Whether you are a casual family history hobbyist or on the professional genealogy track, everyone needs to know how to provide solid genealogical proof. How you support your family research findings is the difference between genealogy and mythology. We will demystify the Genealogy Proof Standard and discuss its five components. You will learn how to put together evidence to provide a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion. We will explore the different types of written conclusions and how the complexity of the genealogy research dictates which type of written conclusion is necessary for true genealogical proof. Lastly, we will look at several case studies to see how to build genealogy proof statements, proof summaries, and proof arguments. Make sure you know what to do to guarantee your genealogy research findings will be taken seriously for generations to come.

Sydney F. Cruice Dixon is a professional genealogy researcher, writer and national lecturer. She has been a faculty member for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research of the Georgia Genealogical Society and the Researching Family in Pennsylvania Institute of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. In addition, she developed the curriculum and has taught the Foundations of Genealogy courses at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the past 7 years. She is the current President of the Association of Professional Genealogists for the Greater Philadelphia Area Chapter. In October 2018, Sydney’s article, “A Family Secret: Desertion, Scurvy, and President Lincoln”, was featured in NGS Magazine.