Finding nothing is useful when the search scope is known. It prevents repetition and supports choosing another source without prematurely denying an event.
The method, step by step
- Log repository, collection, reference, locality, period, search system and access date. Online, preserve terms and filters; in a register, the images or pages examined.
- Check that the years exist, the record is complete and the collection covers the correct jurisdiction. Mark gaps, unreadable pages and access restrictions.
- Distinguish no index hit from absence after reading a series. Test name variants, nearby dates and relevant places, recording each expansion.
- Write a bounded conclusion: not found in this register, period and method. Then select a complementary source or ask the repository about gaps.
Worked exercise · fictional data
No birth found: define what was actually searched
Fictional exercise: a family letter places Louise’s birth around 1874 in a commune. An online name search finds nothing. First ask which sources cover this birth before concluding that a record is missing.
Starting records
- Undated family letter
- “Louise was born around 1874, in the village.” This sentence does not name the village.
- Index search
- No exact-name result; index coverage unchecked.
- Register table examined
- Years 1873–1875 browsed; no entry retained.
- Repository finding aid
- Still to consult for volumes, gaps and commune jurisdiction.
How to analyse the records
- Log the unsuccessful search: resource, consultation date, spellings, commune and years. “Nothing found online” describes neither scope nor limits.
- Separate indexing from preservation. If this commune’s 1874 births are not indexed, the name search has not tested the record’s existence. Consult the finding aid and images; an index omission is not a register omission.
- Check page continuity and expected years. A table may be incomplete or in a separate volume. Record a missing year as a gap instead of claiming the whole period was searched.
- Widen one variable at a time: another spelling, a period supported by marriage or death ages, then a nearby commune if a record places the family there. Log every extension to avoid repeating searches.
What these records support
A proportionate conclusion is “no entry retained in this commune’s table for 1873–1875; index coverage and register continuity still to check”. This does not show Louise was born elsewhere. The letter remains a lead needing a more precise place and date from a record closer to the event.
Compare the letter with a marriage or death naming the birthplace. Keep unsuccessful searches and their limits in the journal.
Compare two observations →Record in your research log
- Collection
- coverage
- gaps
- query
- browsed pages
- date.
Sources & references
- National Archives and Records Administration ↗ (Resource review date : )
- FamilySearch Research Wiki ↗ (Resource review date : )
- FranceArchives ↗ (Resource review date : )