CGL Data Analysis and Interpretation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A genealogist compares two wills written 15 years apart by the same testator. The second will omits a previously named son. What analytical steps should follow?
- Assume the son predeceased the testator
- Research whether the son died, was disinherited, or relocated, using corroborating records (Correct answer)
- Conclude there was a transcription error
- Accept the second will as fully accurate and discard the first
Correct answer: Research whether the son died, was disinherited, or relocated, using corroborating records
Omission from a later will has multiple possible explanations that must be tested against additional evidence such as probate, obituary, and land records.
Question 2: Which principle of source analysis requires a genealogist to evaluate who created a record, when, and for what purpose before using it as evidence?
- Proof correlation
- Source citation
- Information assessment (Correct answer)
- Reasonably exhaustive search
Correct answer: Information assessment
Information assessment is the step in the Genealogical Proof Standard that evaluates the informant's knowledge and the record's creation context.
Question 3: When teaching audiences to use passenger manifests, which data field is most analytically valuable for distinguishing immigrants of the same name?
- Ship name
- Contact person and address in the destination country (Correct answer)
- Ticket class
- Port of embarkation only
Correct answer: Contact person and address in the destination country
The contact person named on post-1906 manifests often identifies a relative, providing a genealogically actionable link to the immigrant's network.
Question 4: A researcher finds that an ancestor's recorded birthdate shifts by up to three years across multiple documents. What is the correct analytical response?
- Use the earliest recorded date as definitive
- Calculate the median date and use it exclusively
- Weigh each source by its proximity to the birth event and informant knowledge (Correct answer)
- Discard all documents and cease research
Correct answer: Weigh each source by its proximity to the birth event and informant knowledge
Birth records created close to the event by knowledgeable informants carry more evidentiary weight than later records created from memory.
Question 5: In analyzing a family's migration pattern using a series of land and tax records, a genealogist notices a five-year gap with no records. What is the best interpretive framework?
- Assume the family died during the gap
- Consider records losses, migration, economic hardship, or renting rather than owning as explanations (Correct answer)
- Conclude research is complete
- Fabricate a plausible explanation for the gap
Correct answer: Consider records losses, migration, economic hardship, or renting rather than owning as explanations
Gaps in the record trail reflect multiple possibilities including record destruction, migration, or changed economic circumstances requiring investigation.
Question 6: How should a CGL lecturer best explain 'conflicting evidence' to an audience unfamiliar with genealogical standards?
- Tell the audience that conflicting evidence means research is impossible
- Explain that conflicting pieces of evidence require evaluation of each source's reliability before drawing conclusions (Correct answer)
- Advise always choosing the older document
- Recommend ignoring minor conflicts
Correct answer: Explain that conflicting pieces of evidence require evaluation of each source's reliability before drawing conclusions
The GPS requires resolving conflicts by assessing each source's reliability, not by arbitrary rules like defaulting to the oldest record.
Question 7: Which type of record is generally considered a primary source of information about a person's parents because of the informant's likely direct knowledge?
- A death certificate completed by a distant cousin
- A birth certificate completed by the attending physician or parent at the time of birth (Correct answer)
- A census record listing head of household
- A published family history
Correct answer: A birth certificate completed by the attending physician or parent at the time of birth
Birth certificates completed near the time of birth by parents or attending officials reflect firsthand knowledge of parentage.
CGL Data Analysis and Interpretation 3
A genealogist compares two wills written 15 years apart by the same testator.
The second will omits a previously named son.
What analytical steps should follow?