CPI Historical & Archival Research 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of historical document is most likely to contain firsthand accounts of unusual events reported by early American settlers?
- Congressional records
- Colonial diaries and personal journals (Correct answer)
- Land survey plats
- Federal census records
Correct answer: Colonial diaries and personal journals
Colonial diaries and personal journals often contain firsthand, unfiltered accounts of strange phenomena witnessed by settlers.
Question 2: When researching a reportedly haunted building, which architectural record would best reveal hidden rooms or sealed-off sections?
- Tax assessment rolls
- Original construction blueprints and floor plans (Correct answer)
- Zoning variance applications
- Building permit renewal forms
Correct answer: Original construction blueprints and floor plans
Original construction blueprints show the full intended layout, including spaces that may have been sealed or repurposed over time.
Question 3: A paranormal investigator finds a location with reported shadow figures near a specific tree. Which historical record might reveal if an execution occurred there?
- Town beautification committee minutes
- County sheriff execution records or coroner inquest logs (Correct answer)
- Agricultural extension office reports
- School district enrollment records
Correct answer: County sheriff execution records or coroner inquest logs
County sheriff records and coroner inquest logs document deaths, executions, and cause-of-death findings that may correlate with reported activity.
Question 4: What does the term 'chain of title' refer to in the context of property research for paranormal investigations?
- A list of previous tenants who reported disturbances
- The chronological sequence of property ownership transfers (Correct answer)
- A record of structural modifications made to a building
- A catalog of local legends associated with a site
Correct answer: The chronological sequence of property ownership transfers
Chain of title is the chronological sequence of historical property ownership transfers recorded in deeds, which helps investigators trace a site's full history.
Question 5: Which source would a CPI use to find historical accounts of paranormal activity published in a town's early newspapers?
- National Archives microfilm collections
- State digitized newspaper archives such as Chronicling America (Correct answer)
- FEMA disaster relief records
- US Geological Survey topographic maps
Correct answer: State digitized newspaper archives such as Chronicling America
Chronicling America and similar state digitized newspaper archives preserve historical newspapers that often printed local accounts of strange events.
Question 6: An investigator discovers that a property's deed contains a 'reversionary clause.' Why might this be significant in paranormal research?
- It indicates the land was never officially surveyed
- It may reveal tragic circumstances that caused ownership to revert, such as a death with no heirs (Correct answer)
- It proves the property is located on a Native American burial ground
- It shows the building was condemned for structural defects
Correct answer: It may reveal tragic circumstances that caused ownership to revert, such as a death with no heirs
A reversionary clause causes property to revert to the original grantor under certain conditions, which may reveal deaths without heirs or other dramatic circumstances in the site's history.
Question 7: Which research method helps a CPI establish a 'baseline timeline' of events at an investigated location?
- Electromagnetic frequency mapping of the site
- Cross-referencing multiple dated historical sources to sequence events chronologically (Correct answer)
- Interviewing only current residents about recent experiences
- Reviewing only the most recent 10 years of public records
Correct answer: Cross-referencing multiple dated historical sources to sequence events chronologically
Cross-referencing multiple dated historical sources allows investigators to build a chronological sequence of significant events that may correlate with reported paranormal activity.
CPI Historical & Archival Research 2
Which type of historical document is most likely to contain firsthand accounts of unusual events reported by early American settlers?