Genealogy Research

Genealogy Research Skill for Claude Code

A comprehensive genealogy research assistant skill that turns Claude into a systematic family history researcher using the [Genealogical Proof Standard](https://www.bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/genealogical-proof-standard/) (GPS) methodology.

What It Does

• Analyzes historical documents: Reads handwritten records in Latin, Polish, Russian, German, French, English, and other European languages
• Manages an Obsidian knowledge base: Creates and maintains People, Places, Documents, and Events files with cross-references
• Tracks research progress: Maintains PROCESS.md with completed actions, pending tasks, negative results, and evidence levels
• Guides systematic search: Recommends specific databases, parishes, and parameters based on region and time period
• Handles naming complexity: Understands patronymics, declension, transliteration, and scribe-era spelling variations across cultures
• Works with GEDCOM: Import/export standard genealogy data format
• Covers 15+ countries: Database references for Poland, Germany, Russia, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Czech Republic, Hungary, USA, Canada, and more

Installation

Claude Code (CLI)

claude install-skill /path/to/genealogy-research

Or copy the `genealogy-research/` directory to `~/.claude/skills/`.

Manual

Copy the skill directory into your Claude Code skills location:

~/.claude/skills/genealogy-research/
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    ├── databases-by-region.md
    ├── naming-conventions.md
    ├── common-pitfalls.md
    └── vault-templates.md

Usage

Start a conversation with Claude Code in your family history project directory. The skill triggers automatically when you:

• Share a scan or photo of a historical document
• Ask about ancestors or family history
• Work with an Obsidian vault containing genealogical data
• Mention parish records, vital records, or census data
• Work with