The step-by-step process the Liberty Line team follows for every person or place added to the archive.
Every record starts with a lead: a name in a church roll, a marker on a street corner, a mention in a family history, or a gap noticed in the existing archive. Leads are logged before any writing begins.
The team defines what is already known, what needs confirming, and which record type applies — a person, a building, or a site tied to an event. This scope determines which source types to search first.
Researchers work outward from primary sources — deeds, church records, census entries — toward secondary scholarship and, where available, oral history. A claim generally needs two independent sources before it is marked verified.
A draft entry is written in plain language, reviewed by a second team member against the underlying sources, and checked for tone and accuracy before publication.
Every record on Liberty Line carries a visible research status — Verified or Needs verification — so visitors always know how solid the ground under a story is.