In the book Genealogy Standards, second edition by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, "evidence" is defined as: A research question's tentative answer, which can be right or wrong, complete or incomplete, or vague or specific; can be dir ...
Double Enumeration of the 1870 Census in Philadelphia
As I was creating my Pennsylvania locality guide in preparation for accreditation, I learned that in 1870 the federal census was enumerated twice in both Philadelphia and New York City. Wikipedia gives the following reason: Although Franci ...
Research Like a Pro Study Group: Locality Research
The Research Objective for my Research Like a Pro Study Group involves distinguishing between two different Jacob Fishers, both enumerated in Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the 1790 US Census. In their book, Research Like a Pro, A Genealogis ...
Genealogy Terminology: Genealogical Proof Standard
All genealogists strive to reconstruct family histories or achieve genealogical goals that reflect historical reality as closely as possible. They meet this goal by applying the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) to measure the credibility of conclus ...
Ferdinand A. Brader: Documenting Pennsylvania Farm Life in the Late 1800s
I recently discovered the work of Ferdinand A. Brader, a Swiss artist who specialized in "creating large-scale (usually about fifty by thirty inches), bird’s-eye perspectives of farms in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Hundreds of his works offer an e ...
Genealogy Terminology: Nonpopulation Schedules
When talking about Census Records, the records that are generally being referred to--an enumeration of all the people in a household – are known as population schedules. Did you know there are also nonpopulation schedules? Additional schedu ...
Research Like a Pro: Timeline Analysis
For my four-generation accreditation project, I am researching the Beck/Fisher family of Pennsylvania. I recently revisited records I had previously found to create a timeline of the life of Jacob Fisher, who is the 4th Generation for my ...
Genealogy Terminology: Gretna Green
When searching for marriage records, it is helpful to know the phrase "Gretna Green." When a couple runs away from their home area to get married in a place with fewer marriage restrictions, the place they go is often referred to as a "Gret ...
Research Like a Pro Study Group: Creating a Research Objective
I am currently participating in a study group being hosted by Diana Elder, A.G. and her daughter Nicole Dyer of Family Locket. I purchased their book, Research Like a Pro, in December and realized that my research process could really use some ...
Genealogy Terminology: Immigration and Emigration
Has anyone ever been confused by Immigration vs. Emigration? I recently realized that I was, and being able to use these words correctly is important as a genealogist. Here's a little help: Immigration : an act or instance of immigrati ...