Help us improve MemoirWell Optional analytics and affiliate tracking. We never send your writing or recordings. Affiliate order data is shared through Polar as described in our Privacy Policy. You can change this anytime.

MemoirWellStart free

A free worksheet for historical family-history research

Genealogy evidence comparison worksheet.

Put two historical sources beside one question. Keep each reference and reading, write what agrees or differs, and explain what remains open before you combine details into a family story.

Up to 20 comparisons · Text download · Blank or filled printing · No account

Getting the worksheet ready…

Your comparisons stay in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved: refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. Keep what the sources report separate from your interpretation.

Keep a comparison beside the sources you actually read

Start with one historical question and add up to twenty comparisons. Keep your summary beside its source and the questions still open. Every field is optional.

Comparison 1

Ask one historical question or give this comparison a label you can find again. A comparison can remain unnamed.

Keep the people, location and period relevant to your question. Preserve possible name matches as possibilities rather than merging identities.

Identify the repository, collection, record type, date, page, image or URL and date consulted. Say whether you read an original image, an index or another person’s extract.

Keep the relevant wording or your clearly marked summary with the person who supplied it and any creation context you know. Leave an unknown author or informant open.

Give this second source its own complete reference and version consulted. Note if it copied or relied on the first source rather than treating repeated wording as independent support.

Keep the second source’s relevant wording or your marked summary, its stated roles and any known creation context. Preserve uncertain readings instead of silently replacing them.

Write which details agree and why that agreement matters to this question. Keep the references visible and consider whether the records are independent.

Keep conflicting dates, names, roles or interpretations beside their sources. A difference may remain unresolved while you compare more evidence.

Name the next record, original image or comparison that could help test your idea. An unsuccessful search can be recorded without treating a missing result as proof.

Separate the sources’ statements from your interpretation. Explain what your current view depends on and what remains uncertain; these notes do not certify a family connection.

Genealogy evidence worksheet

Keep the source wording, references and your reasoning separate; leave unresolved questions open.

Made with MemoirWell · memoirwell.com/tools/genealogy-evidence-comparison

Comparison 1

Research question or comparison label — comparison 1

People, place and period — comparison 1

Source A reference — comparison 1

Source A information and context — comparison 1

Source B reference — comparison 1

Source B information and context — comparison 1

Agreements relevant to the question — comparison 1

Differences and uncertain readings — comparison 1

Next source or test — comparison 1

Your reasoning and what remains open — comparison 1

Compare what the sources actually say

Start with one question and identify the versions of two sources you actually consulted. Keep each source’s relevant wording or your clearly marked summary separate from your interpretation. If a name, date or relationship differs, preserve both readings and note what could help you investigate the difference.

The National Genealogical Society’s research guidelines recommend keeping the source for collected information, testing ideas against evidence and making uncertainty clear. The Board for Certification of Genealogists’ description of the Genealogical Proof Standard includes documented citations, careful analysis and comparison, and addressing conflicting evidence. This original worksheet helps organize your own notes; filling it in does not establish that a conclusion meets that standard.

Keep repeated wording and an open question visible

Two entries can agree because one copied the other. Record that connection when you know it, and leave it open when you do not. A conflicting detail can remain unresolved while you seek another source. Keep an unsuccessful search with what you searched and its coverage rather than treating a missing result as proof on its own.

A fictional example

Question: Do these entries describe the same Jo Zebulon? Source A: A fictional 1900 entry names Jo Zebulon, tailor, at 42 Oak St. Source B: A fictional 1904 directory names Jo Zebulon, shoemaker, at 7 Pine St. Agreement: The same written name. Open difference: Address and occupation. Next step: Compare the original entries, their dates and other identifying details before merging the two people. The worksheet does not choose an answer.

Before you save your comparison

Is this a free genealogy evidence analysis worksheet?

Yes. It is a place to organize your own comparison of historical sources. Print a blank worksheet for handwriting or type your notes first. Filled printing and TXT keep comparisons with something entered, including an unnamed source-only entry, with their original numbers. Untouched extras are skipped; an entirely empty sheet prints one blank comparison.

What if I have more than two sources?

Add another comparison for the same question and identify the sources you are comparing there, or use your notes to reference additional sources. Keep each reference connected to the information it supports. Comparisons remain in the order you added them.

Will it resolve conflicts or verify a family relationship?

You enter and evaluate the historical information yourself. The tool does not search archives, rank sources, choose a conclusion, verify an identity or certify compliance with a research standard. It also does not upload images or automatically extract text. Your next-source question remains a note; no request is sent.

Are my notes uploaded or saved automatically?

They stay only in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved; refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. TXT and PDF copies cannot be reopened here as editable comparisons. Include only the details you want in your saved copy.

Can I print from editing or save a PDF?

Yes. Choose Review my sheet, then Print or save PDF, or use the browser’s print command while editing. Check Letter or A4 in the preview. Each additional comparison starts on a new page, and long notes can continue onto further pages. Field labels keep their comparison number.

Keep a remembered story beside your research

Save your worksheet first. MemoirWell’s separate guided interview can help you develop your own memory into an AI-assisted draft chapter to check and edit. These comparison notes are not transferred automatically.

Start a free first chapter

Download or print your worksheet before leaving this page.