Correlating Evidence

According to the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the third component of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is summarized as “thorough analysis and correlation” (bcgcertification.org). Under Chapter 3: Standards for Researching of Genealogy Standards (2014 version) the Board expands upon this as follows:

47. Evidence correlation. Genealogists test their evidence by comparing and contrasting evidence items. They use such correlation to discover parallels, patterns, and inconsistencies, including points at which evidence items agree, conflict, or both.

-Genealogy Standards, p. 27

How do we analyze and correlate our evidence? In order to compare and contrast evidence, you need to arrange your information in new and different ways to help shed light on patterns or other things you may not have noticed before. This information can be names, dates, locations, or any other facts you’ve logically pulled from your sources. Several strategies to do this include: 

  • Creating a timeline

  • Making a map

  • Creating a table or spreadsheet

  • Listing your evidence

  • Writing a narrative

Also note correlating can help you determine the reliability of your sources. For example, any of these methods can be used when you are faced with records with the same name and you’re not sure which ones belong to your ancestor. Or if you find records for an individual with a similar name you believe to be your ancestor and need confirmation, you could write up the evidence for this individual and compare it to the evidence you already know.

In addition you can correlate your sources themselves. Making a list of the sources you have for an ancestor can show you that you may need to find more primary sources closer to the events.

Try each one to discover which methods work best for you and for the situation at hand. Let’s explore each of these options.

Creating a Timeline 

I’ve found the easiest way is to create one timeline for each ancestor or family group. Some software or database programs will offer a timeline, but we recommend creating your own. Order everything chronologically from important life events like births, marriages, and deaths to all of their known residences, employment history, and anything else of interest. Utilize all of the verified sources you’ve collected like census records, city directories, draft cards, and vital records. 

See our Timeline & Known Residences (PDF file) template for help organizing this information.

Compare this timeline with those of their parents, and their children, and other friends and relatives. Look for overlapping information, like shared or nearby residences. Consider life events and the impact they may have had on others - how old was your ancestor when his father passed away, for example? Is this why he took over the family store? Also examine the context of events in your timeline with historical events from the same time period. Did the events of the world at the time shape your ancestor’s lives? 

Finally, look for conflicts in the information, as well as gaps of time, and work to resolve them.  If you have multiple dates of birth for your ancestor, writing out the timeline for your ancestor, as well as for their parents, might help you determine which date is accurate.

Making a Map

See our page on Mapping Ancestors for instructions on using MyMaps on Google to visualize where your ancestors lived.  

 

Creating a Table or Spreadsheet

Utilize a free program like Google Sheets or software like Excel to display your information in rows and columns in a way that might show new patterns. You can use tables to compare different sources for the same individual, or two compare multiple individuals or families.

You can also use spreadsheets to analyze a vast amount of data, like all the results of a surname search from an online database. This method can be very time consuming, and may require advanced knowledge of spreadsheet programs.

Some resources you may find helpful:

 

Listing your Evidence

By simply writing out your evidence to support your facts you can discover where there are gaps in your information, or learn where you might need more proof to support your ideas.

This is also a great way to evaluate the strength of your evidence and determine if you need better sources. Is your only record of someone’s birth date an estimate from a census record? Also look at the types of sources you have collected and determine if they are mostly primary and original, and do you have authentic sources that link generations - that is, prove the parent and child relationships?

 

Writing a Narrative

Tell the story of your ancestor’s life, in an objective way, with all facts backed up by evidence and sources. Explain why certain sources may conflict with others or be wrong, like an ancestor lying about his age to fight in the war for example. Choose to write about one individual or the whole family. You can use this same work to form your written conclusion when you have finished your research.

 

See also: The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and Mapping Your Ancestors

Additional References:

  • Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, 50th Edition. Washington, D.C.: Ancestry.com, 2014.

  • Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, 2nd Edition. Washington, D.C.: Ancestry.com, 2019.