While using The Scientific Method to answer the question of where Bertha Danko is buried, my cousin and I tested our first hypothesis that Bertha Danko is buried in an unmarked grave in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts .\u00a0 We then tested a second hypothesis that Bertha’s death record includes her place of burial .\u00a0 We proceeded to develop and test a third hypothesis that the location of Bertha’s grave is mentioned in the records of her undertaker, Lucian Karolkiewicz.<\/p>\n
After failure to obtain any evidence to support the first three hypotheses, we proceeded to develop a fourth hypothesis .\u00a0 The fourth hypothesis, in fact, was developed by the staff at the Henry-Dirsa Funeral Service in Worcester, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
4-2. Gather information and resources:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 The staff at Henry-Dirsa Funeral Service indicated that most Polish people in Worcester, Massachusetts during the 1910-1915 time period were buried in Notre Dame Cemetery of that same city.
\n4-3. Form new hypothesis:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Bronislawa was buried at Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts
\n4-4. Perform experiment and collect data:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 The staff of the Henry-Dirsa Funeral Service contacted Notre Dame Cemetery and requested that the cemetery staff search for the burial records of Bronislawa \/ Bertha Danko.
\n4-5. Analyze the data:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 No burial record for Bronislawa Danko or Bertha Danko was found in the Notre Dame Cemetery records.
\n4-6. Interpret data and draw conclusions:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 The staff at the Notre Dame Cemetery had searched their electronic database, using only the names provided to them .\u00a0 The electronic database was generated from paper records and there is the possibility that the record for Bronislawa Danko was omitted or misspelled during transfer to the electronic database.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAs with the first three hypotheses, we could find no evidence to support the fourth hypothesis .\u00a0 Even so, we have not disproved any hypothesis except the second, that Bertha Danko’s death record includes her place of burial.<\/p>\n
In Part 6 of this series, I will discuss how the staff at the Notre Dame Cemetery proposed and tested the fifth hypothesis.<\/p>\n
For other posts in this series, please see:<\/p>\n
\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 1)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 2)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 3)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 4)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 5)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 6)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 7)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research (Part 8)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2010 by Stephen J. Danko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While using The Scientific Method to answer the question of where Bertha Danko is buried, my cousin and I tested our first hypothesis that Bertha Danko is buried in an unmarked grave in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts. We then tested a second hypothesis that Bertha’s death record includes her place of burial. We proceeded to develop and test a third hypothesis that the location of Bertha’s grave is mentioned in the records of her undertaker, Lucian Karolkiewicz. Continue reading