By Lisa Stokes, AG®

Have you ever wondered if the family you chose for your Four Generation Project was a good fit? Are you struggling to find a family that is ‘just right’? ICAPGen Study Group mentors have compiled some suggestions to help participants fine tune their selection for their Four Generation Project.

The family you chose does not need to be your own family. Sometimes in researching your own family you’ll find yourself so invested that it’s difficult to draw the line on ‘reasonably exhaustive research.’

Pick a family that will illustrate your skills as a genealogist! Look for a family that shows off your skills using a variety of original sources. Look for opportunities to use indirect evidence, analyze and correlate, discuss your findings and resolve conflicts.

A family that demonstrates any of the following would not be a good fit:

If you are planning to use research that you conducted a long time ago, be sure that you remember how connections were made. Is your research log complete? If not, it may be difficult to accurately recreate your research log and articulate your research in the report. Keep in mind, though, that many applicants successfully make prior research work for a Four Generation Project.

Demonstrating Your Research Skills

One of the purposes of the Four Generation Project is for applicants to show they know how to research. Look for a family that shows off your research skills. Use a variety of strategies and methodologies to present the research in your report. Some strategies you might discuss include:

• Distinguish people of the same name to show why one particular person belongs in the family and not another person of the same name.
• Emphasize how a record applies to the individual or family. For example, how does the census household enumeration add to the proof that they are from the family you are discussing (i.e occupations, religion, visitors, ages, age gaps, servants, addresses, correlating multiple censuses, etc.).
• Point out a discrepancy that exists among records and display your knowledge of the location, the records, the family, etc. Discuss why one source is more credible than another.
• Use negative evidence to help prove an identity, a death, a migration, or other events. For example, show that an individual is not in a certain place and thus could be deceased or could have migrated from one area to another.
• Use naming patterns to connect members of a family.
• Use the FAN club concept of cluster research to strengthen your proof arguments. For example, connect people in the same location or connect a family in one location to a family in another location. This technique can also be used to strengthen evidence of likely relationships.
• Find ways to use indirect evidence to strengthen proof arguments and reach a solid conclusion.
• Apply understanding of the laws of the time period and region by accessing statute books or other documentation of the laws.
• Explain the jurisdictional organization and who had custody of the records or any boundary changes that may affect the records.
• Use cultural, or historical context to support a conclusion about a person’s identity.

Children of the second, third, and fourth main-line subjects should be well researched and documented in the research log and family group sheets. Covering these children in the research report of the Four Generation Project is not a requirement, and is discouraged if it distracts from the space needed to properly analyze the main subjects and their generational links. HOWEVER, showcasing research skills, analysis skills, and/or correlation skills with the children is a good technique in a Four Generation Project.

For more detailed information, consult the Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist^® Credential which covers all of ICAPGen’s application requirements and guidelines.