A clerk or transcriptionist can easily spell something in the way they are used to–even if the word is not supposed to be spelled that way. I have two ancestors whose last name is Bieger. I’ve typed the name more times that I can remember. Recently I had cause to mention the singer Justin Bieber in a comment on Facebook. It took me four times to spell his last name as “Bieber” instead of “Bieger.” I wanted to spell the name the way I was use to spelling names that started with “Bie” and ended in “r.” Is it possible that a clerk’s “mistake” was simply a habit that they applied to your relatives name when they should not have?
While it can be exciting to find things, try and organize as you research. If you are in the habit of saving files and making “notes” as you go, it is easy to go in circles, overlook things, and spin your wheels needlessly when you avoid data entry and organization until “later.”
Always put the births of children in the chronology of their parents’ lives. Were the parents a “usual” age when they started having children? There are several reasons why a person can wait to get married, but an age that is slightly older could mean there was a previous marriage–perhaps that resulted in no children. Or it could just mean that they waited until they found the right person. The ages on this passenger list are correct and suggest the mother was around 31 when the daughter was born and that the father was around 37.
The name in this 1880 census enumeration does not look like Henry Herzog, but that’s what it is. This entry from Hancock County, Illinois’ Walker Township (family 193, dwelling 195) looks like Henry something or other. The census taker was a German native and wrote in a handwriting that was difficult to read. It is very possible that he wrote “Herzog” the way it sounded to him. Henry Herzog was a German as well, but if he and the census enumerator were from different areas and spoke differing dialects the rendering of the last name could be very creative. Always consider how your ancestor said his name. Always consider how the keeper of the record heard the name and what biases he may have had. Always consider sloppy […]
The download service I use for the webinars only allows me so much space and I’m at the limit. I need to decide which ones to keep selling, which ones to no longer offer, and–I need a change of pace for a while. So…effective 11 May 2016, I’ll no longer be selling the recorded copies of old webinars as shown below (we’ll still have our scheduled ones in May and will have downloads for those who register and happen to miss those). But we will be stopping the sales for a while so that I can regroup and focus. Now’s a great time to order. Our prices are low and orders over $50 can receive an additional discount by using coupon code 2016over50. View the entire listing page-where you can […]
If you are only going to use an image for your own personal use, then asking permission is not usually an issue. However, if you are going to post the image on a website, a public tree, a blog, etc. then it’s a good idea to ask permission. One reason is that it is the right thing to do. Another reason is that the photographer may have additional items, better photographs, etc. Irritating them may make them less willing to share information with you. [note; The following paragraph was somehow deleted from this post when it originally went out.] The best reason for not using a picture that you did not take is that the original photographer has copyright to the photograph that they took. It is their picture […]
We’re excited about our May 2016 webinar schedule: Irfanview for Genealogists Digital Media Organization American Court Records Federal Land State Property Descriptions: Sections, Townships, Base Lines and Meridians Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls Visit our announcement page for specific schedule.
Never assume that the heirs of one person are necessarily all heirs of their spouse they had at death. It is easily possible that there were multiple marriages by either the husband or the wife. This could result in them having different heirs. But a missing heir when the surviving spouse dies could simply mean that that heir died before the surviving spouse did and that heir left no descendants of their own. Bottom line: compare heirs of the husband and wife if you can to find clues about potential multiple marriages. ————– Learn more about US probate records in my class.
Join us for the following events this April/May (registration is limited): US probate records class-discussion starts 8 May Organizing Genealogical Information– discussion starts 9 May
This is from a post (in part) I wrote in 2015 on my Rootdig blog. Are you making “genealogical statements?” Genealogical statements can be seen as being about an individual or expressing a relationship between two individuals. Genealogical statements about individuals usually are relatively specific as to time and location: Johann Schmidt was born in 1845 in Schteenytinystadt, Germany. Thomas Rampley purchased property in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1818. James Rampley is buried in Buckeye Cemetery, Hancock County, Illinois. Riley Rampley served in Company D of the 78th Illinois Volunteer Infantry from 1861-1865. Genealogical statements between two individuals generally express a relationship between those two individuals (precise times and locations may not be known but they are helpful in distinguishing individuals from others of the same name): James Rampley […]
Don’t assume the first couple whose names are “close” to the ones of interest are actually yours. In 1880 in rural Walker Township in Hancock County, Illinois, there’s a family headed by a Michael and Franciska Trautvetter and one headed by a Michael and Franciska Turnhoffer. Both are of German descent. They are two entirely different couples. Similar names do not always imply the same people. ——————— Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank—search for your ancestors.
When ancestors “disappear” from records after they’ve reached a certain age, it usually is suggested that if they “didn’t die where they were supposed to,” that one look for them living near or with one of their adult grown children. Several of my ancestors who “disappeared” were actually living near one of their children after their “disappearance.” Melinda Newman and her husband were living in White County, Indiana, after their children had left for other states. When I could not find Melinda after her husband’s 1861 death, it was because she had moved to Linn County, Iowa, to be near several of her grown children. But…. Not everyone does that. Melinda’s own son, William Newman, did not. After his children had all left the nest, William and his wife […]
Your ancestor’s civil marriage record may contain the name of the preacher who married your ancestors or the church with which he was affiliated. Try and see if the church has any extant records. Church records may provide more information about your ancestors. Or they may not. Or your ancestors may have been married by a Justice of the Peace–in which case there won’t be a church record of the marriage. ——————— Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank—search for your ancestors.
When there are multiple marriages for multiple people, a chart may make it easier to visualize the relationships. In this case, the middle children are half-siblings to the left children and the right children, but the left and right children do not share a biological relationship. In this example the children from the very first marriage and very last one shown did not live near each other and probably never met, but many times that is not the case. [note: the typo in the image has been fixed] ——————— Genealogy Search Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank—search for your ancestors.
Make certain you have completely tracked children your step-ancestor might have had with spouses besides your direct line ancestor. After my ancestor‘s second wife died, she his second wife married again and she had a child with that husband. Tracking down the second wife, her second husband, and their child may lead to something that helps me search the actual ancestor. Or maybe not. But I don’t know if I don’t look. ——————— Genealogy Search Tip of the Day is sponsored by GenealogyBank—search for your ancestors.
Recent Comments