Applying multiple research techniques to genealogy problems

The Jefferson Clark online case study, which has been continued in this column for over a year, uses many different genealogy research skills and techniques throughout the course of the study.

These research skills are nearly universal, and can be applied to any genealogical research problem.

1. Creating a research plan. Before tackling any complex genealogical research problem, it is wise to outline a research plan. Your research plan should break your problem down into individual steps, and identify the records that would provide information relevant to each step of the problem. For more information on research plans, read part one, part two, and part three of the article, "Crafting a research plan."
2. Identifying all of the information held in individual records. Not all of the information in every record is stated explicitly. Some of the information is implied by information in the record. For example, the various places of birth of children in a family implies the migration route of that family.
3. Identifying the informant for information held in individual records. Before you can accept information into your conclusions, you must ascertain the reliability of the information. The only way that you can do this is to identify the informant, where possible, and determine how likely the informant is able to provide accurate information.
4. Accurately and consistently citing each record source. Among other benefits, citing your sources in a consistent format, allows (1) the researcher to learn more about the creation and provenance of each record through the process of creating a citation, (2) the record to be easily located and examined again at a later time if necessary, and (3) other researchers to ascertain the validity of your research conclusions based on the sources used.
5. Correlating the information held by multiple records. It is important to locate every record source for information relevant to your problem. As multiple records are located, you must compare the information held in each individual record with the information in every other record.
6. Reconciling contradictory information. Not all of the information will agree across all of the records located. When two records provide contradictory evidence concerning a particular fact, the cause of this contradiction must be determined.
7. Using "negative evidence" effectively. In some cases, the absence of information can itself constitute "negative evidence." Negative evidence must be used with care, however. You can only base a conclusion on negative evidence if an exhaustive search of all records potentially relevant to your research problem has been conducted. Negative evidence was briefly discussed in the article "Learning from genealogical failure."
8. Identfying "clusters" of associated people. Our ancestors did not live in isolation. They were parts of immediate families, extended families, and communities of neighbors and other associates. Identifying these "clusters" of associates can help provide information about our ancestors. Read the following articles for demonstration of specific cluster techniques: "Using 'clusters' to track your ancestors through multiple census years (part one)," "Using 'clusters' to track your ancestors through multiple census years (part two)," and "Using 'clusters' to identify slave owners."