When does the use of The Scientific Method to conduct genealogical research fail to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard?<\/p>\n
The Scientific Method provided the answer to the question of when was Bronislawa (Bertha) Danko born .\u00a0 This single iteration of The Scientific Method does not, however, satisfy the Genealogical Proof Standard because it does not include a reasonably exhaustive search and it does not resolve conflicting evidence.<\/p>\n
Do other records agree with the date recorded in the records at the Massachusetts State Archives?\u00c2\u00a0 Bronislawa was probably baptized .\u00a0 What is the date of birth on the baptismal record?\u00c2\u00a0 Does Bronislawa’s age at the time of her death agree with the date of her birth?\u00c2\u00a0 Was Bronislawa’s date of birth recorded in a birth announcement or obituary?\u00c2\u00a0 What other possible sources for Bronislawa’s date of birth might exist?<\/p>\n
Bronislawa’s death certificate reported that she was born on January 2, 1912, not January 3, 1912 .\u00a0 Which date is correct?<\/p>\n
There are clearly more questions to answer here and more research to conduct before we can say that the Genealogical Proof Standard has been satisfied when stating that Bronislawa Danko was born on January 3, 1912.<\/p>\n
The shortcomings of The Scientific Method may be remedied by posing new hypotheses such as:<\/p>\n
and by attempting to resolve the conflicting evidence.<\/p>\n
The Scientific Method can help answer genealogical questions, but the researcher must still ensure that the conclusions drawn from The Scientific Method meet the Genealogical Proof Standard.<\/p>\n
or other posts in this series, please see:<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2010 by Stephen J. Danko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When does the use of The Scientific Method to conduct genealogical research fail to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard? Continue reading