Uncategorized Archive
23 Mar 2017
Second Looks, Second Chances
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 23 March 2017 In Uncategorized
People often say to themselves, “If I only knew then what I know now.” They look wistfully at past experiences thinking that if they had another chance they might do things differently. In most cases, people can’t
18 Feb 2017
Correlation and Validation
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 18 February 2017 In Uncategorized
Eureka! You’ve found the record you’ve been looking for. It’s right where you expected it to be. The names, dates, places, and situations are consistent with the people you’re researching. You’re tempted to celebrate, thinking you have
18 Feb 2017
Thinking About How Couples Met
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 18 February 2017 In Uncategorized
In 1898, the sensationalist New York American reported the story of an unusual engagement. A Polish man from Pennsylvania had approached a New York City saloonkeeper and offered to pay him $20 for his help in finding
20 Jan 2017
Resolutions, Goals, and Objectives
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 20 January 2017 In Uncategorized
It’s January—the first month of a new year. This is the time when people tend to think about clean slates and a fresh starts. They make resolutions and set objectives. If you’re a member of the National
20 Jan 2017
Creativity in Genealogical Research
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 20 January 2017 In Uncategorized
Genealogists’ work is grounded in sources—in records, artifacts, images, traditions, and other items that provide information used as evidence. But sources and the information they provide are only part of any given solution to a problem. Skilled,
18 Dec 2016
Family Tradition as a Source
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 18 December 2016 In Uncategorized
Most genealogists probably encounter family traditions. They’re the stories—often with uncertain origins—that have been passed down from one generation to the next. The tales may involve subjects such as ethnicity, places of origin, military exploits, occupations, accomplishments,
18 Dec 2016
Learning from NGS Family History Writing Competition Winners
By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG On 18 December 2016 In Uncategorized
Each year the National Genealogical Society holds a Family History Writing competition. The winning entry is submitted to the NGS Quarterly editors for possible publication. When accepted, NGS Quarterly readers benefit, for the contest winners’ work demonstrates
15 Nov 2016
Breaking Out of Comfort Zones
By Laura DeGrazia On 15 November 2016 In Uncategorized
My mother knew someone who was so afraid of making a left turn in her car that she simply refused to do it. Rather than take the most direct route, she would make only right turns and
15 Nov 2016
In-depth Record Analysis: An Example from National Genealogical Society Quarterly
By Laura DeGrazia On 15 November 2016 In Uncategorized
Most of us have probably encountered a situation where a record seems unusual. We may be tempted to overlook the problem, accept the information, and move on to other research. When George Findlen found duplicate entries in
12 Jul 2016
Visualizing Information for Analysis and Correlation
By Melissa Johnson On 12 July 2016 In Uncategorized
The first element of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)—reasonably exhaustive research[1]—calls for digging into the circumstances of a research subject’s life, and identifying sources and strategies that may help provide an answer to a specific research question.