Real research examples
Genealogy
Case Studies
Examples showing how I approach difficult family-history questions, test evidence and combine documentary, archive, local and DNA research to move a case forward.
Evidence in practice
How research questions become research cases
Every family-history problem is different. These case studies focus on the research process: what was known at the start, which records I checked, what the evidence revealed, and where uncertainty remained.
Henry Logan: From Kentucky to New York and Canada
Census records trace Henry and his brother north before the Civil War, while DNA connects them to a Kentucky Logan family that the surviving paper trail cannot yet fully explain.
Read case study → German church records case study Published 17 August 2026Louisa Gierschick of Schönheiderhammer: When the Record Wasn't Online
An exact birth date and birthplace led nowhere online, but a direct church enquiry uncovered Louisa's 1873 baptism, her parents, an illegitimate birth and new family lines to follow.
Read case study → Cumbria archive case study Published 7 August 2026James Forster of Lanercost: Following a Name Change Back to 1816
A missing baptism, an exact birth date, a recurring middle name and a visit to Cumbria Archives created a strong new theory about the origins of a nineteenth-century bookbinder.
Read case study → Brampton local history case study Published 24 July 2026Who Made Brampton? A Graveyard Tour at Brampton Old Church
A reflection on three tours exploring the people, memorials and documentary evidence behind Brampton Old Church and its surrounding community.
Read case study →More case studies will be added as suitable completed projects and family research examples become available.
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