Online sources are not all bad. Online materials take several forms: digital images of actual records digital images of published books online indexes and finding aids online compilations Ideally one finds as many “actual records” as possible–it doesn’t matter whether they are accessed digitally or not. Published books (whether accessed on paper or electronically) are also good to reference. Online indexes and finding aids should lead you to the records that were used to create them. Online compilations (including the “trees”) should be used with care and validated where possible The reason to try and utilize offline materials is that not everything created is available online. Online materials are those that either someone has decided has enough market value to put online or someone has taken an interest in. Some […]
Pallbearers are pallbearers. They may be relatives or they may not be relatives. In most of my own families, pallbearers were generally relatives–with an occasional neighbor or two thrown in the mix. Pallbearers were frequently nephews or cousins (or the spouse of a niece or cousin) with the occasional neighbor thrown in the mix. Choosing them was usually a negotiation in keeping various extended family members from feeling left out. Other families have different practices and when your research takes you to a different geographic area, time period, ethnic group, social class, etc. then the practice may be different than what your own immediate family did. Do not assume everyone operates the way your family of origin did. That’s good advice across the genealogy board.
Don’t neglect searching denominational publications when searching for your ancestor. There may be details in these materials that are not in secular newspapers.
While it can be frustrating when someone is not listed in a census record, it is possible that the occasional person was enumerated more than once. A move during a census year, time spent at a “summer home,” living away from home during the week, separating from a spouse but not divorcing, are all reasons why someone may appear in a census enumeration more than once.
Periodically review those conclusions and statements that were made in the early days of your research. It is easy when your research is just starting to copy something down without really evaluating it or to make an assumption that wasn’t as true as we thought it was. Is your researching hinging on a date, event, or place that you took as a “fact” early in your research that might not be as true as you thought it was?
Sometimes it is easy to interpret something quickly based upon our personal experiences and history. And sometimes that causes us to jump to conclusions. The last name in this list is Ida Joseph Cawiezell. For a fleeting moment, I thought it said “Ida Josephine, Quincy, Il.” Don’t jump to conclusions. Your past experiences may be leading you down the incorrect path.
For your “brick wall” ancestor, do you know (or have any idea) how far they lived from: the county seat? the nearest church of their denomination? the nearest place they could get supplies or transact necessary business? their nearest neighbor? the cemetery? The list here is not exclusive. If you’ve got no idea of the answers to these questions, determining those answers may help you solve your problem.
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