Nancy A. Peters, CG^®, CGL^SM, coedited the NGS Quarterly (2019–22) and served two terms as a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists^®. She lectures and teaches at national conferences and institutes on skill-building topics and research methodology. Her personal and client research focus on the southeastern United States, New York State, England, and Germany. Her published work appears in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice, & Standards (2018) and genealogical journals such as the NGS Quarterly.

Session: S301  TRACK: BCG Skillbuilding TITLE: Which John Goleman Was Jacob’s Father? Solving a Southern Case of Identity and Kinship

Genealogists often encounter multiple, same-named persons living in an area at the same time. Sorting and merging these identities to resolve difficult kinship problems requires skill in using evidence analysis and correlation techniques.

Learn how a similar problem in antebellum South Carolina was solved using six key strategies. A case study illustrates how Jacob’s father was identified from among multiple, same-named paternal candidates born in the late 18th century. The research process was complicated by conflicting information about Jacob’s birth, name variants and surname shifts, political boundary changes, and lack of vital records for the time. Reaching a sound conclusion required knowledge and application of genealogical standards.

Registration is now open at https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/.