Get yourself out of your research rut and perhaps make a discovery in the process.
I decided to spend a little time researching the man who fathered a child with my aunt in Iowa in the 1870s. They never married according to her Civil War pension. Searching him caused me to discover an error on FamilySearch and realize that this father received a pension for his own military service. Now I’m wondering if his pension mentions his daughter, which could help me find her.
All from searching for a collateral.
One response
I've had tons of luck researching collateral ancestors, and having that lead to more info on my direct ancestors. This is a good reminder, Michael, because I think many people just want to go “straight up the line” and that's all.