"Information that is relevant to the problem." [Mills, Evidence Explained, 2007]
11
votes
3answers
82 views
Statistical Genealogy, or Knowing what is an extraordinary claim
It is often said in genealogy (or any field of research, really) that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Fair enough. But how does one know what is an extraordinary claim? We can ...
7
votes
2answers
82 views
How can I archive emails and web pages in an easy fashion?
In about every genealogy program I can enter sources with an author, title, date, and text, but no matter where I look, this always means that I have to fill out some big form, and that's something I ...
10
votes
3answers
125 views
Could these three personae be collapsed to a single individual?
I believe that the following represents a plausible case to describe the life of one man.
William Harley (3)
Married Margaret Heathwood(e) in Brisbane, Queensland 22 September
1863 (Reg# 1863/B671)
...
6
votes
3answers
166 views
How do I record a person on Ancestry.com who may or may not have existed?
I have received an old genealogy report from a relative and it reads thusly (names changed for brevity):
1. Parent b. Ireland, d. Ireland. Notes about parent.
children
2. i Child.
...
13
votes
4answers
83 views
Local historical society genealogy
I'm new to all this. My local small-town historical society is interested in capturing the local history genealogy (and tying it to its small artifacts collection).
It seems most genealogy software ...
8
votes
5answers
164 views
How should I record unsuccessful searches (that may constitute negative evidence)?
What's the right way to record the fact that I have performed a search in a certain dataset and came up empty handed?
As an example:
I search for Person X in the New Hampshire Marriages index on ...
11
votes
2answers
194 views
How do I correctly identify an individual who goes by multiple names?
This question is general to all inquiries where a person has differing last names in multiple records. In my particular case, I am researching my 3rd great grandfather Simon Zoller (1840-1902) and I ...
17
votes
7answers
300 views
How Do You Transition from Person Based Genealogy to Record Based Genealogy?
When we start genealogy we know the persons who are closest to us in time so we are comfortable using software where each person record is a unique "conclusion" person. We create a person record for ...
7
votes
4answers
202 views
How can I confirm the parentage of Mary (1771? - 1851) wife of John James in Llanfair Nant Y Gof, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Llanfair Nant Y Gof is a rural parish in Pembrokeshire, consisting of scattered farms and a single mill, plus a couple of "big houses". There is no village as such. The population in 1800-1820 was ...
10
votes
2answers
112 views
Why do historical and genealogical scholars differ in their approach to classifying sources?
Historical scholars classify sources as "primary" or "secondary."
Princeton University, "What is a primary source"
Library and Archives Canada, "Toolkit: Defining Primary and Secondary Sources"
...
16
votes
7answers
241 views
Ephemera as evidence?
Wondering what the status of ephemera is given in genealogy?
Like a dance ticket or dance card, Grandma's recipes, Valentine cards stored in a scrapbook, Grandpa's receipt for a carwash, etc.
...
13
votes
7answers
329 views
What tools exist for collecting and managing evidence?
There are lots of standalone software packages as well as websites which appear to be primarily based on a pedigree view - start from me and work my way back. These systems seem to take the view that ...
10
votes
7answers
197 views
What is evidence? What is the difference between evidence and information?
What is evidence?
I have piles and piles of historical records, old letters, e-mails, all of which provide details about my family.
Is all of the information contained in these documents ...
