Enrollment options
Note: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered.
- Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, 2nd edition revised (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2021).
- Jones, Thomas W., Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2013).
Optional Print Course Material: Methodology 5 – How To Prove It
*Course materials will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
The objective of this course is to teach you how to make an effective research plan and how to establish proof in your research. It builds on the skills learned during the basic and other intermediate-level Methodology courses. This course considers in depth the many possibilities and pitfalls involved in proving your family history in a professional manner. This comprehensive treatment prepares the student for the research process and writing out the research results and conclusion of analysis to establish proof.
MODULE 1
HOW TO PROVE IT
THEORY
Required Reading
Where to Begin?
Meaning of Proof
Concepts of Fact, Deduction & Assumption
Fact
Deduction by Logic
Unsound Assumptions
Necessary Proof or Sufficient Proof?
What is proof in genealogy?
Proving Relationships
Required Level of Proof in Genealogy
Preponderance of Evidence
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Clear, Cogent & Convincing > The Genealogical Proof Standard
Understanding Sources
Types of Sources
Categories of Sources
Original, Derivative & Authored Sources
Reliability of Original Sources
Reliability of Derivative Sources
Reliability of Authored Sources
Terminology
Recommended Reading & Resources
MODULE 2
THEORY ... CONTINUED
Required Reading
Sources, Information & Evidence
Categories of Information
Primary, Secondary & Undetermined Information
Types of Evidence
Direct, Indirect & Negative Evidence
Selection of Evidence Used in Proof
Constructing Hypotheses & Theories
Value of Previous Research
Scriptures
Legends, Oral Traditions & Ancient Pedigrees
The Internet
Unprovable Family Connections
MODULE 3
TECHNIQUE
Required Reading
General Advice
Focussing on a Search for Evidence
Pedigree Analysis
Family Reconstruction
FAN Club / Cluster Research
Killing Them Off
MODULE 4
TECHNIQUE ... CONTINUED
Required Reading
Use of Indexes
When searching indexes…
Documentation
Description of the Source
Record All Relevant Items
Images of Significant Items
Go Sideways
Know & Use Alternative Sources
Serendipity & Intuition
What Is Serendipity?
What Is Intuition?
Examples of Serendipity & Intuition
How Does Serendipity Work?
MODULE 5
PROBLEM SOLVING
Required Reading
Types of Problems
Problems with Starting Information
Assumptions - a.k.a. Presumptions
General Problems with Records
Conflicting Evidence
Name Changes
MODULE 6
PROBLEM SOLVING ... CONTINUED
Required Reading
Finding the Right Geographic Location
Understanding Indexes
Birthplaces
Using Maps & Gazetteers
Migration & Movement
Age Problems
Illegitimacy
Bigamy
Proscribed Marriage
Delayed Marriage
Female Ancestors
Paupers Disappearing
Apprenticed Out of the Home Parish
Removal to Parish of Settlement
Service in the Army, Militia, or Navy
Runaways
If all Else Fails, Write an Article!
BRING THE PROOF TOGETHER IN WRITING
Required Reading
Putting It Together
Putting the Proof in Writing
RECOMMENDED READING & RESOURCES