Resolving Conflicts: Element 4 of the GPS

The Genealogical Proof Standard, also known as the GPS, is the ultimate test to ensure that our genealogical conclusions are sound.[1] There are five elements that genealogists follow to ensure they have met standards.

It begins with conducting reasonably exhaustive research. We research in a wide range resources, some easy to obtain, and others that are more difficult. We use the records that will most likely answer our research questions pertaining to identity, relationships, or events. Research should always begin with a research question. A sample research question might be: When was Maria Sievert, daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Radunz, who lived in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, born? See how I identified Maria Sievert? She was the daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Radunz. She lived in Will County, Illinois. There may be more than one Maria Sievert in Joliet, but not likely more than one who was also the daughter of Vincent and Susanna.

As we gather evidence from the resources, we record full citations. We do this to (1) show where we got the information and so someone else can get to the source, and (2) be able to evaluate the quality of the source. There is a big difference between citing a birth index collection from Ancestry or FamilySearch and the birth certificate recorded in a vital records volume at the county level. We want the birth certificate. An indexer may have made a mistake in reading the record or transcribing the information.

While conducting the research and recording our findings, we analyze the records we use, making note of original versus derivative sources, primary versus secondary information, and whether the information directly, indirectly, or negatively answers our research question. Once we have several pieces of information, we correlate it against each other. How much of it agrees or disagrees? Much of the answer depends on the quality of the source.

As we analyze and correlate all the information pieces, we might discover conflicts. Some minor conflicts such as spelling differences might be easily dismissed after a discussion. But major conflicts need to be resolved. We do that during the correlation process and the writing process. We discuss the information and if we can resolve the conflict, then we will have an answer to our question. If we cannot resolve the conflict, then we must continue researching, analyzing, and correlating the information until we can resolve the conflict.

The last element of the GPS is to write up our conclusions to the research question. We use the best evidence in our write up. We explain any conflicts and how we resolved them. These written conclusions can be posted on our online family trees, in our genealogical software, in articles written for newsletters and journals, and in blog posts. These are important for future genealogists and family members to know how you solved the genealogical question.

Example
Let’s return to our research question above. When was Maria Sievert, daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Radunz, who lived in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, born? This is a simple question of an event. I could have asked who her parents were, and that would have been a question of relationship. I know who her parents were. I do not know for sure when she was born.

After doing some research, I have found multiple sources for her birth. I will show the results in a table.

Records Used to Answer the Question of When was Maria Sievert Born
Date of Birth	Date of Record	Age on Record	Source	Citation
1861/62	1 June 1870	8	1870 census	1870 U.S. census, Will Co, IL, pop. sched, Joliet 2nd ward, p. 19, p 211 (stamped), 133/159, Vincent Seivert household.
1860/61	1 June 1880	19	1880 census	1880 U.S. Census, Will Co., Illinois, pop. sched., Joliet, ED 202, p 7c (inked), p 257 (stamped), dwell 57, fam 71, Charley Shultz.
Apr 1861	1 Jun 1900	39	1900 census	1900 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Emmet twp, ED 76, sht 6a, p 45 (stamped), dwell/fam 95/96, Charles Schultz.
1861/62	15 Apr 1910	48	1910 census	1910 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Emmet twp, Ed 86, sht 3A, dwell 59, Charles Schultz.
1861/62	1 Jan 1920	58	1920 census	1920 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Estherville, ED 96, sht 9b, dwell 149, fam 134, Charles Schultz.
1859/60	12 Sep 1878	18	Marriage	Will Co., Illinois, marriage licenses, cert. # 7233 - 7652, no. 7314, Charles Schultz-Mary Sievert, 1878; FHL film 2342816.
11 Apr 1861	18 Dec 1929	--	Obit	"Early Settler Here Passes," Vindicator and Republican (Estherville, Iowa), 18 Dec 1929, p. 1, col. 6.
11 Apr 1861	Dec 1929	--	Find a Grave memorial	Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62844224/mary-schultz: accessed Feb 26, 2026), memorial 62844224, Mary Severt Schultz, Oak Hill Cemetery, Estherville, Emmet County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Merllene (contributor 47157899).
1 Apr 1861	5 May 1861	1 mo.	Baptism	"Illinois, U.S., Catholic diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Register, 1855-1869" imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62097/images/62097_302022005541_0764-00054 : accessed 25 Feb 2026) > St John the Baptist, Joliet > Combined Register, 1865-1869 > image 53 of 212, p. 49, no. 31, Maria Siber, 1861.

For simplicity with this example, I’ll analyze and correlate from the table. Normally, I would record the data from each source in a Word document.

