When I read the 1864 will of an immigrant relative I made some assumptions about his immigration and life. When I re-read the will, remembered how old he was at the time I realized that those assumptions were not really justified. Have you taken a second look at any hasty assumptions you may have made? Sometimes it can be difficult to get them out of our head.
  We’ve just released recordings of our two new webinars: Original, Derivative, Primary, Secondary, Direct and Indirect, Evidence and Proof and More!: Troubles with Terms This session will look at just what is typically meant by these genealogical terms. Anyone’s research can benefit from an understanding of “proof” terminology, even if publishing in a journal is the furthest thing from your mind. Knowing the differences of these terms and when to use each one will improve your research skills and your ability to reach conclusions. Aimed for the advanced beginning or slightly more experienced researcher. Purchase for immediate download–handout and presentation included.   US Problem-Solving Outside New England Before 1850 There are several challenges to researching families outside of New England before 1850. There simply are not the […]
Abstracts pick and choose key elements of a document, without transcribing anything word for word. Extracts pick out short sections of a document, transcribing those sections verbatim. Transcriptions of a document include the entire document copied verbatim. Abstracts, extracts, and transcriptions serve different purposes. Make certain you know which one you are using.
When downloading images from a website that hosts digital images of records, do you include information about where the image originally came from? Generally speaking, you should include: Book from which image came Page number Author of book or creator of original record book County/State of record office–if a local record database that had the image website that hosted the database date of download These items are a great start.
The “Probate Records on Ancestry.com” presentation was held on 5 September. The presentation on the new probate records database on Ancestry.com included: determining what is in the database search techniques and strategies limitations of the records limitations of the search interface interacting with images Learn how to make effective use of this large database. Michael has thirty years of research experience using probate records. Order the presentation and handout (download immediate) for only $8.
When using court and probate record books (either at the courthouse, on microfilm, or in digital image format), always look at the very beginning and ending of the book for an index. The index will not be an every name index, but many times individual record volumes will at least have an index of the individuals whose estates or court cases are referenced in the volume.
The funeral home that took care of your ancestor’s funeral may have additional information on your ancestor besides what appeared in the obituary and on the tombstone. Why paid the bill, where they lived, biographical details, and more may be in their files. However funeral home records are private business records and the funeral home is under no obligation to provide you with any information from their files. Because of this it pays to be respectful, polite, and courteous when dealing with the individuals who may still have possession of these records.
If your ancestor’s “middle” name was a common last name, is it possible that the middle name got used by a records clerk as a last name. My Hinrich Jacobs Fecht uses the last name of Fecht on every record in the United States–except the 1870 census where he is Henry Jacobs. Jurgen Ehmen Tonjes occasionally is referred to as Jurgen Ehmen. Isaac Rucker Tinsley could easily be listed in one record or more as Isaac Rucker.
The release of several new databases online reminded me of the importance of knowing what is contained in the database being searched. Some online databases do not include every “sub-location” (ie. not every county within a state), do not contain as much information on one sub-location as they do another (ie. some counties have more records included than others), or do not include the same range of years. Check out what it contains before you enter items in those search boxes. This tip was based on a longer post about the new “probate” database at Ancestry.com.
Due to requests from several attendees, we’ve added one last request to our schedule. The “Probate Records on Ancestry.com” presentation (Saturday–5 September 2015 at 11:00 a.m.). The presentation on the new probate records database on Ancestry.com will include: determining what is in the database search techniques and strategies limitations of the records limitations of the search interface interacting with images Learn how to make effective use of this large database. Michael has thirty years of research experience using probate records. Order the presentation and handout (download immediate) for only $8.
If your ancestor was a member of a mainline church, does their national (or regional) office have an archives that could assist you in your search? Church archivists may have records of disbanded congregations, information on former preachers, and details of when congregations were formed and ceased to exist.
I’ve been reviewing my Irish immigrants in hopes of making a discovery. In doing so, I realize that I never established an approximate timeline for the migration of the two brothers from Canada to Illinois.  In this case, I’ll be using places of birth for their children to help with that as I’m not going to find a record of their border crossing in the 1860s. Have you created as many timelines for your ancestor as possible?
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