From Question to Proven Answer
Successful genealogy is more than typing names into Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, or another database and hoping the correct ancestor appears.
The strongest family-history research follows a process.
You begin with a specific question, determine what records could answer it, search systematically, analyze what you find, document your work, and use the evidence to determine your next step.
This 15-step genealogy research workflow provides a repeatable system you can use whether you are researching your first ancestor or tackling a difficult brick wall.
Step 1: Define the Research Question
Every productive genealogy project should begin with a question.
Avoid vague goals such as:
“I want to learn more about the Gibbs family.”
Instead ask:
“Who were the parents of Thomas Gibbs, born about 1806 in Sussex, England?”
Or:
“When did James Thompson immigrate from England to Canada?”
A good research question usually identifies:
- The person
- The event or relationship
- An approximate date
- A location
- What you are trying to establish
One question gives your research direction.
Step 2: Establish the Approximate Place and Time
Genealogy records were created within particular jurisdictions and historical periods.
Determine everything you currently know about:
- Birthplace
- Residence
- Parish
- Township
- County
- Province or state
- Country
- Approximate dates
Then investigate whether boundaries changed.
A village may have belonged to one county during your ancestor’s lifetime and another today.
Understanding historical geography helps you determine where the records were created—and where they may now be held.
Step 3: Determine What Records Should Exist
Before searching websites, ask:
What records could have been created because of this event?
A marriage might produce:
- Civil marriage registration
- Church register
- Marriage licence
- Marriage bond
- Newspaper announcement
- Family Bible entry
A death might generate:
- Death registration
- Burial register
- Cemetery record
- Obituary
- Probate file
- Will
- Estate notice
- Newspaper report
An immigration event might produce:
- Passenger list
- Border crossing
- Naturalization papers
- Passport
- Land petition
- Census entry
- Newspaper notice
Think about the event first and the database second.
Step 4: Search Conventional Indexes
Now begin with the major indexed genealogy databases.
Search using the information you know, but avoid making the search unnecessarily restrictive.
Begin broadly.
Then narrow the results.
Remember that an index is a finding aid.
It is not necessarily the original genealogical evidence.
Whenever possible, open the associated document image.
Step 5: Try Spelling Variations and Wildcards
If the obvious search fails, challenge your assumptions about the name.
A surname such as Gibbs might appear as:
Gibb
Gibbes
Gipps
Gills
Elizabeth might appear as:
Elizabeth
Eliza
Lizzie
Betsy
Also experiment with:
- Initials
- Nicknames
- Abbreviations
- Phonetic spellings
- Missing middle names
- Wildcards
Ask yourself:
How could someone else have heard, written, or transcribed this name?
Step 6: Search Relatives and Associates
Your ancestor did not live alone.
Search their:
- Spouse
- Children
- Parents
- Siblings
- In-laws
- Witnesses
- Neighbours
- Business associates
A child with an unusual first name may be easier to locate than a father named John Smith.
Finding one member of the family can lead you to the entire household.
This is also where FAN Club research—Friends, Associates and Neighbours—becomes valuable.
Step 7: Search Individual Record Collections
Do not rely entirely on a website’s global search box.
Identify the specific collection most likely to answer your question.
Then read its description.
Determine:
- Dates covered
- Locations covered
- Missing years
- Whether images exist
- Whether the collection is completely indexed
- Who created the original records
A collection called “Ontario Marriages” may not contain every marriage that occurred in Ontario.
Know what you are actually searching.
Step 8: Use Full-Text Search
Modern full-text search technology is changing genealogy research.
AI-assisted handwriting recognition and optical character recognition can expose names buried inside historical documents that were never included in conventional indexes.
Full-text searching can be especially valuable for:
- Wills
- Probate
- Land deeds
- Court records
- Church material
- Legal records
- Newspapers
Search more than your ancestor’s full name.
Try surnames, locations, occupations, neighbours, relatives, property names, and other distinctive terms.
Step 9: Browse Unindexed Images
Sometimes the record is online but cannot be found through a name search.
Browse the images.
