Family History Research Planning Skill for Claude

Claude Skill to provide assistance with planning family history and genealogy research projects.

⚠️ Privacy and Responsible AI Use

Protect Private Information: When using AI tools for genealogy research, take reasonable measures to safeguard private and sensitive information about living individuals and recently deceased persons.

Best Practices:

• DO NOT share personal identifying information (Social Security Numbers, birth certificates, addresses of living people, medical records, or other sensitive data) with AI systems
• DO NOT upload documents containing information about living individuals or recently deceased persons (generally within the last 75-100 years)
• DO remove or redact private information before sharing research materials with AI
• DO focus on historical records and deceased individuals when using AI assistance
• DO verify all AI-generated information with primary sources
• DO comply with applicable privacy laws, terms of service, and ethical genealogical standards

This skill follows the principles of the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy (CRAIGEN), which promotes accuracy, privacy protection, disclosure, education, and compliance in genealogical AI use.

Remember: AI systems may retain and learn from information you provide. Always prioritize privacy and use discretion when sharing genealogical data.

Overview

This skill provides Claude with specialized knowledge and workflows for family history and genealogy research following the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and Evidence Explained citation methodology.

Skill Structure

genealogy-research-skill/
├── SKILL.md                              # Main skill file (loaded when skill triggers)
├── references/                           # Reference documentation (loaded as needed)
│   ├── citation-templates.md            # Citation formats for 14+ source types
│   ├── evidence-evaluation.md           # Conflict resolution frameworks
│   ├── gps-guidelines.md                # Genealogical Proof Standard details
│   └── research-strategies.md           # Advanced research methodologies
└── assets/                               # Templates for output documents
    └── templates/
        ├── research-plan-template.md    # Simplified research project planning (practical)
        ├── research-plan-guidance.md    # Detailed guidance and best practices
        ├── citation-template.md         # Citation library entry
        ├── evidence-analysis-template.md # Evidence analysis report
        └── research-log-template.md     # Research session documentation

What This Skill Does

1. Research Planning

Guides users through creating structured family history research plans with:

• Specific research questions
• Source identification
• Search strategies
• GPS framework integration
• Timeline and milestones

Templates:

• research-plan-template.md - Simplified, practical template for day-to-day research work
• research-plan-guidance.md - Comprehensive guidance with examples, checklists, and best practices

2. Citation Creation

Generates properly formatted genealogical citations for:

• Census records
• Vital records (birth, marriage, death)
• Church records
• Land and probate records
• Military records
• Immigration records
• Newspapers
• Online databases
• Published books and manuscripts

3. Evidence Analysis

Systematically analyzes conflicting genealogical evidence:

• Individual source evaluation
• Reliability assessment
• Conflict identification
• Resolution frameworks
• Preponderance of evidence analysis
• GPS compliance checking
• Proof argument construction

4. Research Documentation

Creates professional research logs documenting:

• Sources searched (positive and negative results)
• Search strategies
• Findings and discoveries
• Evidence quality assessment
• Next steps

When Claude Uses This Skill

Claude automatically loads this skill when users:

• Ask about family history or genealogy research
• Mention family history, genealogy or ancestry
• Need help with genealogical citations
• Have conflicting information from multiple sources
• Ask about research planning methods or strategies
• Reference census records, vital records, or historical documents
• Need help analyzing evidence quality

Key Features

Professional Standards

• Built on Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)
• Evidence Explained citation methodology
• Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) standards

Progressive Disclosure

• Core instructions in SKILL.md (~4k words)
• Detailed reference material loaded as needed
• Templates available for document creation

Comprehensive Coverage

• 14+ citation templates
• Detailed conflict resolution frameworks
• Advanced research strategies
• Complete GPS guidelines

Installation

Quick Start (Experienced Users)

1. Download the latest release from Releases
2. Claude.ai users: Enable Skills in Settings > Capabilities, then upload the skill folder
3. Claude Code users: Extract the ZIP file
4. Claude Code users: Move the family-history-planning folder to ~/.claude/skills/
5. Start using: Just ask Claude about family history research!

