Nancy Peters, CG, CGL

TITLE: Evidence Correlation: Making the Most of Your Research
SESSION: S421
TIME AND DATE: Saturday, 05 May 2018, at 11:00 a.m.
SPONSOR: Board for Certification of Genealogists Skillbuilding Lecture

Most family historians enjoy the hunt for information about ancestors. Yet sometimes records cannot be found that explicitly solve our difficult ancestral mysteries. Making the most of the information we do find requires skills in evidence correlation.

Evidence correlation is an essential element of the Genealogical Proof Standard, the standard we use to measure the soundness of our genealogical conclusions. It involves testing evidence by comparing and contrasting items to identify consistencies, differences, patterns, and connections that might not otherwise be obvious. This lecture presents the essentials of when, what, and how to correlate genealogical evidence. Using case examples, the session shows six correlation methods. This lecture should appeal to serious family historians that face difficult kinship or identity problems. These techniques can help us maximize the value of information collected during the research process and solve a problem when no record contains the evidence that directly answer our question.

ABOUT: Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL, is a full-time researcher, author, editor, and lecturer specializing in genealogical problem solving and methodology. She serves as a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists and as editor of OnBoard, the BCG newsletter. Nancy is incoming coeditor of the NGSQ in 2019. Her client and personal research encompasses the Southeastern U.S., upstate New York, England, and Germany.