The method
- Define the relationship and known clues: names, places, periods and available documents. Mark information derived from memory or family accounts.
- Search holdings and services appropriate to the country and place. Record reference, date, page or image; distinguish the original document from a transcription or index.
- Compare agreement and contradictions. Retain several hypotheses when a connection is uncertain, then identify the next search that could distinguish them.
Fictional worked example
In a fictional case, two people share a name in different towns. A record mentions a compatible family relationship but a date differs. Your note preserves the discrepancy and each datum’s source; it does not unify people on name alone.
The record to keep
Keep reference, institution, document address, page locator, personal transcription and provisional conclusion. Limit disclosure about living people.
What this method can establish
This method organises documentary research. It determines neither identity, legal parentage nor inheritance rights; archive access rules vary.
Supporting documentation
Documentation consulted on
An editorial method, a fictional example and references for further reading.