Schools, hospitals, churches, and similar organizations sometimes change the location of their facilities and operations. Buildings get outgrown, facilities become too expensive to maintain , or a changing population necessitate a move. You may think you are driving by the spot where grandma was born because that’s where the hospital of that name is today, but is it really in the same place or did it move? The precise location might not be crucial to our research, but occasionally it is. If your ancestor attended a church in 1850 and there’s still a denomination of that name in the location today, do they worship in the same place? Has that hospital moved since 1940? Your grandma and father may have attended the same high school, but was it […]
The above image is the left hand page of the World War I draft classification list entry for my great-grandfather, Frederick Johnson Ufkes. These classification records are held by the National Archives in Atlanta. To search the records, they need: There is a charge of $20 for a copy of the record. Requests can be sent to atlanta.archives@nara.gov. You will be billed if a record is located. Please follow the directions stated above. It’s helpful to find the World War I draft registration card first. That can be done on Ancestry or FamilySearch. The right hand page includes additional information. In my case, that page was blank, but the headings indicate what information is included. There is a Wikipedia page that has information on the registration classifications.
From a while back… Certain ethnic groups tend to follow certain naming patterns when choosing names for children. Keep in mind that these patterns are cultural norms. They are not set in statute. They are not part of an ecclesiastical edict. There can be exceptions, particularly when both grandfathers (or grandmothers) have the same first name or when there has been a significant argument with a certain relative. Use the naming patterns as a suggestive clues not as an established certainty.
I gave away my spare copy of Evidence Explained as a door prize at a recent conference where I lectured. Unknown to me at the time was the fact that I had grabbed the copy of the book that I had stuck a few pictures in for use in blog posts. Fortunately the winner of the book reached out to me and I got the pictures back. That does not always happen, especially with books that get donated to various charities or even tossed away. It’s not just your own books that may contain copies of pictures, obituaries, other clippings, and the like. Books in the home of a recently departed family member may also have similar items tucked away in them. Look in every book. You’ll be […]
If a child is born before a couple married, consider several possibilities: Your first conclusion about the scenario may be correct. Or it may not be. Research the family as completely as possible, then see if a conclusion can be reached.
We can’t really cover analyzing “old published genealogies” in one tip, but there are some suggested ways for using information printed in genealogies published in the early twentieth century and earlier. There’s more to the analysis than this, but keeping these points in mind is an excellent start. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it.
Make certain you have looked at every item in a relative’s census enumeration–not just the name, age, relationship, occupation, and place of birth. Many post-1850 US census enumerations provide varying additional details about your relative’s life, including property values, place of birth of parents, citizenship status, literacy details, married within the census year, and more. Don’t just ignore those other demographic details about your relative. Sometimes the biggest clues are in the smallest pieces of information.
Are there stories and memories of your family in your head that you have not preserved in some way? The human mind is the most fragile source there is. Do not forget to record and share information that only you know. It could be as simple as the identification of photographs or as involved as writing your autobiography. But writing down memories does not require a degree in English or journalism. It just requires a desire to get them written down. Most genealogists would love to have a few pages written by a long-deceased relative. Maybe we should leave behind some of our own.
From a while back… Variations in how your ancestor’s name was spelled can be endlessly frustrating. However, it’s worth remembering that a variation of how your ancestor’s name appears in an index can arise from a variety of situations: Keep in mind that one of more of these could explain why James Rampley ends up indexed as Jarvis Pample.
Generally speaking, genealogists who write and lecture extensively about genealogy research and methodology, put sources in one of three categories: This classification scheme is not perfect. No scheme is perfect. This classification scheme does not comment on the accuracy of the record. That’s the job of the researcher as some original sources are virtually worthless and some derivative sources are excellent. For more about record classification and analysis, consult Evidence Explained.
My uncle was married to his wife for ten days when he died of the flu in 1918. His widow never remarried and lived the rest of her life with her parents. In at least one federal census, she was enumerated with her maiden name. The listing is probably an error as later records list her with married name. Everyone else in the household had the same last name, except my aunt. It is very possible that the census taker simply got confused. Do you have a female relative who is inadvertently listed under their maiden name in a record created after their marriage?
Jim Beidler reminded me that I needed to add a word in my post regarding moiety from a few days ago. It’s a half interest in property, but usually an undivided half interest. This typically results from an inheritance, but there occasionally could be other reasons.
I had some copies of the Tip of the Day book left over from the booth we had at the Ohio conference this week. You can buy them while they last on our website at the conference price ($22)–no shipping! Please click on the appropriate link–the one you want is on the top of the page shown below. https://genealogytipoftheday.com/…/genealogy-tip-of… Thanks! Michael
Before you search any database, determine the time period and geographic region it actually covers. The title may say “Ohio Marriages 1810-1860” but there may be counties not included at all or there may be counties where the records only go from 1820-1850. That database of Dawson County, Nebraska, death records from 1880-1920 may not include any entries from 1902 because that volume is missing. That set of Carthage Democrat newspapers may have years not included because they could not be found. The same goes for any print publication. For a book, read the preface. For a database, look at the list of contents, read the frequently asked questions (or the “more about section), or contact the compiler to determine just what is included. Not everything is complete.
The word “moiety” generally means half of something. The word is often used in real estate documents to indicate a half-interest in a piece of property.
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