Ancestry Magazine

A research tool that not only helps organize data, but also develops complex information that validates difficult-to-prove family relationships.

A popular discussion topic among family historians is how to organize and present the massive amounts of data they collect. In this article, I will discuss a tool I call a “research chronology.” It is simple to use, and not only helps to organize data as it is collected for eventual publication, but also serves as an effective tool for developing complex information that validates those difficult-to-prove family relationships.

What is Chronology?
Despite my computer background, I use no computerized database for my own personal research. Instead, the most effective tool I have in developing a research strategy is this simple technique, which is not dependent on any particular software, and, as a matter of fact, could be used without any computer at all. (Since I use a laptop in the library, I do use a word-processing package to take advantage of its ability to easily revise, printout as needed, and search for keywords.)

The research chronology is very simply a listing of documented and hypothesized events in a person’s life, presented in chronological order. In addition to actual life events, I also include what I call research notes. These are hypotheses about relationships or places where a person might be found, notes about what additional information is needed, possible resources that should be checked, and questions that I think should be explored further.

Using this format, I have available to me a research calendar of the resources checked on a particular family or individual, a listing of all relevant original documents and their sources, and questions that should be pursued in the future. In this way, since my research runs in stops and starts, I can quickly refresh my memory about where I am and what I need to do.

The format of the chronology is as simple as its concept, the year the event takes place is listed on the left side of the page, a brief description of the event is written beside or below the date. I make a special note as a heading of the place an event occurs, particularly if this is a family that moved around a great deal. Finally, and most importantly, the documentation concerning where the information was found is noted. This makes the chronology not only a research tool, but also a continuously updated bibliography of resources checked and a handy reference to use if a source document needs to be reconsulted.

I find that the chronology is best suited for tracking an individual and his or her family. Although I have used it for entire families, I sometimes find the data becomes too large and unwieldy if you include more than one lineage at a time. This is particularly true as more data begins to accumulate and the project matures. Nevertheless, I have used it to determine research strategies by linking related families, and to solve problems that probably would not have been solved if not for the way in which the data was presented. Seeing the context of my findings and what the data was telling me has often resulted in an “at long last” experience as the solution finally jumps off the page.

Tips on What to Include in the Chronology
The way in which the data is presented is critical to the utility of any research tool used to develop hypotheses. Therefore, each researcher should personalize his or her own chronology in terms of what is included or excluded. These are the items that I have found useful: When
The date the event took place, including the month, day, and year. For modern events, I will sometimes enter the day of the week in order to determine when an event might have been recorded or to check and see if it really was Easter Sunday when such-and-such took place, as Aunt Fanny told me. Where
The place where the events took place is typed in as a major heading preceding the listing. This helps me to determine when a family migrated in and out of an area, what records to search, inconsistencies in the data regarding where and when an event took place, or inaccurate data that may be throwing off my current research strategy. Files
The physical location of any original documents that I have copies of. While I hate to admit it, my filing is inconsistent. I defend myself by noting that sometimes it seems logical that a woman’s papers be with those of her family of origin and other times with those of her husband and children. In either case, my research chronology quickly guides me to the location of the documents I need if I should want to consult them again. Documentation of Findings
Every time a reference to an event is found, I document where I found it and record any inconsistencies in the data. This provides a ready means of later evaluating which data may be correct. This has been particularly helpful several times when the source was inaccurate. Documentation of all Search Work
Sometimes researchers forget to document negative findings. It is as important to keep a record of sources where nothing was found on your family as it is those sources where you did find things. Otherwise, we might spend valuable research time doing exactly what is the least productive-checking resources that have already been of no help to the search. Census Dates
I include all census years the person was alive in my chronology, to remind me to look at the data, see if it is consistent with the other data I have, and to determine if there is other data unique to that particular record. It also helps when you need to know the family’s neighbors (possibly relatives living close by), because you have the volume and page reference for your family of interest readily available. Of course, census dates are often helpful in documenting those inconsistently reported birth dates and places. How to Use the Chronology
The chronology is particularly useful when beginning research on a family, when research is well advanced and there are large amounts of data to be organized, and for problem cases. I have found it to be a very efficient way of keeping track of little bits of data or clues that may or may not eventually prove relevant to the family under investigation.

The chronology is a particularly helpful too when I am actively researching a family, since I can easily update and incorporate results in the library as they are discovered. This helps me make decisions on the spot regarding what sources to check next. Before I used the chronology, I would record my findings, then wonder if it was the same family and if it was consistent with my other data, run home to mull over the findings, find my notes at home (no small feat sometimes), reread what I had found already, and decide on a strategy. With the chronology at my fingertips, I use my archives/library research time much more effectively.

