As with anything in life, if you ask the wrong question you will get an unsatisfactory answer. In family history research, a better question would be ‘How much evidence do you need?’
I have argued before and will do so again, there are few facts in family history. Most of what people refer to as facts is information or conclusions that someone reached using evidence interpreted from information.
So the answer to the question about how many sources is, ‘It depends.’ It depends on the evidence provided by the sources. It depends on the circumstances. And it depends on the research question.
Yes, this answer will be frustrating to many. The reality is that you need to use your family history knowledge and skills to judge the appropriate number and type of sources.
The aim in family history research is to reach conclusions that are reasonable and defensible. We do that by conducting a reasonably exhaustive search, utilising the best sources and analysing them thoroughly to reach conclusions.
This means that, in any given situation, you need as many sources as are necessary to demonstrate that your conclusion is reasonable and defensible. These sources need to be the right sources for that situation, i.e. the sources that provide the most reliable and relevant information for the research question.
That said, one source is never enough. Sometimes two will be enough, but often it will not. And sometimes you will need a combination of documentary evidence and DNA evidence.
More information
I am aiming to publish some case studies to demonstrate this point over the next few months, but you may also be interested in my family history stories on my other website. You can also find case studies on the websites of other members of the Society of Australian Genealogists.
For more of my articles about analysing sources, go to the Analyse page.
For more of my articles about planning your family history, go to the Plan page.
Post last updated 11 June 2024
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