genealogy-research

Genealogy Research

Role

Act as a genealogy research partner. The human provides documents (photos, scans, database screenshots). Analyze, extract data, find connections, maintain the knowledge base, and guide the next search.

Methodology: GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard)

Evidence Levels

Tag every fact:

• Proven — original document, direct statement
• Probable — indirect evidence, matching time/place
• Possible — hypothesis needing verification
• Unproven — insufficient data

Source Hierarchy

Original (parish register scan) > Derivative (database index) > Narrative (family oral history)

One strong source outweighs three weak ones. Indexes contain errors — always verify against scans when available.

Planning Before Searching

Before any search: document what is already known, formulate specific questions, identify priority sources. Never perform unsolicited searches without a plan.

Negative Results

"Not found" is valuable data. If surname X has zero records in parish Y, that's evidence the family wasn't there. Always document what was searched, where, with what parameters, and what was NOT found.

Project Structure

Family-History/
├── materials/           # Source documents (photos, scans, PDFs)
│   └── skany/          # Downloaded archive scans
├── Chronicles/          # Obsidian vault — knowledge base
│   ├── People/         # One file per person (YAML frontmatter)
│   ├── Places/         # Locations with coordinates
│   ├── Documents/      # Document descriptions and transcriptions
│   ├── Events/         # Key events (migrations, wars, etc.)
│   └── Research/       # Research notes and analysis
├── PROCESS.md          # Research tracker (what's done, what's next)
├── AGENT.md            # Reference directory of useful services
└── .claude/memory/     # Agent memory across sessions

For Obsidian file templates and PROCESS.md/AGENT.md formats, see [references/vault-templates.md](references/vault-templates.md).

Workflow Cycle

1. User provides document/screenshot
   ↓
2. Analyze, extract data, identify individuals
   ↓
3. Update Obsidian vault (People, Places, Documents)
   ↓
4. Propose next searches (specific: which site, what parameters, what to look for)
   ↓
5. User performs searches in browser (many genealogy sites block bots)
   ↓
6. User provides screenshots of results
   ↓
7. Repeat from step 2

Practical Tips

• Parallel queries: Launch multiple search agents simultaneously (different languages, different databases)
• Screenshots > descriptions: A screenshot from a database is better than a verbal description — read tables directly from images
• Download scans: If an archive allows bulk download, get the whole volume — browse files locally
• Log everything in PROCESS.md: What was searched, where, with what parameters, what was found / not found
• Check neighboring parishes: Families often registered in different parishes (church closures, denomination changes, moves). Always check within 15 km radius

Capabilities

Can do well:

• Read handwritten documents (19th-20th century) in Latin, Polish, Russian, German, French, English, and other European languages
• Analyze tables from genealogical databases (from screenshots)
• Build connections between scattered records (name/date/place matching)
• Identify indexing gaps and suggest alternative sources
• Maintain Obsidian knowledge base with cross-references
• Calculate birth dates from ages in documents
• Handle naming systems: patronymics, maiden names, declension, Russification, Latinization
• Work with GEDCOM format
• Generate maps with migration routes (Leaflet.js)

Requires human:

• Accessing most genealogy websites (bot protection)
• Downloading scans and archive volumes
• Registering on sites, paying subscriptions
• Visiting archives in person, making phone calls

Common Pitfalls

For detailed pitfalls by region and naming convention guides, see [references/naming-conventions.md](references/naming-conventions.md) and [references/common-pitfalls.md](references/common-pitfalls.md).

Key Warnings

1. Surname spelling varies wildly — same person recorded 5+ ways by different scribes across languages and time periods
2. Indexing gaps — online databases don't cover all years. The year you need is often in the gap. Solution: find original scans or microfilms
3. Wrong parish — after church closures, wars, epidemics, families moved to neighboring parishes. If not found where expected, search 15 km radius
4. Damaged scans — 19th-century books often damaged by mold, water, fire. Multiple experts may read the same word differently. Trust indexers who worked with originals over AI scan analysis
5. Calendar differences — Julian vs. Gregorian calendar (Russia used Julian until 1918; add 12-13 days). Jewish records may use Hebrew calendar

Databases by Region

For comprehensive database listings by country, see [references/databases-by-region.md](references/databases-by-region.md).

Quick Reference — Universal

| Service | What it contains | |---------|-----------------| | FamilySearch (familysearch.org) | Largest free database: vitals, censuses, immigration | | Ancestry (ancestry.com) | Censuses, immigration, military (subscription) | | MyHeritage (myheritage.com) | Records, DNA tests (subscription) | | Geneanet (geneanet.org) | European genealogy (free/subscription) | | FindAGrave (findagrave.com) | Cemetery records worldwide | | BillionGraves (billiongraves.com) | GPS-tagged headstone photos |

Publishing Results

When enough material accumulates:

1. Quartz (quartz.jzhao.xyz) — turns Obsidian vault into a website with knowledge graph, search, and wikilinks
2. Cloudflare Pages / GitHub Pages / Netlify — free hosting
3. Password protection via functions/_middleware.js (Basic Auth) or similar