Detailed Installation Instructions

Prerequisites

For Claude.ai:

• Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan
• Skills feature enabled (Settings > Capabilities)
• Code execution enabled (Settings > Capabilities)

For Claude Code:

• Claude Code installed
• Access to your home directory

Step-by-Step Installation

Option 1: Install on Claude.ai

1. Download the Skill

   • Go to the Releases page
   • Download the latest family-history-planning-vX.X.X.zip file
   • Extract the ZIP file to a location on your computer

2. Enable Skills in Claude

   • Open Claude.ai
   • Click on your profile/settings (bottom left)
   • Navigate to Settings > Capabilities
   • Toggle Skills to ON
   • Toggle Code execution to ON (required for Skills)

3. Upload the Skill

   • In Claude.ai, go to Settings > Skills
   • Click "Add Skill" or "Upload Skill"
   • Select the downloaded family-history-planning-vX.X.X.zip ZIP file
   • The skill will be uploaded and enabled automatically
   • Your skill will appear in your Skills list and can be toggled on or off

4. Verify Installation

   • Start a new conversation with Claude
   • Ask: "What version of the family history skill are you using?"
   • Claude should recognize and load the skill

Option 2: Install on Claude Code

1. Download the Skill

   • Go to the Releases page
   • Download the latest family-history-planning-vX.X.X.zip file
   • Extract the ZIP file

2. Locate Your Skills Directory

   • Open your terminal
   • Navigate to your home directory: cd ~
   • Create the skills directory if it doesn't exist:

     mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
     

3. Install the Skill

   • Move the extracted skill folder to the skills directory:

     mv /path/to/extracted/family-history-planning ~/.claude/skills/
     

   • Or copy if you want to keep the original:

     cp -r /path/to/extracted/family-history-planning ~/.claude/skills/
     

4. Verify Installation

   • Your skills directory structure should look like:

     ~/.claude/skills/
     └── family-history-planning/
         ├── SKILL.md
         ├── references/
         └── assets/
     

   • Restart Claude Code if it's currently running
   • Ask Claude: "What version of the family history skill are you using?"

Troubleshooting

Skill not loading?

• Ensure Skills are enabled in Settings > Capabilities
• Verify code execution is enabled
• Check that the skill folder contains SKILL.md with proper frontmatter
• Try restarting Claude or Claude Code

Permission issues (Claude Code)?

• Check folder permissions: ls -la ~/.claude/skills/
• Ensure you have read access: chmod -R 755 ~/.claude/skills/family-history-planning/

Skill not recognized?

• Verify the skill name matches the frontmatter in SKILL.md
• Check that all required files are present (SKILL.md, references/, assets/)

How to Use This Skill

As a User

Simply ask Claude for help with family history research:

• "Help me plan research on my great-grandfather"
• "Create a citation for this census record"
• "I have conflicting birth dates - help me figure out which is right"
• "How do I systematically research this ancestor?"

Claude will automatically detect your request and load the skill—no need to manually invoke it.

As Claude

When family history or genealogy research is detected:

1. Load SKILL.md for procedural guidance
2. Load specific reference files as needed:
   • references/citation-templates.md for citation help
   • references/evidence-evaluation.md for conflict resolution
   • references/gps-guidelines.md for GPS compliance
   • references/research-strategies.md for advanced techniques
3. Use templates from assets/templates/ to create output documents
4. Follow workflows systematically
5. Apply professional standards throughout

Professional Standards Compliance

This skill ensures research follows:

Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)

• Reasonably exhaustive research
• Complete and accurate citations
• Analysis and correlation
• Conflict resolution
• Soundly reasoned conclusions

Evidence Explained

• Proper citation format
• Original vs. derivative distinction
• Complete source documentation

BCG Standards

• Professional genealogical methodology
• Ethical research practices
• Peer-reviewable work

Output Documents

Claude can create four types of genealogy documents