Look first for:
- Alphabetical indexes
- Tables of contents
- Dates
- Page numbers
- Record numbers
- Parish divisions
- Township divisions
You rarely need to start at image one and read every page.
Learn how the volume is organized and navigate strategically.
Manual browsing remains one of the most important genealogy skills.
Step 10: Search Catalogs and Archives
Move beyond the major databases.
Search genealogy catalogs and archival finding aids by place and record type.
Investigate:
- National archives
- Provincial or state archives
- County archives
- Local libraries
- Historical societies
- Church archives
- Courthouses
- Land registries
- University collections
Some records may be digitized but not indexed.
Others may not be online at all.
Remember:
Not online does not mean nonexistent.
Step 11: Research the FAN Club
Now expand your investigation.
Study your ancestor’s:
Friends
Associates
Neighbours
Look at:
- Marriage witnesses
- Godparents
- Executors
- Land neighbours
- Business partners
- Census neighbours
- Fellow immigrants
- Church members
If several families suddenly disappear from one location and appear together somewhere else, you may have discovered a migration network.
Researching the community can solve problems that researching one individual cannot.
Step 12: Examine the Original Documents
Never stop at the index when an original image is available.
Read the entire document.
A marriage index may provide names and a date.
The original record may additionally reveal:
- Parents
- Residence
- Occupation
- Birthplace
- Religion
- Witnesses
- Clergyman
- Exact location
Also examine nearby entries.
The person immediately above or below your ancestor might be a relative.
The original record often contains the clue that launches the next stage of research.
Step 13: Record Positive and Negative Findings
Keep a research log.
Record:
- Repository
- Website
- Collection
- Search terms
- Date searched
- Years examined
- Results
- Documents viewed
- Citation
- Conclusions
- Next action
Also record unsuccessful searches.
Instead of:
“Couldn’t find Thomas.”
write:
East Grinstead parish baptism register, 1804–1808 manually examined; no baptism matching Thomas Gibbs identified.
That is useful research information.
Step 14: Evaluate the Evidence
Finding a record does not automatically mean you have found your ancestor.
Ask:
Who created this record?
When was it created?
Who supplied the information?
Was that person likely to know the answer?
Does the information agree with other evidence?
Could this be another person with the same name?
Compare multiple independent sources whenever possible.
Pay particular attention to conflicting evidence.
Do not choose the record you prefer simply because it supports your existing theory.
Step 15: Develop the Next Research Question
Genealogy rarely ends with one discovery.
An answer usually produces another question.
You discover the marriage.
Now you need the parents.
You identify the parents.
Now you need their marriage.
You discover the immigrant’s Canadian residence.
Now you need their English birthplace.
At the end of every research session, ask:
What have I established?
What remains uncertain?
What is the strongest evidence?
What should I investigate next?
Then formulate the next specific research question.
The Complete 15-Step Workflow
The process is:
1. Define the research question
↓
2. Establish the approximate place and time
↓
3. Determine what records should exist
↓
4. Search conventional indexes
↓
5. Try spelling variations and wildcards
↓
6. Search relatives and associates
↓
7. Search individual collections
↓
8. Use full-text search
↓
9. Browse unindexed images
↓
10. Search catalogs and archives
↓
11. Research the FAN Club
↓
12. Examine original documents
↓
13. Record positive and negative findings
↓
14. Evaluate the evidence
↓
15. Develop the next research question
Then begin the cycle again.
From Searching to Researching
The difference between casual genealogy searching and systematic genealogy research is not necessarily access to better websites.
It is having a repeatable method.
When one search fails, you know what to do next.
When you find conflicting information, you evaluate it.
When you find nothing, you document the negative search and change direction.
And when you make a discovery, you ask what new question it creates.
That is how individual records gradually become reconstructed lives.
Start with a question. Follow the evidence. Record your work. Then ask the next question.
This article accompanies the ‘14 Genealogy Search Strategies for Finding Hidden and Unindexed Records’ blog post.
Discovering Your Past — Helping you research, understand, and preserve your family history.