundamental to your research and will provide peace of mind that you have done everything that could reasonably be done. As with most disciplines, you learn as you go, and the standards are there to guide you. You will always encounter challenges where physical evidence or the record does not provide enough evidence to draw a positive conclusion. You will never find what isn’t there, so also record your negative research. No one knows when or if another previously unsearched record may be discovered that will provide the answer.

This article was contributed by Ian Waller from Family History Federation.

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