If your ancestor died with a widow surviving with minor children, a guardian might have been appointed by the local court. This guardian frequently was not the widow. The widow was the natural guardian who had physical custody of the child. The guardian appointed by the court was a guardian to oversee the estate the child inherited. The guardian of the child’s estate did not necessarily take custody of the child. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
To celebrate my annual trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake, we are running our $5 special from now until I depart for Salt Lake on Monday afternoon at 4:00 PM CST. Our $5 sale concentrates on a variety of methodology items, including: Creating Research Plans The Genealogical Proof Standard Female Ancestors Making and Proving Your Case Court Records Seeing the Patterns and more. To see the entire list and get the linking to the discount prices, visit this page: http://blog.casefileclues.com/p/5-webinar-sale.html We’re hoping to get new tip of the day ideas and blog post material in Salt Lake. Stay tuned. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind that before 1906, naturalization procedures were not consistent throughout the United States and it is always possible that your ancestor had not quite met the residency requirements before he naturalized. Use dates of naturalization as estimates for when an ancestor immigrated–keeping in mind he might have lived in the United States longer than the minimum time or he might have shaved a year or two off for whatever reason. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When was the last time you read up on a source or type of record that you know little about? When was the last time you read a how-to article or a research guide? Did you either read it online, without surfing on three other sites at the same time? Or did you print it out and read it and take notes on it while NOT looking at online databases and your email at the same time? Learning something new may help your research. Trying to learn it while not multi-tasking is a good idea as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I will be making presentations at the following conferences over the next month. Northland Genealogical Society-June 2012-Kansas City, MO Southern California Genealogical Jamboree-June 2012-Burbank, CA National Palatines to American Conference-June 2012-Indianapolis, IN Check out the blog posts for more information. And if you are in attendance–please introduce yourself as a blog reader. Thanks! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If the estate records of your ancestor indicate she died “intestate” that means there was no valid will that was admitted to probate. There might have been a will, but that will was denied probate by the judge. That will should be filed with the court. Read it if you can. Sometimes it’s clear why the will was denied and sometimes it is not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you written down those stories your grandparent or older record used to tell you? Have you written down those stories of things you did as a kid? If not, hop to it. Your dead relatives can wait another day or so. Your memory might not! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I have given four Brick Wall from A to Z webinars–and I’m not doing any more. These are titled: Brick Walls from A to Z More Brick Walls from A to Z Yet More Brick Walls from A to Z Brick Walls from A to Z–the Final One The recording and handout normally sell for $8.50. From now until 7 PM CST on 18 May 2012, we’re offering these at $5 each. That’s a savings of 40%. Don’t wait… Brick Walls from A to Z–first in the series Brick walls from A to Z–second in the series–More Brick Walls Brick walls from A to Z–third in the series–Yet More Brick Walls Brick walls from A to Z–fourth in the series–The Final One ———————————— Check […]
My “Crossing the Pond” webinar was recorded today and has been uploaded for immediate download. This presentation discusses problem-solving strategies for tracing 18th and 19th century ancestors back across the Atlantic. It is geared towards advanced beginning and intermediate researchers. This presentation does not merely list a list of sources, but focuses on research methods. Our introductory price on this webinar (media file and handout) is $6. Orders can be processed here:https://getdpd.com/cart/buy/11078/38382/38541?gateway=paypalThanks!Michael ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Always pay close attention to names of passengers that appear next to your ancestors on a passenger manifest. They may be names you encounter when researching your ancestors in the area where they settled. Neighbors sometimes immigrated together and occasionally those “nearby names” are relatives in some way shape or form. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Some universities have local or regional historical materials in what frequently is termed a “special collection,”usually in the library or an archives. There might even be historians who have done research in the local area. Not necessarily genealogical research, but historical research that still may give some insight into local families. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is it possible that your ancestor’s name was spelled in a different way on a document, record, or tombstone because there wasn’t room for the “right” spelling? That’s a potential problem and might be the reason “Rebeca” appears on this stone instead of “Rebecca.“ ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Whether a name matches depends on more than the exact same spelling. It is only in recent times when consistent spelling has become important. When trying to determine if a name could be the “same,” consider spelling and pronunciation alternates and variations. Your ancestor’s name probably will not be spelled the exact same way in every document. You should look at other identifiers in the record (if they are given), such as age, ethnicity, social status, marital status, occupation, etc. Never look at just the name if you can avoid it and never “throw out” a potential match without good reason. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If it appears that the “mother” of a child is in her mid-fifties or older and there’s a gap of quite a few years between the last child and the child prior to the last one, consider that the last child might be the “mother’s” grandchild and not her actual child. If there’s an unmarried daughter in the household in her late teens, she could be the mother. Of course the “mother” actually could be the mother–assuming her age at the birth of the child isn’t stretching the plausibility of childbirth too much. And it’s possible the youngest child was actually adopted. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Naturalizations before the reform of 1906 typically provide little in the way of genealogical details. Records after the reform tend to contain more information about the applicant’s nativity, immigration, and family. If your ancestor had a cousin or other relative who naturalized after 1906, consider searching for their naturalization materials. It may provide you with significant detail. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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