If you can identify the handwriting on the back of that photo don’t forget to do that. It helps you know how accurate the identification probably is. And someone later may be glad they know whose writing it is if they find similar writing on the back of one of their pictures of the family.
It is always good to interview as many relatives as possible about the same person or event. Each will remember slightly different things based on their own perspective and life experiences. That’s entirely natural. Humans are not virtual tape recorders no matter how “good” one may think their memory is. They may also have been told different stories about long-deceased relatives or remember details that resonate with them for one reason or another. Long-dead Aunt Myrtle may have liked one cousin better than another and shared more stories with one as a result. The reasons are not so important as the reality: talk to as many as you can, even if they think “I don’t know nuthin’ you ain’t already heard.”
Think about that “fact” you are trying to discover. What records could contain information stating that fact directly? What records could contain information that may provide incomplete information about that fact? What records may contain information that could help you locate additional records that would help you locate information about the fact in which you are interested? This activity is easier to do if you are familiar with records kept in the area and time period for the individuals involved. Brainstorm. Make a list. Then start your work.
When looking for siblings of an adult ancestor, it’s easy to focus on individuals living near the person that have the same last name. They are obvious candidates as siblings of the ancestor of interest. But that person with a different last name who appears on several documents with your ancestor and appears to be hanging out near the ancestor in Amherst County Virginia, and then in Bourbon County, Kentucky? Could he be a brother-in-law of your ancestor-married to the ancestor’s sister? Sometimes those neighbors with different last names are just as related as those with the same last name. And there’s no guarantee those with the same name are related just because they have the same last name either.
If the property your ancestor “owned” or lived on was entailed, it meant that he was not allowed to dispose of it however he saw fit. Broadly speaking, the document setting up the entail (usually deed or a will) defined how ownership would pass from one generation to the next. Many times this would be from the oldest son to the oldest son or to other heirs of the body (frequently males). Entails were generally abolished by the late 18th and early 19 centuries in most English speaking locations. A genealogist may find reference to an entailed estate in a deed and should reference the original deed or will of the initial landowner to determine how the original entail was constructed so that later ownership of the property […]
Documenting your search process is key to analyzing and understanding what has been located and in knowing that there might be more to find. If you have a DNA match with whom you suspect the genealogical connection and that match has an incomplete tree, do you stop researching three when you find the first connection consistent with your theory of how you connect? Or do you research the tree further? If I suspect that the match is connected to me on my Neill family and that we are related around the great-great-grandparent generation for that match, do I quit after I find a Neill connection in that tree even through at least half the tree is incomplete at the great-great-grandparent generation? If you quit (and there are valid […]
If Amazon’s too slow, we still have copies of the Genealogy Tip of the Daybook that can be sent directly to you via USPS. It can be a great way to refresh yourself on things you forgot, learn new things, or view research from a different perspective. It can be read in one setting, browsed at random, or used to generate ideas for your own research. It’s easy to read, informative, and geared towards helping you with your research and not seeing how much labored prose and ten-syllable words can be used in one sentence. If you’re “stuck at home” (or even if you are not), get your copy today! There’s more information on the book on our website.
A few concerns before posting that genealogy question in a Facebook group, Fan Page, etc.: Start your query with key names, location, and one date in the first sentence (some people will only initially see the first part of your query on their screen, phone, etc.). Briefly indicate what you have already searched. Briefly indicate what you are trying to locate. Look to see if there are replies to your post. Try and respond to questions asking for additional information, etc. Don’t post your question and never check on it. Read your post again before sending–does it make sense? Is it clear? Don’t fuss over grammar (within reason), but make certain that your message communicates what you are trying to say. Keep sentences short and to the point. […]
One of the things that can block our research efforts are things that we “know” about our relative that are simply not true . One problem-solving approach is to turn the computer off, put away your phones, and avoid your files. Then write down everything you know about your problem ancestor, including: place and date of birth, areas of residence, names of parents, names of other relatives, educational level, religious preference, occupation, name(s) of spouse(s), names of children, ethnic background, social class, comparison to their peers (financially better off, not financially better off, etc.), anything else, shoe size. Let the list sit for a while–preferably a day or more. See if you can add anything to it. Then after a few days, see which of those things you […]
Recent Comments