Unless you have solid information to the contrary, never assume: that your ancestor was not married before they were married to your ancestor that your ancestor was not married after your ancestor’s spouse died that your ancestors would never have divorced Many brick walls are made because of the first two assumptions and records are overlooked when people make the third one. ————– Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank. Their latest offer for Tip of the Dayfans/followers is an annual rate less than $5 a month.
Never include in a database that which you do not know. If the only record you have on an ancestor is a newspaper death notice which says: Mrs. Anton Flagstone died on the 5th of August [1890] then you don’t have her first name. You don’t have her maiden name. The newspaper may not even provide a location of death or burial. There is one thing that you do know. You know that the wife of Anton Flagstone died on 5 August 1890. Don’t enter in her last name as “unknown,” “[—–],” or “who knows?” Leave it blank. You do not know it. Do the same thing for her first name. Do not enter her first name as “Mrs,” “Mrs. Anton,” or anything similar. It is fine to […]
It is not the size of your genealogy database or how far back you can extend your family tree that matters. What matters is that you tried to document the lives of your ancestors and relatives as accurately as possible. Try and record your relatives’ lives as carefully as you would want someone to document yours. Would you want someone to have you married to the wrong person, born in the wrong place, and having children before you were born? If that means you have a small tree that only goes back to the 1820s, then so be it. There’s nothing wrong with being stuck in 1820 if that’s as far back as the records allow you to go. ————– Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank. Their […]
I’m looking forward to returning to Southern California for the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Jamboree. I’ll be giving three lectures at this annual genealogy extravaganza: Reconstructing Families in pre-1850 Census Records Abraham’s Not There in 1840. How Ohio Land Records Explained a Missing Census Enumeration Restacking the Blocks: Organizing Your Information If you’ll be at Jamboree, please come up and introduce yourself after a presentation! If you’d like me to present at your seminar or conference, email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.
Create a chart summarizing the census enumeration for your family of interest in every census 1850 or after in which they are listed. The chart will help you to visualize the family structure better and estimate approximate years of birth for the family members based upon the census. These enumerations may be inaccurate, but for some of us they are the only age estimates we have. ————– Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank. Their latest offer for Tip of the Day fans/followers is an annual rate less than $5 a month.
Memory is not as constant as some may think. When I was younger, I could “sing” “The Gambler” from memory. It was on the radio yesterday and my attempt to sing along was mediocre. My words were slightly different, the tune was not quite how I remembered, and I was certain the rhythms had changed. If your relative heard a story one time when they were a child, what’s the chance they remember a few details differently from what they were told? If I can’t remember a song I heard numerous times, the odds are good that I’m going to remember less of something I only heard once.
There are many ways to use a pedigree chart to see something other than relationships and dates. I chose to color code each entry on this pedigree chart with the burial location of each individual. One could see a trend of where individuals tended to be buried. I also noted two burials in the same cemetery that were more coincidental based upon residence than anything else.
Sometimes estate accountings can seem like an endless list of mundane items and their corresponding amounts. Occasionally a clue can be buried in that detail. This 1870 era accounting from Illinois references a mortgage in Kentucky. Following up on that reference lead to the discovery of the family’s residence in that state for nearly ten years–and even more records.
Don’t overlook state census records, even if they only list age ranges of household members. Peter Bieger is enumerated in only one United States census: the 1855 Illinois state census. Even if you have other records on your ancestor, the state census may supplement what you know. It could even reveal a huge clue.
Make certain that you determine if the United States county where your ancestor naturalized kept naturalization petitions. These petitions may include a copy of (or information from) your relative’s declaration of intention and that may provide a clue as to where your ancestor originally settled.
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