QuickSheet: The Historical Biographer’s Guide to Cluster Research (the FAN Principle)

QuickSheet: The Historical Biographer’s Guide to Cluster Research (the FAN Principle); by Elizabeth Shown Mills; Published 2012; 4 pp folded sheet, 8.5x11; laminated; ISBN: 9780806318943; Item # GPC3868 In this QuickSheet Elizabeth Mills introduces us to the concept of “Cluster Research” based on the FAN principle, the idea being that to prove identity, origin, and parentage individuals must be studied in the context of their FAN club--family, associates, and neighbors. Historical information, she says, is like real estate: the true value of any piece of information is unknown until it is put into community context. To apply the FAN principle in order to establish a set of facts concerning identity, parentage, and origin, several questions must be asked: Who are the known members of the FAN club? What did they do together? When did they have this association? Where did this association occur? And why did these people interact? Since most individuals left comparatively few records, the