I first read and transcribed the 1812 will of James Rampley in Harford County, Maryland, when I was sixteen years old. I don’t think I have looked at the entire will in over twenty-five years. Today I read the entire document.
And there were at least five good clues that I missed in that early reading of the document because there were many things I didn’t know about research, the law, inheritance, and the family at that point in time.
Do you have something that you’ve not read in ages?
Could there be unused clues in that document?
2 Responses
I reviewed 1850+ US Census enumerations for a family that I’d nearly got straight due to a beautifully detailed 1864 estate partition record.
Meanwhile, I’d been gnawing on the problem of documenting one deceased daughter listed in that partition record. I’d looked “all over” for her lone surviving child, itemized in the partition record, hoping to find the identity of her father.
When I looked at the 1850 enumeration for the decedent of the 1864 partition record, wouldn’t you know, the surviving child of the deceased daughter was right there, living with her maternal grandparents. I had failed to make a note about the extra person in this enumeration, and could have saved myself the trouble of looking for her elsewhere with her parents. Duh . . . .
Yes! What I have done that before. It’s so sad to be searching all over for a record when you have the answer sitting in your saved records. I’ve started reviewing all my sources on a family before I start searching for more. It’s good to know what you have before you start looking again. Thanks for the great tip! I shared it on my blog as one of my favorite reads of the week. http://familylocket.com/favorite-reads-of-the-week-27-february-2016/