We sit at our computer searching for information about our ancestors and … click … we find something new and intriguing. But wait: it contradicts something else we’ve found. Clearly, both pieces of information can’t be true. So which is true and which isn’t? Or are both untrue? HELP!

    Until recently, most researchers developed their evidence-analysis skills by a process of trial-and-error. Unfortunately, many researchers have "erred" more than "tried" and seem to be the ones most prolific in publishing the results of their “research” on the internet. Yet these errors can prove disastrous, gobbling up our precious time and money as we search in the wrong place – or worse, as we pursue the wrong ancestral line. So how do we ensure that our conclusions are accurate?

    This lesson explains how to evaluate our ancestral information – that is, how to weight each piece of information to determine its accuracy – using a clear, logical, easy-to-follow system. After learning these skills, you will easily be able to determine which information is reliable and which is like a virus that can destroy all your hard work.

Video duration:    85 minutes (4 videos) 

Handout:             Yes (19 pages)

Not yet completed.

In 1937, the world’s most famous female aviator, Amelia Earhart, set off from New Guinea to cross the Pacific on the final leg of her world flight … and disappeared.

Did her empty fuel tanks force her down in the ocean? Was she off-course because she was spying for the American government? Was she captured by the Japanese and forced to become the radio broadcaster Tokyo Rose?

Join the history detective, Carol Baxter, as she uses her genealogical evidence-analysis strategies to shed light on what really did happen to Amelia Earhart.  

Video duration:    - minutes (- videos)

Handout:               Not yet prepared (- pages)