Family history notes

Genealogists learn early that a family tree is only as good as its sources. A name and a date copied from someone else's tree, with no record behind it, is a rumor. Good research notes tie every fact to the record it came from, keep track of what was searched (including the searches that found nothing), and keep the evidence apart from the conclusion drawn from it.

This skill follows careful genealogical practice: cite the source for every fact; weigh original records over derivative ones and firsthand informants over secondhand; record negative searches; and write conclusions as reasoned arguments, open to revision. The Genealogical Proof Standard, published by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, sets out these ideas formally.

When to use it