The meaning of some terms and phrases changes over time or from one region to another. “Grass widow” is one of those phrases. It can mean a woman whose husband is temporarily away from home–perhaps for an extended period of time for employment. It can also mean a woman who is actually divorced and who does not want to refer to herself as being divorced. Dictionaries can be one place to discover these differences, but dictionaries are not perfect. Searching contemporary newspapers or literature can be a good way to get a better fix on what a word or a phrase means at the time and place where you have seen it used.
Pre-orders (at half-off–save $20) for our revised and expanded full-text searching at FamilySearch webinar end at 11:59 pm Pacific time on 31 August. Details on our announcement page.
From a while back… Some locations have precise geographic borders. Those borders may change over time, but often are reasonably well-established. Some places, particularly those whose names are informal and known to locals, may have more fluid boundaries or just be a general area. Ethnic regions of some urban areas can change over time and have boundaries that are in a constant state of flux or have no precise definition. In some rural areas, certain areas may have a name that known to locals but does not appear on any map, post office list, or other geographic finding aid. Frequently these items are mentioned in newspapers, family letters and correspondence, and other unofficial records. Some thoughts on locating such places can be found in our recent post on Prairie […]
For years I did not realize a relative who died in her early twenties had married. The only reference I had to her was in her grandfather’s estate settlement where she’s mentioned as having predeceased him. She did marry and was married at her grandfather’s death. She had married a man whose last name was the same as her maiden name–so her last name never changed and the “name change” clue one would expect to have was not there. Save 50% on our new full-text search webinar–with extensive handout/workbook included.
I am trying to determine who wrote out the recipe on a recipe card my Mom had but that was stamped with the name of a friend, relative, and teaching colleague. It appears to be in my Mom’s writing, but I wasn’t quite certain. I thought to myself that I wished I had a sample of the other woman’s handwriting with which to compare it. Then I realized I do…in several Christmas cards of my parents where I was pretty certain this woman had written at least a few lines every year. Sure enough I still had some of the cards she had sent and sure enough they had some of her handwriting in them. It appears that she didn’t write the recipe card. That’s not really the […]
Issue 6-3 of Casefile Clues has been sent to those on the distribution list. We’re analyzing three great deeds in this issue where joint owners in a farm in 1867 separate it out…the day before one of the owners died. There’s an error in one of the descriptions which we guessed at and ended up being right when we located a later deed for the property. This has been a fun issue to write. Learn more about Casefile Clues on our website. Get your own subscription–delivered regularly as a PDF file in your email.
Names in documents should be transcribed as they are written. But when writing about a person it’s easier for the reader (and the writer) to pick one spelling for a name and use it in every reference. I’m fighting that with a native of Ostfriesland, Germany, named Baltser Herren. His name is spelled numerous ways in a variety of mid-19th century documents in Illinois. But, I’ve decided to stick with Baltser Herren when writing about him. Herren because the family in the area tended to favor that spelling and Baltser because that’s the way I’ve seen it written most frequently. And if I need to ever change the spelling in my writing, “find and replace” works much easier when you’ve consistently spelled a name in all your references […]
We are still accepting pre-orders at half off for this presentation. Details on our announcement page.
The estate settlement of Baltser Heeren of Adams County, Illinois, was admitted to probate in 1867 and didn’t finish up until almost 1870. Heeren left his estate to children of his apparent brothers and sisters. Tracking those children has been an ongoing project of mine, including an heir Trientje Sartorius, wife of John Sartorius. Their residence is not given in the probate file. Trientje and John are only mentioned once in the entire file–when they receive her share of the estate. In the will, Trientje and her sister are simply listed as “children of Metha Garrels.” They are not named. I’ve had difficulty locating Trientje and have decided that instead of focusing on her, I’m going to focus on her mother and and on her sister with the […]
Many genealogists have recipe cards in their collection. Like any personal artifact, they should be cited. I also like to add in the comments in whose handwriting the recipe appears to be as that bit of information may be lost if it is not retained. The citation might not be perfect, but it is functional. This was what I ended up going with: Save 50% on our new full-text search webinar–with extensive handout/workbook included.
A transcription of a tombstone should only include what is on the tombstone. That’s what makes it a transcription. Any parenthetical information preferably needs to be entirely separate from the transcription itself and clearly indicated as material that is not on the stone. Brackets should be used to indicate there’s a portion you cannot read or a part of the transcription at which you are guessing. Stone pictured is that of Belinda Newman in the Dunkard Cemetery in Linn County, Iowa. Save 50% on our new full-text search webinar–with extensive handout/workbook included.
A thought: If you write a two hundred page book of your life, how many of your descendants/relatives will read it? How many of them will even be interested enough to pick it up? And, if you are dead anyway, do you really care? I’m not even sure I have the answers to these questions…but if you’re doing genealogy research, what sort of genealogy legacy do you want to leave behind? Or do you care what happens to your research after you pass? Are you writing the stories in the hopes that just one person will read them? Or are you writing them for yourself because you enjoy it? I’m not certain I have answers this morning, but I do apparently have questions.
We’re excited to offer this completely new presentation on the full-text searching at FamilySearch. We’ve redesigned our presentation as this functionality continues to change. And…we’re adding an extensive handout complete with forms to help you find more people. Fully Utilizing Full-Text Search: A New Approach Your purchase includes: We’ll be including and discussing: Determining what is in Full-Text Search—what you can access at home and what you will have to be in a FamilySearch facility or affiliate to access. Seeing How AI Transcriptions are different—they aren’t like the transcriptions made by humans. That can change your approach. Remembering that Full-Text means every word—approaches need to differ as we aren’t looking up a name in an index any more. Asking Who is in the record? We aren’t just searching […]
A messuage is generally referring to a residential property, including the main house, nearby structures and outbuildings, and the surrounding land associated with the household.
Genealogy Tip of the Day is meant to be short and sweet–just enough to remind you of something or make you aware of it and send you on your way. Casefile Clues is not short and sweet. It’s more in-depth and focuses on analysis and understanding of records and the research process. It’s not written in an academic, stuffy tone. We don’t overwhelm you with jargon or citations. Our intent is to help you analyze and get the most out of the records you find so that you can do as much of your own research as possible. A subscription to Casefile Clues includes 24 issues delivered as a PDF file directly to your email. It’s just slightly over $1 per issue. Casefile Clues has no advertising and […]
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