If you know the siblings of your ancestor, have you looked at who performed the marriages for all of those siblings? There may be clues in those names to the church affiliation or denomination of your ancestor. Unless they were all married by a justice of the peace. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
One never knows when a date may crucial to your research. In analyzing a claim for a personal horse that was requisitioned by the United States military in the War of 1812, I noticed that the date of the requisition was the same date on which the commanding officer of the unit was dismissed and the day after the unit was involved in a controversial burning of a village. Coincidence? Maybe or maybe not. But if I had never researched the unit and looked carefully at the dates, I never would have noticed. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
The United States took federal census records other than those counting the population. These non-population census schedules that mention individual names include the following schedules for the following years: Agricultural: 1850-1880 Defective,Dependent, and Delinquent: 1880 Industrial: 1850-1870 Manufactures: 1820, 1850-1880 Mortality: 1850-1880 Most were not retained by the federal government and were given to state agencies willing to maintain them. Some have been microfilmed, some are available online, and some are only available in their original paper format. Your search should begin with the state archives for the state where the person of interest lived. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you have an 1856 marriage record for an ancestor, have you searched for everyone listed on the document in the 1850 and 1860 census, including the minister, any witnesses, etc.? Learning a little more about those individuals could help you with the actual ancestor. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When you create charts and forms for your own personal use, do you use color as a means to organize the information? In their informal notes or reports, some people color their assumptions, references to a certain ancestor, or other key details. Use of color helps to make certain things stand out. And noticing things is what information analysis is all about. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We’re a little bit ahead this year to get you ahead in your genealogy research. We’re going to be doing other things over the next few weeks, so our “Black Friday” specials are coming early. Purchase any one(1) of the following starred (*) items by 6 p.m. Central Time on 16 November and we’ll give you a free code to download two of our genealogy webinars. *124 Issues of Casefile Clues for $30 Grow your genealogy research skills over the holiday season. Not only do we include complete, accurate citations we also discuss ideas of where to go next. We also focus on setting goals and keeping on task. You can download samples following the link on this page:http://blog.casefileclues.com/2011/11/new-samples-of-casefile-clues.html A complete list of all topics (and order links) can be found here:http://blog.casefileclues.com/p/order-back-issues.html *Subscribe […]
Do you always read the outside and inside of those “packet wrappers” used to enclose loose court papers, estate papers, etc.? Sometimes there may be a phrase or annotation on the wrapper itself that is a clue. And of course, whether it is an important clue, depends on the situation. But, have you looked? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Sometimes we tend to favor the most recent set of transcriptions of a set of documents, tombstones, etc. Be aware that an earlier transcription of original records could have been done when the documents were easier to read or by someone more familiar with the local names and families. A transcription of tombstones done in the 1930s might have included stones that today are totally gone. Those “old” transcriptions may be just what you need. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In looking at print material, do you make certain there is not some sort of addendum stuck at the end of the book? A book of marriage bond transcriptions I recently used had two pages of “missed” entries that were added after the book was typed. These pages were not included in the index either. And microfilmed church and other records may have extraneous material filmed after the book or actual records were filmed. And sometimes the pastor might insert something extra at the end just because he felt like it. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If your missing ancestor went to or attended college are there clues about their life hiding in college alumni newsletters? Alumni offices, university archives, or other facilities may have these periodicals which may provide clues about your relative after they left the college or university. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Off and on for the past year, we’ve offered free downloads of the first and second installments in my “Brick Walls from A to Z” series. We’re turning those coupons off as of 9:00 AM on 12 November. You don’t have to play them immediately, but the download does need to take place by that time. So if you’ve been waiting or have missed the offer before–now is your chance! The first “Brick Wall From A to Z” webinar–order for free here. The second “Brick Wall From A to Z” webinar–order for free here. Enjoy! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Share your discoveries with relatives as the discoveries are made. While it can be frustrating for someone to tell you “yeah, I already knew that,” sometimes just the mentioning of the discovery can trigger other memories. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There are still records that exist only in their original form. They have not been transcribed. They have not been microfilmed. They have not been digitized. Local records frequently fall into this category of being available “only in the original location,” but there are others as well. While it is realized that not everyone can travel to remote places to perform research, at least be aware that there may be more material out there. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just because duplicate sources agree does not mean that they are correct. My great-aunt has two tombstones–both indicate a year of birth of 1920. Local records in the area where she was born indicate a year of birth of 1910, which is also consistent with her military and all census records. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My great-aunt is buried in Idaho. She has two tombstones–one a military one and other a joint stone with her husband. The dates of birth and death are the same–born in 1910 and died in 1990. One has her name as Anna M. Hutchison and the other has her name as Margaret M. Hutchison. Never hurts to change those first and middle names around when performing searches. And the stones should be transcribed they way they are inscribed. Commentary about what is “correct” can be made elsewhere. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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