Probably the most daunting task a family historian faces is organizing data for presentations or publication. The chronology gives family historians a leg up on publishing their data. It is a great way to develop a narrative about the family while having all the documentation available at one’s fingertips.

As a research tool, the chronology is the best method I have found to indicate which county, state, or federal records still should be checked. It has helped me spot inconsistencies in information that would have gone unnoticed for a long time. For example, knowing when or where an event took place is vital in developing a research strategy. When the inform ation is placed in a chronological fashion, the fact that one event was supposed to have taken place in Virginia, when documented sources say Tennessee, helps the researcher know what is needed to resolve the conflict and more quickly identify which records should be consulted.

The importance of a research calendar is always mentioned in beginning genealogy classes, but sooner or later, most of us slip and don’t document everything, or don’t document everything in a single place that we can easily consult when we are in the archives/courthouse. The chronology provides me with the discipline to immediately incorporate information on sources checked. It gives me an instant sense of accomplishment to see the new information incorporated into the context of previous research, and to see how the new information helps to build a complete picture of the family. More than once, it has prevented me from researching a source twice.

All family historians hope for that grand slam, home-run document that directly, authoritatively, and unquestionably identifies a family relationship. But all experienced researchers know that it is not a realistic expectation.

Instead, it is often necessary to prove a relationship indirectly by amassing bits of information and making reasonable deductions about possible and probable family members. The development of the case in this manner, called a preponderance of evidence by professional genealogists, means that a sometimes complex and intricate argument must be developed in order to conclude that a family relationship existed. The chronology helps to pull data together so the genealogist can link the myriad clues and make connections, eliminate rival hypotheses, and eventually establish a relationship that could not be documented otherwise. Thus, another important use of the chronology is facilitating the development of data for establishing a relationship based on a preponderance of evidence: by its very nature, the chronology offers the resear cher a tool to organize data in a coherent fashion that allows relationships to be teased out.

Summary
The research chronology is my way of organizing data. Each researcher should explore ways that he or she finds useful and that fits his or her own personal style. There are only a few critically important points I would make: document your results, organize them in a simple manner that requires the least amount of maintenance, keep track of all sources that you consult (including those where you find no evidence of your family), and, finally, most importantly (again): document your results. Chronology for David Finley of Virginia and Kentucky Virginia
May 1780
David Finley enters three hundred acres preemption upon a treasury warrant adjoining John Mounce’s preemption of four hundred acres on Silver Creek on the north side there of the east side of the creek. May 20 or 26 1780. (Madison County, Virginia, now Kentucky, Land Entries 1780-1793, p. 4)

1784
Nicholas Anderson, David Crews, and Nicholas George are ordered to build a road ‘to Adams where it crosses Taylor’s Fork of Silver Creek.’ (Lincoln County, Virginia, now Kentucky, Kentucky Order Book 1:249. December 1784)

1785
David Finley and Elizabeth his wife of Lincoln County, sell to William Downing . . . tract of 300 acres on east side of Dick’s River (Lincoln County, Virginia, now Kentucky, Kentucky Deed Book A: 79.)

1787
David Finley and Elizabeth Finley of Mercer County sell to Robert Singleton of Lincoln county 300 acres in . . . (Lincoln County, Virginia, now Kentucky, Kentucky Deed Book A: 329.)

1790
A David, Samuel, and Isaac Finley are listed in the Mercer County, Virginia, now Kentucky, tax lists . . . (Heineman, 1790 census index, p. 34.)

10 Mar 1791
David Finley-1 married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of Joseph Wilson in Augusta County, Virginia (Chalkley 2:295; and 2:349). Married by Rev. Archibald Scott 10 March. (Also found in Hughart, Marriage Records of Augusta County, Virginia 1785-1813, 1970:12.)

Kentucky
1792
Kentucky formed.

1797
Montgomery County formed from Clark County

7 Jul 1799
Thankful Sarah (Sallie) Finley, third child of David Finley-1 born in Montgomery County, Kentucky. (Family group sheet from Aunt Fanny, no documentation.)

1800
Three groups of Finleys are listed in Kentucky’s tax records, circa 1800: (1) David and Isaac Finely are listed in Mercer County in addition to a John Finley. (2) John, John Jr., and Michael Finley are listed in Fleming County. (3) David and John Findley are listed in Montgomery County.

Roseann Reinemuth Hogan, Ph.D., has been researching her family since 1978. Her special interests include oral histories and social history.