From Annoyance to LOVE

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FamilySearch and the GPS

FamilySearch is indispensable to genealogists, especially those who follow the GPS - Genealogical Proof Standard. As my inspiration for this blog, Devon Noel Lee said in an email to FamilyHistory Fanatics members, 
If you want to be a better genealogist, you have to use the genealogy proof standard. If you want to use the GPS in one central location, there's no better place to do that than FamilySearch.org. 

Genealogical Proof Standard

There are five elements to the Genealogical Proof Standard:
  1. Reasonably exhaustive research has been conducted.
  2. Each statement of fact has a complete and accurate source citation.
  3. The evidence is reliable and has been skillfully correlated and interpreted.
  4. Any contradictory evidence has been resolved.
  5. The conclusion has been soundly reasoned and coherently written.
Any proof statement is subject to re-evaluation when new evidence arises. [1]
 

Reasonably Exhaustive Research

FamilySearch Search menu
Search tab menu

Reasonably exhaustive research must include the millions of documents available on FamilySearch. Diligence requires searching by name, by locality, and in particular collections, even those which are not yet indexed. Use of the FamilySearch Catalog and Research Wiki will lead to online sources outside of FamilySearch, and to records which must be searched offline in libraries, archives and manuscript repositories. 




Complete and Accurate Source Citation

As a bonus, records found on FamilySearch each contain a complete and accurate source citation. To include these citations in the family tree, simply attach these records to the persons named in the record. 

In my case, this record was already attached to me, but I had added no reason statement. In each person profile there is a Sources tab, where each attached or otherwise added Source is listed. Click on the Source and see:


Just below the description is the source citation:

Reason templates

Here comes the sticky part. Every time you make a change in the FamilySearch Family Tree, you are presented with the little "Reason" box. I've been very bad about this, until recently watching a "Members Extra" video from Family History Fanatics called Applying the Genealogy Proof Standard on FamilySearch which has inspired this blog post. Now I'm doing better, because Devon Noel Lee provided some templates for creating reason statements, which makes it so easy! 

Templates are a powerful tool to speed up your work and improve the quality of your research. In fact, by creating and using them you can in part do the final three steps in the GPS: explain how the the evidence is reliable and has been skillfully correlated and interpreted, and that any contradictory evidence has been resolved. And taken all together, that the conclusion has been soundly reasoned and coherently written.

The fundamental reason all this is so inspiring to me is that I want to be a better genealogist, not just so that I can more efficiently research my own family, but also so that I can help others do so. Anything such as these templates that help us do better work and think more analytically about how we do the work is really exciting to me.

Marriage

Devon's marriage reason template begins:
Marriage record for ​[groom]​ and​ [bride].​ The record provides evidence of marriage date and place, birth date and place, occupations, and current residence. The record provides parental names of​ [groom’s parents’ names]​ and​ [bride’s parents’ names].[2]
Since my example is just an index record, my statement is now: Marriage record for ​Robert R Zimmerman and​ Valorie A Cowan.​ The record provides evidence of marriage date and place and current residence. 


Once a reason statement is entered, it displays for each person linked to that record, which can be very powerful in the case of an obituary, probate or census record!

Of course many records are more complex than the simple index entry in my example. Here is Devon's example of a compound reason statement:
Marriage record for S B Barton and Nancy A Miller in Franklin County, Ohio. S B Barton is believed to be Samuel Bailey Barton. The couple is in Franklin County, Ohio after their marriage and throughout the rest of their lives. The 1900 US Census placed their marriage around 1886. The Sept. 1885 marriage in the location where they lived the remainder of their lives suggests that this is the right record about this couple.   

The record provides the name of the couple and their marriage date and license date.[2], [3]
I can't directly link to the source of my inspiration since it is members-only, but this video is public: How to Explain How You Solved Your Genealogy Problems on FamilySearch. 



Birth

Devon's birth template:
Birth record for ​[child's name]​, the ​[son/daughter]​ of ​[parents’ names from the FamilySearch Family Tree]​. The record provides evidence of birth date and place. It includes ​[full or partial]​ parental names as ​[parental names on the record]​.
Add any additional sentences or paragraphs that include:
● Any conflicts between record source, the tree data, and/or other sources.
● Any additional information that might be available but not mentioned in the index
to the record.
○ ‘birth marked as a twin’
○ ‘birth address was St. Ann’s Hospital’. [4]

Merge

Merging​ [Name on the profile that will not survive] [PID],​ who was based on [identify sources and/or relationships], ​into ​[Name on the profile that will survive] [PID], ​who was based on ​[identify sources and/or relationships]​.​ Explain why you chose the profile you did as the surviving one.
Devon's example: 
Merging ​Augusta Beck 9SMF-5ZH,​ who was based on ​her marriage record to Karl Ludwig,​ into ​Augusta Beck LYW1-DSN,​ who was based on ​the 1930 US Census that identified her as the wife of Karl Ludwig and the mother of William and Fred Ludwig as well as her son William's marriage record.
Additionally, the ​Augusta Beck 9SMF-5ZH​ only has the marriage record as a source and her relationship to Karl Ludwig, while the surviving profile has additional sources and relationships.

Census

Here is my Census template so far:

This [year, place] census record has the same birth date and place, and same first name and surname of [name from the FamilySearch Family Tree] as their birth record/other census records. Family members enumerated align with other census records and family obituaries and probate records.


If you have crafted your own templates, please share them with us in the comments. If you are reading this blog in the online group or have subscribed, click on the title and scroll to the bottom to leave your comment.



Valorie Zimmerman

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