Genealogy marketers use potential “famous connections” to generate interest and sell subscriptions. Apparently it works. The fact remains that most of us have ancestors who are very non-famous. Normal people living normal lives–with the occasional colorful “black sheep” thrown in the mix. And that’s fine. Most family genealogists are not famous themselves, so why should they expect their ancestors to be any different and to be any less human than they are? What genealogists are more likely to encounter are relatives who were impacted by a historical event, the enactment of a law, etc. For those with an interesting in reading more thoughts on the “famous” subject: “Accurately Searching for Ordinary Ancestors“ “Just a Farmer“
Indexes make locating records easier, but there are limitations to them. Handwriting can be difficult to read and indexers make mistakes. Indexers may only index key names in a document, leaving out the names of others who are mentioned in ways that can provide significant information on them. If you have reason to believe a person should be in a record and they are not in the index, search the records manually. Learn how the records are organized to create more effective manual search strategies. If there is a person you have not found in a record and you have tried alternate spellings and names, review ways in which the records can be manually searched. Sometimes a manual search is more practical than others and not all records […]
Some probate records will indicate where notices of final estate settlement were posted. Usually one of those is in the county seat, often the courthouse. The other places probably are near to that part of the county where the deceased did business or lived. In some cases that can be a residential clue which can be helpful if other information about residence is not available. The example suggests that the deceased lived fairly near to the county seat–based upon where the notices were posted. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
Name irregularities is one reason why manual searching of records is sometimes necessary. An early 20th century probate document give the last names of the heirs to an estate as “Tooker” when it should be “Fooken.” One typographical error is bad enough, but two just makes it worse. Any transcription of this record should transcribe the document as it and include a notation about the error. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
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