This newspaper clipping, from the Mendon [Illinois] Dispatch of December 1935, reminded me of some issues when searching newspapers–especially when they are in digital format. In this case, it was the typos and errors that made several key points. This clipping was located the old fashioned way though–a manual search based upon my grandparents date of marriage and where they were living at the time of their marriage. Trautretter Grandma’s maiden name was actually Trautvetter. For some reason it is spelled “Trautretter” throughout the announcement. Soundex searches will not catch the reference and other search formulations might not either, depending upon how they are constructed. The Headline The last name of the groom, Neill, is spelled correctly throughout the announcement. However, there is a blob over part of the name […]
Generally speaking… “Dower” is the interest a wife has in her husband’s real or personal property. Depending upon the time period and location, it may be a 1/3 interest, a life estate, etc. A “dowry” is the money/goods, etc. that a woman brings into a marriage.
The widow of a deceased man might not be the mother of his children. She could be the mother of all of them, some of them, or none of them. Use other records to see if you can draw conclusions. Use the information as clues, but don’t assume that the widow was the mother of all the children just based upon that one document if the relationship is not clearly stated.
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For reasons that are not clear, the will of Mimken Habben failed to nominate an executor in 1876. After his death a year later, the will was approved and his widow was appointed administrator with the will annexed. The difference usually is in title only–the job’s pretty much the same as an executor. In other cases an executor named in a will refuses to act or is unable to act. In those situations an administrator with the will annexed is named as well.
Don’t assume that just because the names are “close” that they have to be a match. I was looking for information on a William Bell who married a Martha Sargent in Iowa. Turns out there was another William Bell in the same part of Iowa who married a Lorinda Sargent. Totally two separate couples from two separate families. How many William Bells can marry a Sargent and live a few counties away from each other? Apparently two. Two distinct ones.Remember that sometimes there is a relationship and sometimes there is not.
reprinted from our old blog Don’t forget to identify (if possible) the person who identified the photos by trying to determine whose writing it is. It’s always good to know (if you can) the identifier of the people in the photos. Fortunately I know who wrote on the back of this picture. Sometimes we can’t determine that.
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Keep in mind that if your ancestor “translated” his or her name they might have used conventional translations others from their ethnic area used or they might have made up their own. Some non-English names had common translations (Jans and Johann for John, for example) and others did not (the Greek Panagiotis, for example). Some individuals just might take an English name that had the first letter as their original name. I have relatives whose names were actually Trientje. Some used Tena because it had part of the same sound. Others used Katherine as the names have the same original root. It just depends. People had options of what name they could use if they chose to translate.
If you’re just getting started with a new software package or consider trying features of your current program that you’ve never used before, considering doing the experimentation on a “dummy” database. Then if things do not work correctly or you mess things up entirely, you still have the original.
Just because something is handwritten does not always mean that it is the original. Many older courthouse records are handwritten transcriptions of the original documents-commonly referred to as the record copy. This is especially true with deeds before other reproductive techniques were developed. Some wills were copied by transcriptionists into record books as well. It is not bad that something is a handwritten copy, but bear in mind that you could be looking at a handwritten reproduction of the original document. And some handwritten documents are the original document.
If you need a list of churches, try a city directory. They often have lists of churches grouped by type of denomination. Addresses and names of ministers may also be listed which may help in determining which church your ancestor attended.
If you have a chronology for an ancestor and, during their adult lifetime, you have five year gaps where you are not certain where the ancestor lived or what they were doing, try and locate a record to provide that information. Answering those questions may help you determine more about where the ancestor was from and what her origins were. Did they head west? Were they in an institution? Did they have a financial setback? Did they have a “short-term” marriage that did not last?
Did that obituary confuse the half-siblings, step-siblings, and the full siblings? An estate settlement will be concerned about the accuracy of those relationships. An obituary, being a less formal document (and certainly not a legal one), may not be. Always consider the possibility that relationships in an obituary may not be entirely correct.
When a man naturalized in the United States in the 19th and early 20th century, his minor children automatically became naturalized as well, even if their names are not listed in the naturalization. When foreign born Ekke Behrens applied for a homestead in Nebraska in the 1880s, he included his father’s naturalization as proof of his citizenship. If you are unable to locate a naturalization for your foreign born ancestor, consider the possibility that his father’s naturalization served as his naturalization as well.
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