| How Lori Used the 5-Step Research Process |
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| Step 1: Write down what you know. |
Lori obtained some vital records about her grandfather. She also learned from a cousin that her grandfather's father had died at a young age and that her grandfather's mother had a colorful past. Lori learned that this great-grandmother was a high society lady in San Francisco, and that she may have been in some trouble with the law. |
| Step 2: Decide what you want to learn. |
She decided to find out whatever she could about her mysterious great-grandmother, Dorothy Hammell, but she was most interested in a death date since no one in the family seemed to know what had happened to her or how and where she died. |
| Step 3: Choose a source of information. |
Because of her great-grandmother's colorful past, Lori decided she would search indexes to San Francisco newspapers. |
| Step 4: Learn from the source. |
At a library in Los Angeles, Lori searched the indexes to San Francisco newspapers for her great-grandmother's name. She came up blank, but she did find numerous listings for a Barbette Hammell. Lori wondered if Barbette could be her great-grandmother. Next, she searched some of the articles about Barbette. When she discovered the name of her great-grandfather identified as Barbette's husband in one of the articles, she knew that Barbette Hammell was, in fact, her great grandmother. Lori continued to gather articles on her great-grandmother. At last count, she had over 100 newspaper articles about Barbette that span a period of almost 40 years. In one of the articles, Lori discovered that Barbette was eventually sent to prison. Unfortunately, none of the information she found has helped her discover a death date for her great-grandmother. |
| Step 5: Use what you learned. |
Lori copied all the newspaper articles and has since used them to find court and prison records. She continues to cycle through the research process looking for new information. She is determined to find out what happened to her great-grandmother. |
