Correlating Evidence

Sound genealogical research is guided by the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and Genealogy Standards.

What is the next step after we, as genealogists, collect evidence in pursuit of a sound conclusion for a research objective? In accordance with the Genealogical Proof Standard’s Step 3, we thoroughly analyze and correlate all the evidence we gather. Imagine a giant puzzle, each piece must fit perfectly into its adjacent pieces.

Genealogy Standard #46 states, “Genealogists weigh evidence from independent information items.”
Genealogy Standard #47 states that we test evidence by comparing and contrasting items. Doing so allows us to see “parallels, patterns, and inconsistencies” between evidence items.

What does this mean, and how do we apply it to our research? We’ve all correlated evidence when following a family through census enumerations by comparing where they were born, their names, ages, and occupations from one census enumeration to the next. But what about the cases that are a bit more complex?

Below are two examples of how I worked through Step 3 of the Genealogical Proof Standard when researching for personal research projects.

• If we’re lucky, we sometimes find an ancestor's signature, which was the case for a recent research project I conducted for my ancestor, Ignatius Cade. Ignatius served in the Creek Indian War and the Civil War. Found within Ignatius’s wife’s pension for his service in the Creek Indian War is a torn portion of a letter he wrote to Jane, his wife, while serving in the Civil War. The torn portion of the letter reads, “I remain your husband til death, Ignatius Cade.” At a surface level, many would assume Ignatius was educated since he signed his name rather than using a mark. But what if Ignatius was illiterate and dictated what he wanted to say to someone who knew how to write, who wrote the letter for him? Found within Ignatius’s estate file is his original last will and testament, which he signed. Jackpot on locating two independent sources with Ignatius’s signature! But how could I know for sure that the will was original and the same person signed the two documents? Below is the process I went through to conclude that Ignatius did sign both documents, providing evidence that he was educated.

Source: Keith Berry, “Religion, War, and Loss: A Family’s Story in Alabama,” 2025.

• GPS step #4 dictates that conflicts in evidence must be resolved before reaching a sound genealogical conclusion. Researchers often encounter this situation when a research subject is recorded with different names in documents. We can sometimes easily resolve this conflict, but often, it is a complex process. Such was the case for one of my ancestors, who was recorded as Jude Belcher, Judy (Belsher) Pane, and Julia A. (Belcher) Pane/Payne in documents. You can read my case study here in which I discuss and correlate the evidence found for the research subject, ultimately concluding that Jude, Judy, and Julia A. were the same person. The table below, which can be found at the end of the case study, visually compares the evidence I used to reach my conclusion.

Source: Keith Berry, “Jude Belcher, Judy (Belsher) Pane, and Julia A. (Belcher) Pane/Payne of Virginia – Were They the Same Person?” 2023.

Do you consistently apply the Genealogical Proof Standard and Genealogy Standards when researching? Adhering to both is key to sound and reliable genealogical research.