Depending on the handwriting, the letter groups “tt,” “ll, “tl, and “lt”can be confused, interchanged, and misinterpreted. When reading handwriting manually, it’s easy to see what the “intent” was, especially if the name is in a record where you expect it to be. Not so easy using indexes. Butter, Buller, and Butler can easily be seen in the same word–along with some other renderings as well. The same is true for Trautvetter, Trautvelter, and Trautveller. Appropriately constructed wildcard searches (usually for Bu*er or Trautve*er) will locate them all. Searches based upon the sounds in the name may not since “t” and “l” do not sound the same. Something to think about when looking for that special feller.
It can be tempting to go with that first source or reference to an ancestor. It can be even more tempting to go with that conclusion if a second source agrees. An online tree (or recent book) agrees with what you find printed in an 1895 genealogy that has been digitized. That’s two sources that agree. Oh boy. While they are “sources” since they contain information, they are derivative sources since they have been derived from something else. Derived sources are only as accurate as the information from which they were derived and the thoroughness of the person reaching the conclusion. There’s room for error there. They may not even be two sources–the online tree (or that recent book) could have been derived from the 1895 genealogy. It […]
County record books usually do not have actual signatures on deeds and other items. Their copies are record copies and most of them are transcriptions of the original records–especially in the days before photoreproduction was developed. One exception in some locations are in mortgage records. The record copy of this 1878 mortgage contains transcriptions of the mortgagors. The holder of the note, John Ufkes in this case, signed a release of the mortgage right in the spine of the book. A neat place to get a signature. And before you think John Ufkes was a banker or some type of well-to-do…he loaned money to his sister and her husband. They paid him back a year later, likely shortly before he signed the release on 29 October 1879. Upload […]
Your relative may not mention all his children in his will for several reasons: the child may have already have received his inheritance the child may have been disowned by the parent the child may automatically receive a portion of the family estate due to the law at the time Often parents will name children in their will who have already received an inheritance or who are being disowned so that they cannot say they were accidentally left out. In some locations in some time periods, the oldest son would automatically receive a portion of the estate–whether it was in the will or not. You’ll need to know what the custom was at the time to know whether or not this could have been the case. You also […]
A relative’s name first name is Christian. Sometimes he’s listed in records as Chris–which makes perfect sense. Other times he is clearly listed as Christopher, although that’s not his name. Is it possible your ancestor whose name is John occasionally gets listed as Jonathan? Did Michael become Micah in some record? Stay open to the possibility that some clerk, official, or enumerator took the first few letters of your relative’s actual name and used another name starting with those same few letters. That’s how Geske becomes Gertrude and that’s how we can easily overlook potential references to our ancestors. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
When writing an identification on a photograph or “what you remember about the ‘old days,'” avoid using pronouns (he, she, them) and relationship words (Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, etc.). Someone years later will not know which Grandma Neill to whom you are referring and sprinkling “he” and “she” too frequently in your writing may confuse. Use specific names to avoid making someone years later wonder to whom you were referring.
When entering information into your genealogical database, always cite exactly what you used–not where that reference got the information. We cite what we saw–not what someone else say. If an index says that Thomas Smith married Joan Brown in 1820 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, then we cite that index for that marriage. It does not matter that the index claims that the county records were used–if we did not see them, then we do not indicate that we did. If all I used was the index–then I cite is the index. That way someone later (particularly ME) knows that I only used the index–and not the original. The original may indicate the actual date is in 1828 or in 1830. I should later try and locate the […]
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Clerks love to abbreviate, but don’t create more confusion when transcribing. Put in brackets what you “add” to complete the transcription or to make it more clear. Sometimes it clarifies things to “add,” but it should be obvious to the reader of your transcription what was in the original document and what came from your understanding of any abbreviations. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
The value on a marriage bond usually only becomes a problem if there ends up being a legal reason the bride or the groom cannot marry. It is not a fee to marry. The bondsmen are acknowledging that there’s no legal impediment to the marriage and, if there is, they are liable for the amount of the bond. Usually one bondsmen is vouching for the groom (often the groom himself, but not always) and one is vouching for the bride. In the US marriage bonds are usually local county records. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
Your relative answered a question for the census, death certificate, etc. Before you think they were simply dreaming up an answer, consider the other possibilities: did they understand the question? did they speak the language? were they even really listening? were they hard of hearing? were they lying? had someone else lied to them? There are many reasons why a piece of information may be wrong. Be open to other possibilities besides your first conclusion. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
In land deeds, the grantor is usually the person that has title in the real property and is transferring it to the grantee. A deed can have more than one grantor and more than one grantee. The grantor on a deed can be a judge if legal action is involved (perhaps a partition case or a divorce) or the sheriff if a tax sale is involved. Just make certain you are looking in the correct index. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
GedMatch.com Webinar 2 This presentation will focus on an overview of the Tier 1 search options of GedMatch. Tier 1 is the “fee-based” part of GedMatch–it costs $10 a month and helps support the free portions of the site. GedMatch allows you to “see more” of your DNA and analyze it in ways that simply are not possible on AncestryDNA and some of the other sites. We will look at the: One-to-many matches Matching segment search Relationship Tree Projection Lazarus Triangulation Our focus will be on interpreting the results and using them for continuing your genealogical research. A basic understanding of DNA is required. You do not need to be a “Tier 1” member of GedMatch to participate. Our approach is practical, easy-to-understand, and engaging. The grid shows […]
Don’t get so hurried in your data entry that you neglect to think about the location that “populates” the box when you type a few letters in. It may be the same name in a different state or country. Take just a second to double check and confirm. Or you may move your ancestor’s place of death from Quebec to South Carolina.
I will be taking two separate research trips in 2018. We always have a great time and welcome new participants. Our approach is relaxed–we don’t schedule activities non-stop. We want you to be in the library, not out sight-seeing. Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
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