Are you in need of how-to information written clearly, concisely, with an emphasis on instruction and explanation? That’s exactly what you get with Casefile Clues–Michael John Neill’s how-to genealogy newsletter. Take advantage of our special offer to get all 124 back issues for only $30! That’s quite a genealogical bargain. All issues are delivered as PDF files. Written in an accurate, detailed, and yet easy-to-follow format, Casefile Clues is geared towards the intermediate level research, but we have many beginners and advanced researchers (including some professionals) who subscribe to Casefile Clues. Casefile Clues focuses on genealogical case studies, problem-solving, and the occasional in-depth analysis of one specific document. And we always include complete, accurate citations and ideas of where to go next. We also focus on setting goals and keeping on task.You can download samples following […]
In the time period in which your ancestor married, how far were they likely to travel to find a spouse? It might not be as far as you think. Travelling 5 miles in 1830 was not as easy as it is today–your ancestor’s “pool of potential mates” is geographically pretty small. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
County Recorder’s offices usually records deeds and other legal instruments. They frequently have a “miscellaneous” record where a wide variety of documents might have been brought in to be recorded so that an official copy existed if the original was lost. Have you searched through these records in the local County Recorder’s office? In one Illinois county, the miscellaneous record contained out-of-state death certificates, a divorce decree from a divorce granted in Florida, my great-uncle’s medical license, military discharge papers, and more. Give them a look over. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Save 60% on my recorded genealogy webinars–now through 19 September 2012. Don’t wait! List and information here:http://rootdig.blogspot.com/p/webinars-for-purchase.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
At the county level, in some places and time periods, there might have been several different “courts” housed in the same physical location–probate court, court of equity, chancery court, guardianship court, etc. Make certain you’ve searched all the records when using the indexes. If a “court” housed several different “courts,” each court would have had a separate series of records, including indexes. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When you locate that obituary or death notice for your ancestor, consider reading the entire thing–the newspaper that is. Reading an entire issue (or two) of a newspaper may give you some insight into the time in which your ancestor lived. At the very least you might learn about the weather and who knows what real details are waiting for you in those other pages. You might even get a historical clue that explains something else in your research. Don’t just copy the obituary and head back to your searching. See what other news is waiting for you in the paper. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Are you tracking your online searches as you perform them? Genealogists are not going to track every search they conduct online. People conduct simply too many to chart every search they perform. However, if you spend more than 5 minutes searching a census index for someone, it may be time to make a chart of the search terms and track the ways in which they are used. Otherwise you may be going in circles looking for someone and never even realize it. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We have completed an updated listing of all back issues of my newsletter, Casefile Clues. Those lists can be viewed using the links below–they’re too long to post here: Year 1 and 2 Year 3 ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Sometimes “seeing” a clue is not about seeing at all. Do you ever read a document or record “out loud?” There are times when just saying something or hearing yourself say something makes a clue or piece of information “click.” Talking to yourself a little bit never hurts and it may cause you to realize things that were not so clear when you simply read them silently. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Vital records are usually recorded where the event took place. A child might not have been born where the couple “lived,” they might have been born somewhere a slight distance away, perhaps while the mother was staying with relatives in a neighboring town. A couple might have traveled fifty miles to elope and marry in a different state. A person may die in a hospital in a neighboring town or while a thousand miles away on a trip. That death will be recorded where the death took place, not the person’s residence. Where were they when it happened? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When transcribing handwritten documents, make certain that any comments, interpretations, etc. that you make are clearly indicated in brackets. It is preferable that these comments be placed after the actual transcription itself. You don’t want to compound any potential errors by creating the chance that someone thinks your comment was a part of the original document. Words that you cannot read, or are partially readable can be indicated as such by [—] or [Gra—]. And always go back and re-read things you transcribed twenty years ago. Any chance you made a mistake? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you thought about how you will handle those family skeletons that you will eventually uncover? Give some thought to it before simply posting the entire story as a blog post or putting it in a public tree. Of course how you handle something from 1960 is different from something that took place in 1760. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you ordered genealogy webinars from me and your download link expired: email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com forward me the receipt for the product you were unable to download in time. Links to download do expire in 24 hours–that’s to balance traffic on the server and to prevent fraudulent downloads. It’s no problem to reactivate your download links–at no charge, you just have to let me know. And if you’d like to purchase webinars, there’s a complete list here: http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2012/08/updated-list-of-genealogy-webinars.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you locate a record or a relative sends you a copy of a record, do you: know what the record actually is? know why it was created? know whether you have the “whole thing?” have a citation for it? Determining those things may create new opportunities and reduce “brick walls.” ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I have a relative, born in Canada in the 1820s who for some reason moved to southern Missouri in the 1850s. It seems a little unusual to me and, at this point, I do not know the reason why he moved. What I do have a reason for is why I know it is the same man (his name, year and place of birth and the names of his children all match). If you don’t have the reason for why your ancestor did something a little unusual, try and make certain you have good reason for believing it is the same person. Maybe the reason it seems like you have the “wrong person” is because you do. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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