Evaluating Information

When you are at the point where new discoveries are not happening very often, your research has stalled. However, you may still have a long list of burning questions about what you have already learned. In solving the most challenging research questions, some of the greatest breakthroughs can come from simply looking at existing information in new and various ways. Here are some ideas for seeing your information with fresh eyes:

Timelines

Creating timelines and comparing them with historical or personal family events offers a fresh perspective and perhaps even a new direction for research. My timelines are sometimes handwritten, but I have also used spreadsheets to sort information by date. Comparing a person's information with local or national events, or things like advances in transportation, outbreaks of disease, or natural disasters will give a clearer picture of their lives. Just for my own curiosity's sake, I created a framework of major national events and cultural movements, and I placed all of my ancestors within that framework. It was a whole new paradigm to learn that while my maternal great grandfather was searching for gold in the Black Hills, my paternal great grandfather was coming over to America on a ship from Germany. I just find that so intriguing! I also placed my maternal ancestors and my paternal ancestors in the same church at the same time in the 1700s in New England. There are several occasions where my maternal and paternal lines crossed in the colonial days.

A timeline can prove or disprove family lore. A popular story in my family was that when the pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, my ancestor was already there "selling them hotdogs." However, according to the ancestor's timeline, he did not come to America until 20 years after the Mayflower. 

Maps

Geographical proximity can explain a lot. Look at street names of family members and compare their location in relation to each other on a map or on Google Earth. Churches, waterways, roads, mines, military forts, hospitals, ports and homesteads are all important clues to your ancestors' lives and potential documentation. I wondered why my grandmother was born in Iowa when the rest of the family on both sides lived in Illinois. A map showed me that the Keokuk, Iowa was just across the river from Hamilton, Illinois and were connected by a bridge. Another great grandmother died in an asylum in Oklahoma; I learned that there was a tuberculosis outbreak at that time (early 1900s) in Wichita. Her brother and three of his children all died of TB in Wichita. A map showed that the asylum in Woodward, Oklahoma was not very far from Wichita and there was a direct road. It made a lot more sense that just reading it on paper.

Family stories, letters, diaries, and other paraphernalia.... to be continued