Working with Conflicting Evidence

A census, a parish register, and a family recollection may give different answers about the same person. GLX helps you find those disagreements, compare the sources, and keep a record of how you reached your conclusion.

Find disagreements

Start with a conflict check:

glx analyze --check conflicts

Use the report to choose what to investigate next:

• HIGH: recorded claims contradict each other.
• MEDIUM: the claims might conflict, but their timing is uncertain.
• LOW: you have already marked the evidence as disputed.

Some differences describe a person's changing life. A residence in Leeds in 1851 and London in 1875 can both be correct. Names and occupations can change too. Recording when a claim was true helps GLX distinguish that history from a contradiction.

Compare the sources

For a birth-date question, look at the evidence for the birth event. Replace the example ID with the event in your archive:

glx evidence event-jane-birth date

Review the supporting records and consider who supplied the information, how close they were to the event, and whether the sources are independent. Two records may agree even when one gives more detail: “1850” and “2 March 1850” can describe the same birth.

For information that changes over time, such as residence, the evidence report shows a dated history. Undated claims appear separately, ready for further research.

Record your conclusion

Keep the competing assertions and their citations so another researcher can follow your reasoning. When you rule out a claim, mark it disproven and explain why in its notes. If the disagreement remains unresolved, use disputed to acknowledge it.

Then review the proof summary for your question:

glx proof person-jane --question birth

The summary brings together the evidence, remaining conflicts, and research gaps. Resolved disagreements disappear from the conflict check; the assertions remain in your archive as part of the research record.

See Assertion status for recording your decision, or the analyze, evidence, and proof command references for more options.