Assumptions…

From a while back…

We need to make assumptions in our genealogy research. Many times assumptions are necessary in order to get our work off the ground. But after a point, it may be that the assumption is hindering our work or that we have forgotten that an assumption was made.

If you are guessing that the parents were married near where the first child was born, that is a good start. But somewhere in your notes, indicate why you believe where they were married and that you have no proof. If research does not validate your assumption, it may be that your assumption was incorrect. And if you enter your assumption in your genealogical database as fact, it can be very difficult for that information to go back to being an assumption.

Don’t enter assumptions in your genealogical database as a fact. Don’t.

Francis Beiger was born in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, in 1851, the oldest child of her parents. My initial assumption was that her parents were married in Illinois. Turns out that assumption was incorrect. Peter Bieger and Barbara Siefert were married in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1850, a few months before heading west to Illinois.

My assumption was a good place to begin, but in this case it was a little far afield.


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All the Courts?

If your ancestor lived in location A, do you know what courts would have heard a case involving a divorce, an unpaid debt, a claim of assault and battery, the foreclosure of a mortgage, a property-line dispute, or a fight over an estate/inheritance?

It may have been the same court that heard all these cases or it may have been different courts. Court structure varies over time and from one place to another. Knowing what courts there were and what types of cases they heard impacts the records that need to be accessed.

Is That Really Their First Name?

The relative you heard called “Aunt Margaret” actually had a different first name and Margaret was her middle ame. You are researching a distant cousin whose identity you only learned about through genealogy. Are you certain that name you’ve only see once is actually his first name?

It’s not unusual to discover that close relatives we have known our entire lives had a first name other than the one we thought they did. The possibility of not knowing their real name becomes even greater the more distant the connection. That possibility also becomes more likely when our only knowledge of the name is through a few obituaries or other similar sources.

Our Goals

Our goals here at Genealogy Tip of the Day  are simple for the most part. They are generally to get readers thinking about:

  • the research process
  • what they find
  • analyzing what they find
  • their assumptions about research and their ancestors
  • terminology and language used in records
  • the history, culture, and environment in which their ancestors lived

And we try to be short—that’s sometimes the difficult part. Tips are not meant to be verbose or lengthy discussions. The intent is to make people aware or to remind them of a topic, concept, term, etc. Longer discussions are posted on my Rootdig blog.

But we are thankful for all who participate in Genealogy Tip of the Day in any way, shape, or form (including our Facebook page)–even if you don’t purchase a book.

And thanks to all who have helped make our page what it is.

Ultimogeniture

Ultimogeniture is an inheritance practice where the right of inheritance belongs to the youngest child (usually limited to the youngest son). It was practiced in some areas of Europe.

It is in contrast to primogeniture. That is where the oldest child has the right of inheritance–again usually the oldest son.

Getting Back to Martha–What I Forgot

When creating a citation for a packet of court papers, it’s helpful to think of how one got to a specific page in the first place. Generally speaking that includes:

  • The box, drawer, or storage item containing the packet of papers. You have to get to the right box or drawer again. There may be other packets in the same storage container.
  • Information on the outside of the packet which distinguishes one packet from another. This is usually the name of the case at the very least and perhaps a case number. You have to get to the right packet of papers again so this is important.
  • The specific document (perhaps more than one actual piece of paper) within the file. Documents may be named, particularly longer ones containing many pages. Individual slips of paper (eg. receipts) may not have a specific title.

That’s not everything you need to create a citation for a case. But it is an excellent start for those unfamiliar with creating citations.

I did not do that with this 1909 statement signed in an early 20th century court case in Hancock County, Illinois. I made a copy of the cover of the packet and noted the case file box in which it was located. I neglected to get a copy of the “outside” of the multi-page document which contained this signature. Neglecting to do so will mean that it would take some time to find it again in the case file.


Evidence Explained will tell you everything you need to know about citation.

Only an Email

A relative passed away in the last few years. There’s no online mention of her death. She’s not in any of the online databases that might mention a date of death for her and, at this point, my only knowledge of her date of death comes from an email from a relative.

What do I do?

I cite the email. I’ve changed some details in this sample citation to the 2020 death of Luella Ottoman, but it’s based on the format in Evidence Explained.

Firstname Lastname, Los Angeles, California, [(e-address for private use),] to Michael John Neill, e-mail, 1 February 2024, “checking email,” Personal Correspondence Folder, Neill Research Files, privately held by Neill, [(mjnrootdig@gmail.com, street address for private use,] Galesburg, Illinois, 2023. Firstname Lastname is a nephew of Luella Ottoman who died in 2020.

Of course, the email needs to actually be preserved and filed as indicated in the citation. An image of the email could even be included in my genealogy database. The comment is provided to give information as to how Firstname Lastname knows the date of death.

I’ll use the date provided by the relative to assist in locating another reference to this person’s death, but until I locate something else, this will be the only citation I have for her date of death.

Look for Yourself

Apparently in 1978, I entered the handwriting and arithmetic competition at the local county fair. This was only discovered by searching for myself in digital images of my local newspaper.

There were a variety of other references to me as well–most of them were when I was in attendance at various family functions. Search for yourself as a child in local newspapers–especially if you grew up in an area with small town newspapers that published every piece of gossip they could get. Those references may help you track down missing relatives and cause you to learn a little something about yourself.

Even if your handwriting today would not win the competitions it might have when you were ten years old.

Social Column Clues

It can be tedious to wade through the socials columns in old newspapers, particularly if your relative was something of a social butterfly. But those references can be useful. A 1938 letter written to my grandmother by her niece mentions a couple with the last name of Braeden. That couple apparently socialized with the niece’s parents. I just did not have any more of a name than “Braeden.” A 1966 reference to the letter writer’s mother indicated that the mother had visited a Mrs. Albert Braeden.

It’s a clue as to the couple referenced in the 1938 letter. It’s not 100% proof of their identity. But it is a start.

Genealogical Publishing Company has announced the release of the new 4th edition of Evidence Explained. Check it out on their website.