If a relative appears to have gotten married for the first time at a slightly older than normal age, look again. That first marriage might not have been the actual first marriage. For a female, this means that what you think is a maiden name may not really be a maiden name at all but could be the last name of a previous husband. Not all marriage records ask how many times the bride and groom have been married before and not all records use a “Miss” or “Mrs.” before the bride’s name. And since men’s last names don’t change upon marriage, it is even easier for a man to have a first marriage that’s unknown to the genealogist. Family stories about these marriages do not often get […]
Years ago after a presentation, a gentleman came up and told me that I should not suggest people rely on census records or other “secondary records” for information. While census records can be incorrect and information that’s secondary can be suspect, sometimes it is all that we have. My ancestor, Ellen Butler was born in Missouri in the 1850s. Her family moved frequently, did not attend any church that kept records, there is no family bible that I can find, and she died before there was vital registration of deaths as well. While I keep looking for a “better source” of information, there’s probably never going to be anything other than a few of census enumerations to estimate her year of birth. Of course census records can be […]
Are all cousins created equally? Do you think about how your cousins connect to your ancestors–not just how they connect to you? One set of my great-great-grandparents has an oldest great-great-grandchild born in 1944 (not me). The youngest great-great-grandchild (I think) was born in 2006. That’s sixty two years and the oldest great-great-grandchild is old enough to be the grandparent of the youngest one. But the one born in 1944 and the one born in 2006 both have the probability of having the same amount of DNA of the great-great-grandparents they share. The age difference does not matter. It is the generational difference that matters. If you’re thinking about having a cousin do a DNA test, think about one who is closer generationally to your common ancestor. It […]
When I’m stuck on a family, I ask myself: am I sure I have found all the easy ones? Sometimes I have and then the work is more difficult. But other times there are easier members of the family to find and sometimes finding those individuals can provide me with additional information to help find the others. These “easy pickings” include: These approaches won’t always work. No approach always works. But it’s always good to ask if there’s a close relative to your “problem person” who might have left better records. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here and it’s not written to help you research your “famous ancestors.” It’s written to help with all of them. Learn more about it and get your own copy.
There is no date listed for the estate sale of Thomas J. Rampley in Coshocton County, Ohio. However, a review of other materials recorded with that estate sale suggested the date of the sale was August or September of 1823. The precise date was not crucial to my personal research, but if it had contained the last reference to Christianna Rampley, Thomas’ wife, then it would have been. Because I inferred the date of the sale from other records, I need to include that reasoning somewhere when I use it. That’s what was done on the image that is a part of this post. My citation is not perfect (it’s missing the date I downloaded the image), but other key elements are there even if the format and […]
Say you have a DNA match that you cannot figure out your connection with. You determine some of this match’s ancestry and some of their relatives. You just can’t see where it connects to you, but you put these people in your database. They are all connected to each other, but the genealogical connection to you (evidenced by DNA) has not yet been determined. That match and their relatives are called by some a “floating branch.” Basically it’s relatives in your database whose connection to you has not been yet determined even though they share DNA with you.
Do you have data or genealogical information on old floppy disks? Have you tried to get that information off those disks into a more modern media format? As time goes on, there is an increased chance of data deterioration or equipment failure. These diskettes of my mom are at least twelve years old and probably older. Convert them while you still can. Local libraries may have readers you can use and they can be purchased relatively inexpensively online as well. Don’t wait. We’ll have an update after my reader arrives. Hopefully these diskettes are still readable.
For those on the distribution list, Casefile Clues issue 5-12 is out. Email me if you are a subscriber and did not get it. More information on our website at http://casefileclues.genealogytipoftheday.com
If your relative was an immigrant who naturalized, who witnessed that naturalization? Witnesses typically indicated they knew the applicant for a specific amount of time before the naturalization. However, sometimes they may have been less than honest when making such statements. The assumption is that they are reasonably telling the truth until it can be shown that they are not. The witnesses were typically other citizens (native-born or naturalized) who were of the legal age of majority at the time they vouched for the applicant. It’s very possible that the naturalization witnesses were fellow immigrants, former neighbors, or perhaps relatives of the applicant for citizenship. It is also possible that they were not. Research the witnesses of your ancestor’s naturalization until you have learned enough about their life […]
Join me for one of these research trips in 2025: Library of Virginia FamilySearch Library Allen County Public Library
It’s minor’s naturalization not miner’s naturalization. We’re not talking about immigrant coal miners in this post. During the 1824-1906 time period, individuals who had arrived in the United States as minors and were over the age of majority could complete a one-step naturalization process (there was no separate declaration of intention required) as long as they had resided in the United States for five years (including three years before they reached the age of majority). Typically they had to reside for one year in the state in which they were being naturalized. Pay close attention on these documents as to what the witnesses were witnessing as it may suggest how long they had known the individual being naturalized.
When your relative appears on a legal document in any capacity, determine who was eligible to act in that capacity and who was ineligible to act in that capacity. There could be significant genealogical details in those requirements. Typically someone who witnesses a will must be a disinterested party–this usually means they are not an heir-at-law of the testator or a beneficiary of the will the testator is signing. Witnesses to homestead claims under the US Homestead Act of 1862 typically were not to be relatives of the claimant. Guardians of a child’s estate typically had to be of the age of majority and meet other requirements set by state statute. Children over the age of 14 typically could choose their guardian–with approval of the court. Individuals serving […]
I recently read someone post that they had digitized all the census photocopies they had made early in their research. Preservation is good and we all digitize what we have, but if you’ve got a great quantity of material, there are some things to preserve digital images or records of first: Federal census records are readily available digitally in a variety of places. An old family history published in the 1880s may already be online on multiple websites. Those letters from great-grandma? Those pictures from that 1920 family reunion? They may only exist in your collection. Preservation and digitization should initially concentrate on what you have that’s unique. I have a copy of a family history of one of my families published in the early 1980s. I could […]
Keep a document that has a listing of the various ways your various ancestral names can actually be pronounced. A list of spellings is not a bad idea either but knowing various ways a name could have been said can be helpful as well.
How many of your ancestral homes are still standing? How many do you have pictures of? For those whose ancestors were very mobile or were renters, this may be difficult to answer unless those specific residential addresses are known. For those whose ancestors tended to stay put and were landowners or homeowners, the question may be easier to answer. A follow-up question is how many of those homes were you in? For me, the home I grew up in is still standing. The home my father grew up in is not. I’m not exactly certain where the rental farm was my mother grew up in, but I’m guessing it’s no longer standing. My maternal grandmother’s childhood home is still standing and owned by a family member. Both homes […]
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