No Monkeying Around! Our August 2026 version of this very popular webinar has been released and is now available for immediate download. ** FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar August 2026 Version Released We’re excited! We have finally released our updated webinar on using FamilySearch’s full-text search. If you pre-ordered this presentation and did not get your download link, please let me know. This updated presentation is an hour long, includes discussion on full-text search strategies and options and includes an extensive handout. Presentation style is clear, informal, and practical. We discuss keywords, formulating searches, filtering vs. searching, what to search for, how to change your searching paradigm to take advantage of full-text search and more. Learn how to get the most from full-text search and what search options are available. Full-text search is […]
Remember that pre-1880 US census records do not provide information about relationships within the household. Be careful inferring relationships only based upon placement with one census household. What you think is father, mother, and their children may be something else. It could be husband wife, his kids, her kids, and theirs. It could be husband, wife, his kids and theirs. It could be husband wife, her kids (with his last name because that’s what the census taker wrote down and then theirs. One of what you think is a child, could be a grandchild, nephew, younger sibling, etc. Use additional records to try and determine what the relationship actually is.
If your ancestor was a local businessman, an advertisement in a newspaper or other publication can confirm where the business was located, dates on which the business was operated, business partners, etc. Advertisements may even include biographical information on the business owners (check out the comments on this Rootdig post to see a reference to an advertisement in Kansas that generated quite a bit of information).
While analyzing a document to determine if I had the right person, the comparison of signatures became a crucial part of my analysis. I had several copies of the person’s signature from other documents I had located on him. As I worked on my analysis, I remembered that I had seen his signature somewhere else. Fortunately I also remembered where that signature was at: as a witness on an affidavit his cousin made in her 1880-era homestead application. Now to decide if it’s worth the time to include signature references in “file” on an ancestor so I can find them easily if needed. Signatures on their own records are easy to find. It’s when they appear in the records of others that they can be overlooked.
7ber, 8ber, 9ber, and Xber may be noted in dates in 17th and 18th century documents. These references refer to September, October, November, and December. In the modern calendar 7ber is not the 7th month, 8ber is not the 8th month, 9ber is not the 9th month, and Xber is not the 10th month. That’s a reference to their original positions. There’s more on the calendar on Wikipedia.
A 1906 newspaper reference to my uncle and his wife provides several tips or reminders in one quick note: “Joe Neal and daughter Jennie and Mrs. Harper and daughter Anna returned home last Friday after a two weeks visit with relatives in Polo, Mo.” I located the entry by manually searching for the alternate spelling of my last name. The site that hosted this image, at least at the time I used it, did not support soundex-based searches and wildcard searches required at least two letters to be used initially before a wildcard operator was used. The connection between the individuals named in the newspaper is not stated. Frustrating for the genealogist. It’s worth remembering that the individuals reading the newspaper at the time already knew those relationships. […]
Even if your ancestor’s estate was intestate (without a valid will), the probate records could contain a copy of will that was refused probate by the court. While that will was unprobated, it still could provide good genealogical clues and reading it may tell you it was not allowed to go through probate. If there was a separate court case over the will it may be filed with non-probate court records in the county where the estate was administrated.
This court case was not located until I searched the digital images of newspapers. It is only indexed in the plaintiffs’ index under Luella Barnett and in the defendants’ index under Velva Ray Schupp. Neither name was one I had searched for. When searching indexes of court records, it is important to search for extended family members as well as those individuals in whom the researcher has a direct interest. This is especially important in locating court records over estates in general and particularly when those cases may involve individuals who are only tangentially related by marriage. The case apparently was to settle up some issues with the estates of Jeanette and William Miller of Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, in the 1930s. This couple had no children of […]
We’ve mentioned this before, but some problems can be worked around or solved by thinking about every assumption we have made about an ancestor and “their situation.” Every assumption. Especially those that are near and dear to our heart. Those are the ones that can create the biggest stumbling blocks. If you don’t have documentation for a “fact” about your ancestor, then that fact could be incorrect. Even if you do have documentation for a fact, that documentation could be incorrect. Always consider the possibility that what you think you know could be wrong–and then ask yourself: what would I do differently if this “fact” weren’t true? And then do it.
Many record offices created indexes to their records as those items were recorded. These indexes are not perfect. They are not every name indexes. And just like with every index, names can get left out. But they do have some occasional advantages over new indexes created decades or centuries later to digital images of those records. The “original indexes” created by the clerk or office that recorded the record originally were often created by the person recording the item at the time it was recorded. The handwriting was not faded. They may have actually known the individuals involved and were better able to render the name in the index even if it was difficult to read on the original–particularly if the original was a birth certificate written by […]
Years ago, on my Rootdig blog a list of things that relatives do that seem to make research more difficult. That list is reproduced here. These are a little tongue-in-cheek. Well, at least some of them. It’s also not meant to be complete either and is based upon personal frustrations. Your frustrations may be different. Genealogy would be easier if:
When obtaining a copy of a deed record from the local records office, don’t forget that the “deed” in the courthouse is a record copy of the original. It is not the original. In the early days of record keeping, those deed copies were handwritten or typed transcriptions. Later courthouse copies of deeds were made by some sort of photographic process. It’s not the original deed in the courthouse–it’s a transcription or a reproduction. The original was retained by the person obtaining the property, just like today. Of course that record copy in the courthouse is the legal equivalent of the original. That is why it was so important to render as accurate a transcription or copy as possible.
Individuals who remember precise dates can easily be a few days (or more) off. A few short months after my mother’s death, I wrote down the wrong date of her death (from memory) on a form. I was certain that I was correct. I was not. I was three days off. If, after two months my memory of the date is a little fuzzy, imagine how off it could be if it were years later. Don’t be surprised if dates of events given well after the fact are a little inconsistent. It’s normal and don’t assume that if your ancestor gave a precise date of an event that he used a document or family Bible for reference. He may have only used his brain.
Researching for information on your ancestors and distant relatives can be a lifelong passion. It’s a great way to learn about your personal connection to history and perhaps to discover something about yourself as well. But do you have any genealogy goals other than continuing to search? Is it proving or disproving a family story? Is it identifying who is in that old picture? Is it tracking as many ancestors as you can? Is it locating as many descendants as you can of a specific set of ancestors? Think about what your genealogy goal is and how you are working to achieve it. And it’s ok to just want to locate more information–there’s fun in that too. But sometimes a little direction is helpful. What are your genealogy […]
Libraries, archives, and historical societies do acquire new materials, digitize items that “you never thought they would,” or create new indexes or finding aids. If it’s been years since you looked at their catalog, viewed their website, or inquired about their collection, it might be time to do so. There may be something there that was not when you originally checked.
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