Find the original
Civil, church, census, military, immigration, probate, land, and contemporary newspaper records lead. Indexes help locate them; copied trees remain clues.
Research and publication
A family tree is a claim.
Evidence makes it history.
The archive favors original records, preserves conflicts, and publishes corrections openly. It is intentionally smaller than the private working tree.
Test identity
Names alone are not enough. Dates, households, occupations, geography, relationships, and record provenance must align before two records become one person.
Label the result
Confirmed, Strong, Tentative, and Disproved are visible publication states. Conflicting claims stay visible until the record resolves them.
Publish less
Living relatives, private notes, addresses, restricted images, and the raw GEDCOM never enter the public artifact. A review boundary sits between research and release.
Open record questions
What we still do not know
These are safe, deceased-person research questions—not the private queue for living relatives or family administration.
Friedrich Wilhelm Marx
Who were his parents, and where is his exact baptism recorded?
Next record: A German church or civil record from the Friedeberg area.
Karoline Emilie Kuckuck
What were her exact birth place and parents?
Next record: The original Brandenburg emigration card and a matching Prussian baptism.
Jacob F. Van Dusen
Does the 1875 Horton Van Dusen record belong to the same man?
Next record: A marriage or civil record that links Jacob directly to Abram and Samantha.
Elizabeth Mark
Was she born in Canada or New York, and is Davidson truly her maiden name?
Next record: An original marriage, death, or church record naming her parents.