Proof is Possible
In her 2008 National Genealogical Society Quarterly article called “The Myth of Impossible Proof: Modern Genealogy Methods and a Holocaust Fraud,” author Sharon E. Sergeant wrote “Researchers always fail when they believe proof is impossible or when difficulties stop them from persisting.”[1]
Every genealogical research problem comes with a set of complications. Sources may not be available due to restrictions or destruction. Those that are available may be difficult to use because of accessibility, cost, legibility, or language barriers. Information might be incorrect, whether due to error or complete fabrication. Data found in multiple sources might not agree. The answer to the research problem might not be stated directly in the sources, but might lie in a collection of clues requiring skillful analysis and correlation. Researchers who challenge long-standing or popular traditions may face resistance. Successful genealogists, like Sergeant, are undeterred by complications and difficulties. They craft strategies to work around the roadblocks.
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About Author
Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG
Laura Murphy DeGrazia, editor of NGS Monthly, is a professional genealogist specializing in the New York City area and Irish Americans. She is a former trustee and past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. From 2010 through 2014 she edited the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Her book on researching in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York, was published as part of the NGS Research in the States series in 2013. Laura is a member of the NGS Magazine Editorial Advisory Committee and the NGS Publications Committee.