Evidence Explained 4th edition, by Elizabeth Shown Mills - review

Elizabeth Shown Mills' book Evidence Explained has now reached its fourth edition. So what is the book, and how can it help genealogists?

When carrying out genealogical research we come across all sorts of soures that can contribute to the narrative being pursued. We need to consider the evidential value of each source - is it accurate (just because it is written in black and white, or found on a website online, that does not necesarily mean it is true!), is it a primary or secondary source, can the evidence in a source be corroborated by other sources, and much more. Or to put it more simply, trust nothing, question everything! When sources are combined, we can create a proof for an argument that something happened to someone at a particular time and place, but along the way we may find that some of the sources used in such a proof conflict with each other. This is why we need to understand how and why particular sources were created, in order to evaluate their efficacy for our research. Even then, the research is never complete - it may take just one new source previously not found to completely upend a previously concuded theory within a proof. In addition to all of this, we also need to be able to create descriptions of where and how our sources are found, using citations that can allow us to easily find them again should we need to, and/or to allow others to also locate the same piece of evidence in due course. 

In this updated edition of Elizabeth's book, long viewed as an essential within the genealogical profession since its first publication in 2007, she initially explains the nature of proofs, sources and evidence, before then turning to the various ways that source citations can be constructed. She then discusses the fundamentals of what makes a citation and how to build one, with various templates - for example, how do you cite a book or magazine article that you have found, or a particular website. 

Subsequent chapters look at particular classes of records that we may wish to engage with - archives and artifacts, business and institutional records, cemetery records, census records, church records, and more. There are particular suggested citation solutions given for sources found from across the world, with Scotland and Ireland included, for example in how to cite Scottish civil registration records, or the earlier Old Parochial Records, as well as sources such as Griffith's Valuation and the Irish Registry of Deeds. 

The book is written from a US perspective, and there are occasional factual errors when crossing the ocean - Scotland did not unite with England in 1607, for example (the Crown of both countries was merged in 1603, with the political union with England in 1707), and there is an odd solitary reference to "Griffith's Evaluations" - however, this is a not genealogy how-to book, but a guide on how to create adequate source citations. Those quoted for this side of the Atlantic are very effective, and there is enough information from other types of sources to allow individuals to construct their own bespoke citations for particular situations which may not be included. 

There are, of course, many possible ways to cite sources. When I studied at Strathclyde University, for example, we were encouraged to use the Harvard style of referencing, which I still use to an extent to this day (although I use a more simplified version when constructing client reports). As Elizabeth herself notes, "Citations are flexible structures. As with any type of structure, certain elements are essential while others are optional. Standard building blocks can be assembled in various ways to fit each need". So whilst some may use Elizabeth's book to try to find a definitive way to cite a source, that may slightly miss the point - the key point is that there are basic elements to consider when citing a source, however you try to structure that, and to train you how to think about the very nature of the sources that you may be attempting to use to create a proof. 

There is a lot to learn from Elizabeth's momentous work, and as such, this latest edition, brought up to date within its 744 pages to reflect the ever changing range of resources becoming available for our research, is an invaluable addition to the genealogist's bookshelf. 

Evidence Explained is available to buy from the Genealogical Publishing Company at https://genealogical.com/store/evidence-explained-4th-edition/; the book is available in both print and ebook formats.

(With thanks to the Genealogical Publishing Company for a review copy)

Chris

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