Before making images of individual photographs within an album, create images of the entire page. Sometimes there’s an organizational structure to the pages. Other times there is not. But it’s something that should be preserved because, like a picture, when it is gone…it’s gone.
Definitions matter. When interpreting a word in any genealogical document, particularly one where the word conveys a relationship, a property right, or some occupation or status, make certain that you know the contemporary meaning of that work. The definitions of words can change over time due to common usage and practice. What’s meant by a certain job title can change over time. The definitions of some legal words remain relatively constant, but occasionally then can vary as state statute or contemporary law changes. Meaning isn’t always set in stone.
Geography matters. Language matters. The obituary of John Luft from the Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, newspaper of 24 June 1921 indicated that he was born in “Grossehertzgotum,” Hessen, Germany. It refers to the Grand Duchy of Hesse–not a specific village. James Beidler tells of a researcher who looked for this village for years in his Trace Your German Roots Online: A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites. All of which make the point: ask, learn, and don’t assume. It’s easy to be confused about locations in an area where you don’t know the language, where you don’t know the geography, and where you never lived.
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If compiling an entire genealogy seems like too large of a task, start small: write a biography of an ancestor. Try and limit yourself to what you can document with actual records. Your citations don’t have to be perfect (the genealogy world will not end), but they should indicate where the information originated and how you obtained it. Avoid including details that are purely speculation. It doesn’t have to be overly literary and, if you are not feeling all that artistic, the writing can take the form of an extended chronology. Or that can at least be a starting point on which to build. And when you’re done, you have a finished project. Or you realize you have gaps to fill in. Either way something has been accomplished.
Karen is one of my shared DNA matches. She is a known descendant from my immigrant Neill ancestor. Looking at her “shared matches” I immediately recognize many other Neill descendants based upon their usernames. I assume that the shared matches with Karen are also Neill descendants or connected to me through the Neill family. One of these matches I share with Karen is Tom. He must be a Neill as well. Somewhere. When I look the matches I share with Tom, Karen is there and so is her sister who also tested. But those other Neills that I shared with Karen and those other names I shared with her that I can’t figure out but who are probably Neill descendants? They aren’t there. Not one of them. The […]
One research approach to tracking immigrant origins is to look at their neighbors where they settled. If the ancestor’s origin can’t be discovered, locating their neighbor’s homeland “across the pond” may help determine where they were from. It’s a good approach–but sometimes it may not work. It’s possible that those neighbors from the same country who eventually settled near each other were not really neighbors in the homeland as well. It is possible that they connected at some point along the way and, because of their shared ethnic heritage, they relocated together. Possibly. Just don’t assume that immigrant neighbors with a shared ethnic heritage were always neighbors. Sometimes people made a pit stop along the way.
If you don’t know how all the search options work on a site, have you practiced using them for person you know is in the index? A good way to get better at using a search interface is to see how many ways you can find the same person using different search approaches: with no first name, with no last name, with no name at all, using wildcards creatively, using only a location, using keywords, etc. It’s easier to see how other search options work when you use them to find someone you know is already in the database–then you can focus on learning how to use them creatively and improve your search skills by asking “how many ways can I find this person in the database?” Then…when […]
FamilySearch has a searchable database of “United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890” on their site. This database was created of images of the extant veterans’ schedules from the US 1890 census. Not all schedules are extant–read the list before conducting a search. The schedules will provide additional service details on the veteran–or their widow. If you have a person you think was a veteran, but his name is common and you can’t “figure out which one is yours,” this database may help as it gives the residence of the individual in 1890. Check out the list of books on my genealogy shelf.
Working on Uncle Thomas Graves has reminded me of several things: It’s good to work on a “new” person occasionally. It broadens your perspective and can provide insight into “old” problems. Never assume there can’t be “just one more marriage.” Never assume two names can’t be the same person. Have a local map handy that you can actually see while you work. Research everyone involved. They may be related in ways you don’t immediately notice. A grandchild who is the informant on a 98-year old woman’s death certificate may not be the most knowledgeable source. Someone may have the essence of something correct while not quite remembering the key details. Your first hunch may be wrong. Thomas Graves died in March of 1912 in Macon, Missouri. We’re still […]
When you discover a new last name in your ancestry, ask yourself: how else could this name be pronounced other than the “way” I’ve already assigned to it in my head; what letters in this name could be read incorrectly by someone making an index; what letters in this name often look like other letters; how common is this name in the area where I’m searching; does the name provide any clues as to origin or ethnicity of this person; what have I assumed about this name that might not be true?
Probate case files can be full of wonderful old items besides the will and names of heirs or beneficiaries. If you’re lucky, there may be a copy of the sale bill announcing when the property of the deceased was to be sold. This one from 1920 included items from the estate of Sarah Newman and her son. Some of the items in the handwritten records were difficult to read and the printed sale bill made transcription of some of those items easier. In this case it’s mentioned that lunch will be served. Sometimes, if a church group is serving lunch, they will be named. That could be a clue. And these are just neat items to locate.
What is the difference between indirect evidence and direct evidence? One good example is a voter’s list. Since a person has to be a citizen to vote, your ancestor’s name appearing on a voter’s list is indirect evidence that your foreign-born ancestor naturalized (assuming that the guy on the voter’s list really is your ancestor and not another guy with the same name). The evidence is indirect because the voter’s list doesn’t explicitly state that he was naturalized. If the voter’s list is one of those that lists date and place of naturalization for voters, then the voter’s list would be direct evidence of his naturalization because it is specifically stating that he was naturalized. Of course you ancestor could have lied about his citizenship status in order to vote, but […]
When I discovered my German immigrant ancestors spent a few years in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the mid-19th century, I had to learn a few things. The rest of their life had been spent in small, rural communities and I was familiar with research there. “Big city” research was a little different. There were more people to sort through in every set of records. There were sources in an urban area that I was not used to using or even having access to (eg. city directories). But the thing I came away with from my experience was the importance of remembering that when an area is “new” and different from what I am used to (either in terms of time period, geographic location, political structure, etc.), my first plan […]
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