Your ancestor had relationships that did not generate records. It’s obvious when one thinks about it, but often something that we forget. A relative of mine had a short-term boyfriend in the state of Iowa in the late 1870s that resulted in a pregnancy. She never married the father of the child. I only know his name because her subsequent marriage to Civil War veteran resulted in her applying for a widow’s pension where she mentioned the previous relationship. Another relative was “married” in the 1850s for less than a few months to a man who was temporarily guardian for her minor children. I suspect she was married to him (or acted like she was) because she signs his last name to some documents involving her first husband’s estate. […]
I am having to re-record the following presentations, so we are offering new live sessions of these presentations: Using Fold3.com Local Land Records Citation Basics Details are on our website.
Local indexes to property, court, and other records can be set up differently from one location to another. Take some time to study any index when working in a new area. The index may be just by first initial of last name–with first names not sorted. The index may be by first initial and last initial. it may be by first two letters of last name. Or something slightly different. Failing to learn how the index is created may cause you to fail to locate the desired entry in the records. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
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