If you are immersed in the genealogy world, you have likely heard about the mother-daughter duo, Diana Elder, AG, and Nicole Dyer, who are the creators of the incredible Research Like a Pro e-Course, podcast, and book.
I have previously taken this course, have been a huge fan of their podcast since it launched, and own both the physical book and the eBook.
My current research feels stagnant, and I need a refresher to reinvigorate it. So here I am, retaking the course again to get me back on track.
Over the next couple of posts, I’m putting the Research Like a Pro method into practice with a new case study from my Brand family in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Using the process developed by Nicole and Diana, I’ll walk through it step‑by‑step from research question to written conclusion, sharing my forms, analysis, and inevitable course corrections along the way.
the “brand to brand” deed
While reviewing land records for Zachariah N. Brand in Tallapoosa County, I found a deed dated 18 December 1867 in which Zachariah and Tamzy Brand sold 60 acres to Nancy M. Brand. The transaction was recorded on 27 November 1868 in Deed Book P, pages 102–103, and all three parties were described as being of the same county and state. The image of the deed, “Brand to Brand,” immediately caught my eye because it suggests a close connection among people who share the Brand surname, but the record never tells us exactly how they are related. I am pretty sure Nancy is their daughter, but the document does not explicitly state their relationship.
step 1: choose a research objective
The first step in the Research Like a Pro process 2 is to define a clear, focused objective. For this project, my objective is to identify the relationship between Nancy and the couple who sold land to her so that I can place her correctly in the Brand family. That objective becomes the guiding research question for this series:
Research question: What is the relationship, if any, between Nancy M. Brand and the grantors Zachariah N. Brand and Tamzy Brand of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, who sold her 60 acres of land by deed dated 18 December 1867 and recorded in Deed Book P, pages 102–103?
known facts from the deed
Before planning new research, RLP encourages a careful review of the sources already in hand. From this Tallapoosa County deed-book entry, I know that on 18 December 1867 Zachariah N. Brand and Tamzy A. Brand, described as being “of the State and County aforesaid,” conveyed to Nancy M. Brand sixty acres consisting of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter and the east half of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 28, township 23, range 23 east, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, for 200 dollars. The deed states that Zachariah and Tamzy warranted the title, that they and Nancy were in Tallapoosa County, that Zachariah and Tamzy acknowledged the conveyance before Justice of the Peace John Wheeless on 18 December 1867, and that the deed was filed for record and recorded on 27 November 1868 in Deed Book P, pages 102–103, by Probate Judge Allen D. Sturdivant.
What the record does not say is whether Nancy is their daughter, sister, in‑law, or an unrelated buyer, a gap this project aims to fill.
initial analysis & working hypothesis
Next in the RLP process comes analysis of the evidence and formulation of hypotheses to test. The shared surname, the same county of residence, and the fact that Zachariah and Tamzy sold a relatively small tract of land to Nancy all hint at a possible family connection. However, because the deed says nothing about relationships, any conclusions must come from correlating this record with other sources rather than assuming kinship from the surname alone.
At this point, I am considering several possibilities: Nancy could be a daughter receiving land as she approaches adulthood or marriage; she might be a sister, sister‑in‑law, or niece being helped by the couple; or she may be an unrelated neighbor who simply happened to share the Brand name. These working hypotheses will guide my search, but will remain tentative until the evidence points clearly in one direction.
formulate a research plan
In upcoming posts, I will build out a full Research Like a Pro plan for this question, starting with locality research for Tallapoosa County and a timeline of every appearance of Zachariah, Tamzy, and Nancy in available records. From there, I will review deed indexes, tax lists, census records, probate files, and marriage records to identify explicit statements of relationship or patterns linking Nancy to a specific Brand household. As I work through each RLP step: objective, analysis, timeline, locality guide, research plan, and written conclusion, I’ll share my progress and findings so you can follow along.
source citations
- Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Deed Book P: 102–103, Zachariah N. Brand and Tamzy A. Brand to Nancy M. Brand, deed dated 18 December 1867, recorded 27 November 1868; digital image, “Tallapoosa, Alabama, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3S7-JSW4-C?view=fullText : accessed 2 December 2025), image 497 of 664; citing Tallapoosa County (Alabama), Judge of Probate
- Diana Elder, AG, with Nicole Dyer, Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide (Highland, Utah: Family Locket Books, 2018).
