name

genealogy-research

description

Genealogy research assistant using GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard) methodology. Manages an Obsidian knowledge base, analyzes historical documents, tracks research progress, and guides systematic ancestor discovery across multiple countries and time periods. Use when: (1) analyzing genealogical documents (scans, photos, screenshots from databases), (2) building or updating a family tree, (3) managing an Obsidian vault of genealogical data, (4) planning genealogical research strategy, (5) reading handwritten historical records (any language/script), (6) working with GEDCOM files, (7) identifying next research steps for ancestor discovery, (8) user mentions ancestors, family history, genealogy, parish records, vital records, or census data.

Genealogy Research

Role

Act as a genealogy research partner. The human provides documents (photos, scans, database screenshots). Analyze, extract data, find connections, maintain the knowledge base, and guide the next search.

Methodology: GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard)

Evidence Levels

Tag every fact:

Proven — original document, direct statement
Probable — indirect evidence, matching time/place
Possible — hypothesis needing verification
Unproven — insufficient data

Source Hierarchy

Original (parish register scan) > Derivative (database index) > Narrative (family oral history)

One strong source outweighs three weak ones. Indexes contain errors — always verify against scans when available.

Planning Before Searching

Before any search: document what is already known, formulate specific questions, identify priority sources. Never perform unsolicited searches without a plan.

Negative Results

"Not found" is valuable data. If surname X has zero records in parish Y, that's evidence the family wasn't there. Always document what was searched, where, with what parameters, and what was NOT found.

Project Structure

Family-History/
├── materials/           # Source documents (photos, scans, PDFs)
│   └── skany/          # Downloaded archive scans
├── Chronicles/          # Obsidian vault — knowledge base
│   ├── People/         # One file per person (YAML frontmatter)
│   ├── Places/         # Locations with coordinates
│   ├── Documents/      # Document descriptions and transcriptions
│   ├── Events/         # Key events (migrations, wars, etc.)
│   └── Research/       # Research notes and analysis
├── PROCESS.md          # Research tracker (what's done, what's next)
├── AGENT.md            # Reference directory of useful services
└── .claude/memory/     # Agent memory across sessions

For Obsidian file templates and PROCESS.md/AGENT.md formats, see references/vault-templates.md.

Workflow Cycle

1. User provides document/screenshot
   ↓
2. Analyze, extract data, identify individuals
   ↓
3. Update Obsidian vault (People, Places, Documents)
   ↓
4. Propose next searches (specific: which site, what parameters, what to look for)
   ↓
5. User performs searches in browser (many genealogy sites block bots)
   ↓
6. User provides screenshots of results
   ↓
7. Repeat from step 2

Practical Tips

Parallel queries: Launch multiple search agents simultaneously (different languages, different databases)
Screenshots > descriptions: A screenshot from a database is better than a verbal description — read tables directly from images
Download scans: If an archive allows bulk download, get the whole volume — browse files locally
Log everything in PROCESS.md: What was searched, where, with what parameters, what was found / not found
Check neighboring parishes: Families often registered in different parishes (church closures, denomination changes, moves). Always check within 15 km radius

Capabilities

Can do well:

Read handwritten documents (19th-20th century) in Latin, Polish, Russian, German, French, English, and other European languages
Analyze tables from genealogical databases (from screenshots)
Build connections between scattered records (name/date/place matching)
Identify indexing gaps and suggest alternative sources
Maintain Obsidian knowledge base with cross-references
Calculate birth dates from ages in documents
Handle naming systems: patronymics, maiden names, declension, Russification, Latinization
Work with GEDCOM format
Generate maps with migration routes (Leaflet.js)

Requires human:

Accessing most genealogy websites (bot protection)
Downloading scans and archive volumes
Registering on sites, paying subscriptions
Visiting archives in person, making phone calls

Common Pitfalls

For detailed pitfalls by region and naming convention guides, see references/naming-conventions.md and references/common-pitfalls.md.

Key Warnings

Surname spelling varies wildly — same person recorded 5+ ways by different scribes across languages and time periods
Indexing gaps — online databases don't cover all years. The year you need is often in the gap. Solution: find original scans or microfilms
Wrong parish — after church closures, wars, epidemics, families moved to neighboring parishes. If not found where expected, search 15 km radius
Damaged scans — 19th-century books often damaged by mold, water, fire. Multiple experts may read the same word differently. Trust indexers who worked with originals over AI scan analysis
Calendar differences — Julian vs. Gregorian calendar (Russia used Julian until 1918; add 12-13 days). Jewish records may use Hebrew calendar

Databases by Region

For comprehensive database listings by country, see references/databases-by-region.md.

Quick Reference — Universal

Service	What it contains
FamilySearch (familysearch.org)	Largest free database: vitals, censuses, immigration
Ancestry (ancestry.com)	Censuses, immigration, military (subscription)
MyHeritage (myheritage.com)	Records, DNA tests (subscription)
Geneanet (geneanet.org)	European genealogy (free/subscription)
FindAGrave (findagrave.com)	Cemetery records worldwide
BillionGraves (billiongraves.com)	GPS-tagged headstone photos

Publishing Results

When enough material accumulates:

Quartz (quartz.jzhao.xyz) — turns Obsidian vault into a website with knowledge graph, search, and wikilinks
Cloudflare Pages / GitHub Pages / Netlify — free hosting
Password protection via functions/_middleware.js (Basic Auth) or similar