If a court or other official record indicated that your relative received a “divorce a vinculo matrimonii” it means an absolute and complete divorce. Both parties were released from the original marriage contract, could function as completely un-married individuals, were free to marry, etc. This compares to a “divorce a mensa et thoro” which is a divorce from the bed and the board–but the couple remains legally married. These couples typically are ones who no longer want to live together but for one reason or another choose not to be legally divorced. Couples with this divorce are not able to marry other individuals. In some locations where this specific terminology is not used, a couple choosing this type of relationship may be involved in litigation for separate maintenance.
Your relative who served in the United States military may have enlisted in a state other than the one in which he lived. This was common for wars through the 19th century. Do not assume that your Ohio ancestor had to enlist in an Ohio unit. He may not have. I have several Illinois relatives who served in the US Civil War. Most of them enlisted in units from Illinois, but not all. One enlisted in an Iowa unit and another enlisted in a Missouri unit. And an Iowa relative enlisted in a unit from Wisconsin. This was sometimes done to help those state meet quotas in terms of volunteers.
From a while back… If your ancestor had more than one spouse, consider the possibility that the spouses were siblings. It was not unheard of for a widower to marry a sister of his deceased wife as his next wife. Sometimes the different wives can be merged into one individual–after all the maiden name of each wife is the same. This can easily happen if the first names of the wives are similar. Occasionally a widow may marry a brother of her deceased husband as well. In this case the subsequent marriage may not be noticed as the last name of the newly married former widow does not change.
For that missing (or not missing) ancestor, do you know where the nearest three of these buildings, geographic features, organizations, social groups, etc. were when your ancestor lived in the area. It could help you through those research road blocks. Things to think about include the nearest three: There are others besides these. In some cases. three may not be enough. In some cases it may be more than you need for effective research. Get your copy of Genealogy Tip of the Day–the book.
An ad in an October 1860 Warsaw, Illinois, newspaper placed by A. Behle indicated that his wife had left his bead[sic] and board and that he would no longer be responsible for any bills she contracted after that date. Such ads were not uncommon during the time period. It was a way of making the public aware that the couple had separated and that one would no longer be responsible for the debts of the other. At the very least for the genealogist a hundred or so year later the ad can be a sign that the couple was on the outs. Whether they ever divorced is a separate matter entirely. Couples did choose to permanently live apart or even get married again without benefit of divorce. It […]
A reminder… Putting a clause in your will that “my genealogical papers are to go to the BlahBlah Library” without some advance planning could have unintended consequences. Some thoughts on preserving your “files” and papers by donating to a library or archives:
From a while back: It is not the most startling of genealogical revelations, but it is instructive. I was reading through the entries in my Grandpa Neill’s farm ledger absentmindedly in hopes of finding something that met my loose definition of interesting. There were two entries for the dentist in the fall of the year. The second entry for $60 caught my eye. Then I wondered, “are those Grandma’s dentures?” What happened next is instructive. I shut the book without looking in it any further and forced myself to think what I knew about Grandma’s dentures. There was one thing I was absolutely certain of because I had first hand knowledge: she only had a lower plate because I had seen it several times and, as far as […]
We’re offering our first webinar on this ethnic region of Germany. Details are on our announcement page.
A relict is the surviving spouse. Most of the time the reference is to the widow, but occasionally it can refer to a man who survives his wife. The concept is similar to relicts being things from the past that have survived until the present.
An attorney-in-fact is someone who has been appointed by someone, usually by a power-of-attorney, to act in their stead and sign legal documents for them. Sometimes the power-of-attorney may be a limited one in which only a certain act or type of act can be performed. This differs from an attorney-at-law. An attorney-at-law is a practicing attorney authorized to represent a person in legal matters. An attorney-in-fact is often someone trusted by the person appointing them and is not necessarily a practicing attorney.
We’ve released the recording of this presentation originally scheduled for February. If you ordered, the link has been sent. If you did not get it, please email me at the email address in your receipt.
A witness to a document typically is only indicating that they know who signed the document in question. A witness has to be of legal age and sound mind, but does not have to have any relationship to the person actually making out the document. It is possible that the witness knew the signer of the document and perhaps even read it for him if the signer wasn’t able to read or could not read the language the document was written in. Possibly, but not guarantees. The legal requirement to be a witness is usually to be of legal age. Don’t draw too many conclusions about a person who only witnesses one of your ancestor’s documents. The witness just might have been another warm body in the office […]
We’ve released the recording of my newspaper research webinar. Details on our announcement page.
German immigrant Herman Eberhard Harms’ tombstone in Franklin County, Nebraska, indicated he was born in August of 1835. His parents names were unknown, but he was known to have born in Ostfriesland, Germany, where his wife was also from. Herman and his wife had several children, including one named Wubke Catherine–not the most common name and not one that was used in his wife’s family. There is a birth for an Hermann Eberhard Harms in the church records of Eggelingen, Ostfriesland, Germany, in 1835–with a mother named Wubcke Catharina. That’s not concrete proof it’s him, but it certainly suggests a connection. If it is the “reason” you think it is him, then that needs to be put in your notes on Hermann along with other reasons why you […]
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