DNA and Comprehensive Research Plans: Modern Solutions for Historical Mysteries

Case Studies, DNA Research, Research Methods / Jill Nock, AG®

By the time I had worked through the documentary evidence in the Harrison Johnson case, I had built a compelling indirect evidence argument for his parentage — but no single record that explicitly named his parents. That is a familiar stopping point for genealogists working in early nineteenth-century records, and it is precisely where a […]

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The FAN Club Approach: How Tracking Family, Associates, and Neighbors Solved the Harrison Johnson Mystery

Research Methods / Jill Nock, AG®

When I hit a brick wall in my search for Harrison Johnson’s parents, I turned to what I consider the genealogist’s most underused tool: the FAN Club approach. Developed by Elizabeth Shown Mills, the FAN principle directs researchers to systematically study a subject’s Family, Associates, and Neighbors — not just the subject themselves. By applying

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Census Detective Work: Mining Early Census Records for Family Connections

Research Methods / Jill Nock, AG®

Pre-1850 census records present one of genealogy’s most familiar frustrations — pages of tick marks with only the head of household named, no relationships specified, no birthplaces recorded, and names spelled however the enumerator heard them. Yet these same records, approached with the right analytical tools, can reveal family composition, birth year ranges, migration patterns,

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Using Indirect Evidence to Break Through Brick Walls: The Harrison Johnson Case Study

Research Methods / Jill Nock, AG®

Have you ever stared at a genealogical brick wall so long you could count every metaphorical brick? I’ve been there too. When direct evidence fails us, I’ve found that turning to careful assembly and analysis of indirect evidence can crack open even the most stubborn ancestral mysteries. Today, I want to share how this methodical

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