Remember that just because your ancestor signs their “mark” on a document it doesn’t mean they were illiterate. In some cases, a person might have been told to “make their mark” which was unique to them, and as long as it was witnessed, legally binding. Remember also that if your ancestor was ill and on their death bed when they signed their will, making their mark might have been all they could do. I have several ancestors who signed numerous documents, but made their “mark” on their will, generally because they were advanced in years. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
As a short reminder, I’m leading a group research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake this May. Going with a group can be a great way to have your first (or second) library research experience. There’s more details on our trip on my website at: http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2010/06/reserve-spot-in-my-2011-family-history.html Michael ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
For those times when locating information seems easy, stop and take time to analyze what you have already located. This is particularly good advice if you’re searching on a collateral family in hopes of learning more about the direct line. Get off the websites, get off the internet, email, stop gathering more information, etc. and look at what you have. Sketch out relationships, make chronologies, make timelines, etc. You may see errors you didn’t see before or opportunities you have overlooked. Either way, you’re better off! Sometimes it pays to stop collecting for a while and do some analyzing. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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