One of the greatest lessons I learned during my 21 years in the classroom has served me just as well in genealogy.
As a teacher, I never walked into a classroom wondering, What am I going to teach today? Every lesson began with a learning objective. I knew exactly what I wanted my students to understand before I chose the activities, worksheets, or assessments. The tools supported the lesson—they didn't determine it.
Genealogy works the same way.
Too often, we sit down at the computer, type an ancestor's name into a search box, and begin collecting whatever records appear. We save a census record, download a death certificate, maybe find a marriage record, and call it a productive day.
That's searching.
Searching is necessary—but searching alone rarely solves genealogical problems. Without a purpose, it's easy to collect records instead of finding answers.
That's where research comes in. The first part of research begins with a question.
Instead of asking, What can I find on Benjamin Ball? try asking:
- Who were Benjamin Ball's parents?
- Where was he living during the 1850 and 1860 censuses?
- Why did he disappear from one county and appear in another?
- Did he serve in the Civil War, or was there another man with the same name?
Once you know what you're trying to learn, you can develop a research plan and identify the records most likely to answer your question. A census may establish residence. A deed might reveal family relationships. Probate records, tax lists, church registers, newspapers, military records, or the records of friends, associates, and neighbors (the FAN Club) may each provide another piece of the puzzle.
Now your searching has purpose.
This distinction isn't just my opinion—it's reflected in the evolution of genealogical standards themselves.
When the Board for Certification of Genealogists first published Genealogy Standards in 2000, the first element of the Genealogical Proof Standard called for a reasonably exhaustive search. In the 2014 edition, that wording changed to reasonably exhaustive research.
That may seem like a small change, but it reflects a significant shift in thinking.
Searching is the act of locating records.
Research begins with a question, follows a plan, and searches for records with purpose.
That single word change reflects a shift in mindset. Modern genealogy isn't measured by how many records we collect, but by how thoughtfully we answer a research question.
Looking back, I realize this was one of the most important lessons I learned while studying the Genealogical Proof Standard. At first, I thought the challenge was learning the five standards. Instead, the real challenge was changing the way I approached genealogy.
Once I stopped asking, What records can I find? and started asking, What question am I trying to answer?, everything else began to fall into place.
That simple shift in mindset is the foundation of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)—and the focus of this series.
Over the next several articles, we'll build on this foundation by exploring each element of the Genealogical Proof Standard and how they work together to produce reliable genealogical conclusions.
- Reasonably Exhaustive Research
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Complete and Accurate Source Citations
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Analysis and Correlation of Evidence
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Resolving Conflicting Evidence
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Writing a Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion
Join me in this journey, and you will see that the Genealogical Proof Standard is not five separate requirements, but one connected process for answering family history questions with confidence.
