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Genealogy Research Log and Proof Summary: Genealogical Proof Standard Analysis, Evidence Explained Style Citations, and GEDCOM Ready Source Records for a Conflicting Ancestor

Sort out an ancestor whose records disagree on birth date, birthplace, or parents: log every search including the negative ones, classify each source and piece of evidence, resolve the conflict with a written proof summary that follows the Genealogical Proof Standard, cite each record in Evidence Explained style, and get source and citation entries ready to paste into a family tree program that exports GEDCOM.

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October 5, 2026

Prompt

Act as a professional genealogist who writes client reports and proof summaries for conflicting evidence cases and follows the Genealogical Proof Standard rather than accepting the first family tree that agrees with a hunch.

Inputs:
- Research question in one sentence, naming the person, the fact in question, and the place and time: [ResearchQuestion]
- Records found, each with repository or website, collection, image or film number, and the exact wording of the relevant entry: [RecordsFound]
- Searches that found nothing, with what was searched and how: [NegativeSearches]
- Family details already known (spouse, children, neighbors, migration): [KnownContext]
- Family tree software or GEDCOM version in use (for example GEDCOM 5.5.1 export from a desktop program): [TreeSoftware]
- Output format: [Format]

Generate:
1. A research log table: date, repository, collection, search terms or film, result (found or nil), and notes, including every NegativeSearches entry, since nil results are evidence too.
2. Source analysis for each item in RecordsFound: original, derivative, or authored source; primary, secondary, or undetermined information for the specific fact; and direct, indirect, or negative evidence for the ResearchQuestion. Explain who supplied the information and how close they were to the event.
3. A conflict table listing each competing value (for example birth year 1868 versus 1871) with the records that support it and the weight each record deserves.
4. A proof summary or proof argument, depending on how complex the conflict is: state the conclusion, resolve the conflict in prose with reasons, and say what a reasonably exhaustive search would still need. If the evidence is not enough, the conclusion is NOT YET PROVEN with the next records to search.
5. Evidence Explained style citations for each record in first reference note form, layered from the specific entry out to the collection and repository.
6. GEDCOM ready entries for TreeSoftware: one SOUR record per source with title, author or agency, publication facts, and repository, plus the citation detail (PAGE) and a quality assessment value for each fact.

Constraints:
- Never invent records, film numbers, or relationships. Quote only wording given in RecordsFound.
- Online family trees are leads, not evidence. No em dashes.

Instructions

Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Generated Output

This image was generated using the prompt above.

Genealogy Research Log and Proof Summary: Genealogical Proof Standard Analysis, Evidence Explained Style Citations, and GEDCOM Ready Source Records for a Conflicting Ancestor - Result

Examples

Example Input

ResearchQuestion: When and where was Johanna Lindqvist, wife of Anders Nilsson of Chisago County, Minnesota, born?
RecordsFound: 1885 Minnesota state census, Chisago Lake, age 17, born Sweden; 1900 US census, born Mar 1871 Sweden, immigrated 1882; her death certificate 1934, informant son Carl, born 12 March 1868 in Sweden; Swedish household examination roll, Algutsboda parish, Johanna born 1871-03-12, emigrated 1882 to America
NegativeSearches: Minnesota birth index, no entry, expected since born abroad
KnownContext: parents Per and Elin Lindqvist settled near Center City in 1882
TreeSoftware: desktop tree program exporting GEDCOM 5.5.1
Format: log, analysis, conflict table, proof summary, citations, GEDCOM

Example Output

Research log
| Date | Repository | Collection | Search | Result |
| [date] | FamilySearch | 1885 Minnesota state census, Chisago Co. | Johanna Lindqvist | Found, age 17 |
| [date] | FamilySearch | 1900 US census, Chisago Co. | Johanna Nilsson | Found, Mar 1871 |
| [date] | Minnesota Historical Society | Death certificates | Johanna Nilsson 1934 | Found, 12 Mar 1868 |
| [date] | ArkivDigital or Riksarkivet | Algutsboda household rolls | Lindqvist household | Found, 1871-03-12 |
| [date] | Minnesota birth index | Statewide | Johanna Lindqvist | Nil, expected for a foreign birth |

Source analysis
- Household examination roll: original source; information on birth date likely recorded from parish birth register, closest to the event; direct evidence for 1871.
- 1885 state census: original; information from an unknown household member; age 17 is indirect evidence consistent with 1867 or 1868.
- 1900 census: original; informant unknown, likely Johanna; direct evidence for March 1871.
- Death certificate: original; informant son Carl was not present at the birth, so the birth date is secondary information; direct evidence for 1868.

Conflict table
| Value | Support | Weight |
| 12 Mar 1871 | Swedish parish roll, 1900 census | Higher: parish record closest to the event, two independent sources agree |
| 12 Mar 1868 | Death certificate, 1885 state census age | Lower: late informant; census ages often rounded |

Proof summary
Johanna Lindqvist was born 12 March 1871 in Algutsboda parish, Kronoberg, Sweden. The parish household examination roll and the 1900 census agree on March 1871, and the roll ties her to the Lindqvist household that emigrated in 1882, matching KnownContext. The 1868 year on the death certificate came from her son decades later, and the 1885 state census age is not precise enough to outweigh the parish entry. Next step: view the Algutsboda birth register for 1871 to confirm the original entry.

Citations
1. Algutsboda parish (Kronoberg, Sweden), household examination roll [volume], p. [page], Per Lindqvist household, Johanna born 1871-03-12; digital images, [repository].
2. 1900 U.S. census, Chisago County, Minnesota, [township], ED [number], sheet [number], dwelling [number], Johanna Nilsson; digital images, FamilySearch.

GEDCOM 5.5.1
0 @S1@ SOUR
1 TITL Algutsboda parish household examination rolls
1 AUTH Church of Sweden, Algutsboda parish
1 REPO @R1@
In the birth event: 2 SOUR @S1@ / 3 PAGE [volume], p. [page], Per Lindqvist household / 3 QUAY 3

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