Even if your ancestor did not serve in World War I or World War II, they should have registered for the draft. Many of these cards are online free at FamilySearch. The “Young Men’s Draft” from World War II are free, but not indexed–but are in alphabetical order. World War I Draft Registration Cards World War II Draft Registration Cards–Old Men’s Draft World War II Draft Registration Cards–Young Men’s Draft–free at FamilySearch. (incomplete) Get the Genealogy Tip of the Day book. Great for reading cover to cover, browsing, taking notes in, or reading at random to get your research started.
Researching family names we have never heard pronounced can present challenges when those names originate in a language other than the one in which the records were kept. It can be worse when we don’t speak that language either. For any name, try and find out two things: How it was likely spoken by your ancestor. How it is likely said by people today. Both ways matter. That “original” pronunciation will impact how the name is in early records and knowing how the name is pronounced today will impact how the name can be written in later records. This issues are not usually an issue with people researching Jones and Smith. It is a concern when tracing any last name that’s “foreign” and is how Behrens gets written […]
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