A relative’s death notice or obituary may appeared in several newspapers or none at all. Make certain to search more than just one newspaper even if you do find a detailed notice in one. While in most cases the content is the same, sometimes different newspapers will include different details. Newspapers in the county seat may contain a briefer notice than those closer to where the person actually lived. Smaller, weekly papers may contain a more detailed account of the person’s life than a larger daily one.
Don’t assume that because a name is short that it is short for something. Not everything that appears to be a diminutive is necessarily a diminutive for that person’s name. Bert Hendrickson owed my relative money in the 1920s. My initial attempts to locate him focused on searching for Albert–because that’s what Bert “had” to stand for. Nope. Turns out his real name was Bert after all.
Even if you find a will admitted to probate for your person of interest, consider looking for separate court action regarding their estate. In some locations these court proceedings may be with the probate materials. In others they may not. Heirs and those mentioned in the will may not always get along.
It can be tempting to quit when you’ve found the person you want and not spend time looking up “all those other possibilities.” But that’s how missing people and people you never knew existed are located. Always consider alternate spellings–even when you find people using the “correct” spelling. If I had quit when I found Henry Trautfelter, I would never have located Christian Troutfetter in the same city directory. Don’t stop until you’ve searched for them all.
Years ago my mother told me that her grandmother had a falling out with a relative whose first name was Barbara Youreallyirritatedme. Mom was not certain what the falling out was over and I didn’t think to ask for more specifics of who Barbara Youreallyirritatedme was–other than she was a relative by marriage. When going through to complete the family tree, her grandmother had two relatives by marriage named Barbara Youreallyirrittatedme within a few years of each other in age. I don’t know to whom Mom was referring. Ask for clarification.
It is tempting to just type a name in a search box and hope. Research rests more on expectations. When using any database, particularly one you have never used before, try and answer the following questions: What records were used to complete the index? Is the index an every name index, an index to “main names,” an index of names that readers have submitted to be indexed, etc.? This matters–a lot. Are the records for your specific location and time period of interest included? Is every record included or just some? Some sites with images of newspapers are spotty in their coverage. Some sites do not include records from all smaller jurisdictions that make up the entire area (eg. a database that says “New York State marriages” may […]
Have you reviewed the census enumerations of your ancestral aunts and uncles? Are there boarders living with them? Is it possible that person is a relative even if the census does not mention that relationship. This 1860 enumeration for my uncle Henry Trautvetter contains two other household members who could be clues. Or they could be relatives of his wife. Or they could be totally unrelated. I’ll never know if I don’t research them as well.
I’m excited to be heading back to Burbank, California, this June to present at the annual “Genealogy Jamboree” hosted by the Southern California Genealogical Society on Friday – Sunday, June 9-11, 2017. I’ll be giving the following lectures: Generating Genealogy Blog Content–on Friday Image Creation and Citation–on Saturday Using the Bureau of Land Management Tract Books–on Sunday Jamboree is always great fun and a wonderful learning experience for those able to attend. If you’re a reader and in attendance, feel free to come up after a lecture and introduce yourself! Email me if you are interested in having me give a workshop or seminar for your society.
Never assume that your ancestors lived for generations in the same place “in the old country.” Your forebears might have been like one of my families from Thuringen, Germany that moved several times in the generation before they immigrated to the United States, living in at least six villages within a fifteen mile radius of each other during a twenty-year time span. Another relative moved from village to village in Sweden and worked as a domestic before finally coming to the United States in the 1880s. And other families stayed put in the same small hamlet for generations. The key? Being open to the possibility that your relative moved around in the old country, especially when they disappear from the records.
If your relative disappears, one possible reason for the disappearance is a change of name. Sometimes these name changes will appear in local court records. In the early days of a state or territory, these changes may have been recorded at the state level. Ancestors who immigrated may have changed their name when they naturalized. Others may never have legally changed their name even if they did in practice. Land records may mention multiple spellings of a name, particularly if a deed of purchase has a different spelling than a deed of sale. Probate records may mention alternate names for a person if receipts and documents have names that don’t match. Pension records may also document a name change. And…if the person changed their name because they were […]
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