Let’s start with the census records (records shaded in yellow). Maria was recorded with her parents in 1870 as an eight-year-old, making her birth 1862 if she had already had her birthday or 1861 if she had not. The remaining census records were recorded with her husband, Charles Schultz. She was consistently recorded at an age that would make a birth in 1861 or 1862. Census records are original documents; however, we do not know the informant. Perhaps it was the head of the household. The census directly answers the question: she was born about 1861/62.

Her age at her 1878 marriage was 18 (record shaded blue). If she was already 18 at her marriage, she would have been born in 1860. If she was turning 19 the next day or later, her birth year would be 1859. Marriage records are original sources with primary information, usually given by the participants. Her age differs from the age at each census. This is a conflict. We can probably explain the conflict by suggesting she could have fudged on her age to get married without parental permission. Or perhaps Charles gave the information to the clerk and he believed her to be 18.

The obituary and Find a Grave memorial page are consistent in the date of her birth: 11 April 1861 (records shaded orange). The source of the Find a Grave memorial is likely the obituary which gave the birthdate. So, they are treated as two sources with one unknown informant. The photo of the tombstone only lists her birth year of 1861.The memorial portion is considered authored work, entered by the contributor. The source of the information is unknown. The photo of the gravestone is usually what we cite when making a statement about names or dates, not the memorial page.

Lastly, we have her baptism record from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Joliet (record shaded in green). This record was created about a month after her birth. It is an original record created by the officiating priest with information provided by the parents. The record book lists the baptisms in chronological order so the year of 1861 is correct. This record directly answers the research question. However, it conflicts with the date of 11 April 1861, given in the obituary. Normally, a source closest to the date of the event would be given more weight. However, the baptism occurred a month after the stated birth, so it is possible the parents mis-remembered the birthdate. The priest could have mis-heard the date given to him. On the other hand, it is possible the family forgot the actual date of her birth.

When stating her birth, one could say “she was born either on 1 April or 11 April 1861” and cite the two sources: baptism and obituary. Or take the earlier date, with the source being the baptism record, the source closest to her birth. It is an original source with primary information. The obituary is an authored source with an unknown informant. It is full of derivative information. The informant could have been mis-informed about the date. I have used the date of 1 April 1861, citing the baptism record, and making note that the obituary gave the birthdate of 11 April 1861.

The last element of the GPS is writing a sound conclusion. Here is what I wrote.

“Maria Sievert was born on 1 April 1861 and baptized a month later on 5 May.[2] Her birth year 1861/62 was consistent in census records from 1870 to 1920.[3] A conflict occurs with her age of 18 at her 1858 marriage.[4] She may have fudged her age to marry without parental permission or her husband gave the information thinking she was 18. The other conflict occurs in her obituary which stated her birth as 11 April 1861.[5] This date is also listed on her Find A Grave memorial page, but not on her tombstone which only lists the birth year of 1861.[6] These are both derivative sources with unknown informants, while the baptism record is an original source with the parents as the likely informants.”

See, it’s not hard to follow the GPS, resolving conflicts, and writing a genealogical proof summary about the conclusion. Why don’t you give it a try!

#52Ancestors: Week 9 – Conflicting Clues

This is my ninth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] “Ethics and Standards,” Board for the Certification of Genealogists (https://www.bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards#genealogical-proof-standard-gps).

[2] "Illinois, U.S., Catholic diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Register, 1855-1869" imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62097/images/62097_302022005541_0764-00054 : accessed 25 Feb 2026) > St John the Baptist, Joliet > Combined Register, 1865-1869 > image 53 of 212, p. 49, no. 31, Maria Siber, 1861.

[3] 1870 U.S. census, Will Co, IL, pop. sched, Joliet 2nd ward, p. 19, p 211 (stamped), 133/159, Vincent Seivert household. 1880 U.S. Census, Will Co., Illinois, pop. sched., Joliet, ED 202, p 7c (inked), p 257 (stamped), dwell 57, fam 71, Charley Shultz. 1900 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Emmet twp, ED 76, sht 6a, p 45 (stamped), dwell/fam 95/96, Charles Schultz. 1910 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Emmet twp, Ed 86, sht 3A, dwell 59, Charles Schultz. 1920 U.S. census, Emmet Co, Iowa, Estherville, ED 96, sht 9b, dwell 149, fam 134, Charles Schultz.

[4] Will Co., Illinois, marriage licenses, cert. # 7233 - 7652, no. 7314, Charles Schultz-Mary Sievert, 1878; FHL film 2342816.

[5] "Illinois, U.S., Catholic diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Register, 1855-1869" imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62097/images/62097_302022005541_0764-00054 : accessed 25 Feb 2026) > St John the Baptist, Joliet > Combined Register, 1865-1869 > image 53 of 212, p. 49, no. 31, Maria Siber, 1861.

[6] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62844224/mary-schultz: accessed Feb 26, 2026), memorial 62844224, Mary Severt Schultz, Oak Hill Cemetery, Estherville, Emmet County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Merllene (contributor 47157899).

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