Sometimes the only way to genealogical success is to get beyond your ancestor and to research her siblings. That may be enough to answer your question. Once in a while going further is necessary. I’ve been working on a family where the biggest leads to my ancestor were contained in the War of 1812 of his brother’s father-in-law. It’s not always necessary to completely research people that far afield.
We are offering the following genealogical webinars in July: Missing 1840 Census Enumeration Genealogical Terms and More Preserving Past You Charts, Charts, and More Charts More details are here.
If a cemetery’s transcriptions have been published more than once don’t ignore the older one. An earlier transcription may have been done when stones were more legible and by the time the later transcription was made some stones may have been totally faded.
The year of birth for a relative could not be read in her baptismal entry. The last digit could easily have been an 8 or a 9. In reviewing additional church records, there was an entry for her confirmation in her early teens and that entry also gave her date of birth which was much easier to read. Fortunately the day and the month were a match with the baptismal entry also.
Those potential ancestral associates that could hold the clue to your research include godparents’ of children born to your ancestral sibling. There is a chance that if the godmother of my aunt’s child was a relative of my aunt and her sister. It’s a name I never would have had to research if I had not located all the christening records of my aunt’s children.
In some cultural traditions, the “first” name on a baptismal record is not necessarily the name that a person actually used or was commonly known by. Several of my German ancestors from the Thuringen area of Germany were named John George, John Michael, John Adam, etc. only to use respectively use George, Michael, and Adam in the United States.
Some older records kept in ledger type format may have no page numbers that can be used to create a citation or provide a detailed reference. There are probably other guides you can use so that you or someone else can later get to the same page in the work. Is the entry a baptismal entry from 1850? Is it a funeral entry from 1812? Are the entries numbered individually? Is the record organized alphabetically by farm name (as sometimes happens in Sweden)? There’s probably a way you can create a trail to get back to that page–just don’t forget to do it.
Augusta Newman died in White County, Indiana on 4 July 1861. Here’s a few quick tips from things I discovered about his life: Never assume gender based solely on a name–yes, he was named Augusta and not August. Always search for military records–I never knew he was in the War of 1812 and his bounty land application was full of good material. Search for quit claim deeds after death–they gave all his heirs and their counties of residence. Happy 4th of July to Tip fans, followers, and readers in the US!
The job of a good transcriber is to render the document as faithfully as they can. This includes transcribing words as they are spelled, not changing obvious errors, and not adding material that is not there. Notations, if necessary, can be made separately and an analysis of the perceived accuracy can be done separately as well in a way that makes it clear where the document ends and the analysis begins. But a transcriber’s job as a proofreader should only go so far as to make certain she has rendered the original document as accurately as she can, warts and all.
Make certain you’ve read the complete census enumeration. Some census records in the US 1850 and after ask questions that either directly or indirectly suggest real property ownership. Records of that land ownership may provide additional information on your ancestor.
Don’t forget to thank those who help you in your research, either online or onsite. The main reason is that it’s polite and increases the chance that those people are willing to help others later. Who knows? You may even need their help again later and a thank you may make them more willing in the future to provide you with assistance. And…there’s always the chance that your thank you note jogs the recipient’s mind about something else that could help you. Librarians and clerks may be paid to assist people with materials and records. But if your treatment of them was unkind or rude it may be very easy for them to not provide you with that extra suggestion or idea that “dawns on them” after you leave.
Recent Comments