Posts in February 25, 2015

For twenty years, it seemed as if my ancestor Ira Sargent was dropped off by a UFO in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1880. Turns out he wasn’t. He was in the 1850 and 1860 United States Census listed under the last name of his step-father–whom his mother had married in 1849. Until I discovered the last name of the step-father, I was unable to find Ira. Is it possible that your UFO ancestor wasn’t dropped off by aliens but was instead listed in records as a child under his (or her) stepfather’s last name? And that the first time they used their “birth name” in a record was when they married?

Among the items that newspapers may include are accounts of accidents or injuries. An accident could have been significant for your family. If the breadwinner of the household was seriously or permanently injured, it could have put the family’s life in disarray and could have been the cause of unavoidable family separation.