What Good Is Research Without A Few Conflicts?

By SHARON TATE MOODY Tribune correspondent

Published: May 4, 2008

Sometimes, people who are unfamiliar with genealogical research ask why we pursue it. We can tell them all about finding missing pieces of the big puzzle, digging to understand why and how our ancestors did certain things and discovering how their societies differed from ours.

This is the kind of research that will make you a true genealogist as opposed to those who simply gather names and dates. It also will lead to lots of information, which may seem overwhelming at times.

But family historians have numerous choices to improve and organize their research. Some of these choices need to be viewed as absolute musts.

Every new genealogist should purchase a genealogy software program. Good ones include Family Tree Maker, Legacy, The Master Genealogist and Roots Magic. Mac users usually choose between Reunion and MacFamilyTree.

Using this software will give you a quick, consistent way of organizing each ancestor and relative into family units, with vital information on births, marriages and deaths. You also will be able to create pedigree charts and family group charts to better understand relationships among the relatives you find. The software also has a place for source citations so you can record the source of every piece of information in your database.

This job will be just the start and is fairly cut and dried. What will be significantly more complicated is finding the interesting stories of your ancestors' lives or solving the contradictions you'll uncover in research materials.

But this is where the challenge and fun of genealogy really begins. Breezing backward through the generations without encountering any puzzles strikes me as rather boring.

First, let's talk about solving conflicts that will inevitably appear in your research materials.

In genealogy, we have direct and indirect evidence. Direct evidence can stand on its own in proving a fact. Indirect evidence needs supporting material.

For example, the will of Thomas Willis left property "to my daughter Jane, wife of Elijah Akins." This is direct evidence as to the relationships between Thomas, Jane and Elijah.

James Marshall's will says he left something "to my daughter Anne Richardson." From this, you don't know which Richardson is Anne's husband. You never find an actual marriage certificate but uncover nearly a dozen documents indicating Anne married George Richardson.

In this case, you may be able to use indirect evidence to prove Anne and George were married.

This is a good time to sit down and write a proof argument. In this process, you look at each piece of evidence and address what the document is telling you. Your goal is to resolve any contradictions and present a convincing argument that Anne Marshall married George Richardson.

But even when you can't solve the puzzle, you will benefit by following this method. You will have produced an analysis and organized the materials.

Now let's talk about the importance of planning your research. Some researchers never look at where they've been or how they got there. This allows the possibility of not even seeing conflicting information.

For instance, you don't know anything about your grandfather except that his name was Alfred James. In your enthusiasm, you want to know "everything" and embark on a broad search. Slow down. You'll be more successful by pursuing only one or two questions at a time, such as, "Where was your grandfather born?" and "Who were his parents?"

You could try this as a guide when embarking on research about an ancestor. Get a blank piece of paper and write down what little you know. You might know when and where he died; where he is buried; who, when and where he married; and the identities of his children.

From here, you can begin a methodical search through standard records such as census, land, probate, vital records, military records, etc., and keep an ongoing research report. As you do each search, record it in your report. Include what you find, or even that you didn't find any records, and note the significance.

When you've completed one phase of research, develop a plan for your next step. For example, in a land record you may find a reference to a previous state or county in which your ancestor lived. The scope of your plan needs to expand into looking for records from that area.

Put your research report in writing. This will give you a permanent, detailed account of where you've been and what you found, and a plan for where you'll go next.

Your work becomes a map.

The Board for Certification of Genealogists has some excellent examples of a variety of these reports. Go to www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/worksamples.html to study examples.

A good place to learn more about proof arguments is to read the quarterly magazine of the National Genealogy Society. I strongly recommend that genealogists join this society. Its magazine is full of proof arguments, also called case studies. Reading them will give you information about research and spur your own ideas. To learn more, go to www.ngsgenealogy.org.

Sharon Tate Moody is a certified genealogist by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Send genealogy questions and event announcements to her in care of Getaway, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606; or stmoody0720 @mac.com. She regrets that she is unable to assist with personal research.