You’ve located a document on an ancestor that provides bits and pieces of information about their entire life–say a death certificate. It can be tempting to move to working on the most “exciting” bits of data in that death certificate–the parents, the place of birth, and the like. But the best thing to do from a research standpoint is to search for materials created closest in time to the document you just found. For a death certificate, that may mean an obituary, a probate, the last census they are enumerated in, late-in-life land transfers, etc. Those documents may confirm or deny part of what’s in the death certificate or give you additional information to search earlier records more effectively. Ask yourself “what other records could there be created close […]
When a new document has been located, the temptation can be to grab one bit of information in that record and head off to continue searching. That can be a mistake. Any piece of information in a record or document can be wrong. Pieces of information regarding events closest to when the document was recorded have the highest probability of being correct, but there is always the potential for an error. Think about all of the information the document contains, who likely provided it, how reasonable it is that their knowledge is reliable, and work from there. It’s probably best to start by trying to locate other documents created close in time to when the newly discovered document was created. Don’t just grab the most exciting piece of information ni a record […]
If you have the one of the few paper copies of a family item–funeral folders, mass cards, wedding announcements, photographs, etc., have you digitized it? That way the paper copy you have is not the only copy of it in existence. Be certain to share the copies with others who are interested in the family. Copies can be more easily shared than originals. Always consider using a camera instead of a scanner on fragile items. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day book version for other tips and questions you should ask yourself about your research.
Knowing that your ancestor was a farmer, a cooper, a blacksmith, etc. is good for an initial point of reference, but sometimes knowing more about the daily work of your ancestor can be to your advantage. If he was involved in a lawsuit that resulted from his job, a working knowledge of “how” he worked can be helpful in interpreting records and testimony. Just knowing something about his daily work can give you more insight into his life, social history, etc. Those who did not have a paying job still worked, especially mothers who were at home with their children. Knowing what their typical day consisted of can also help provide insight into your family’s life one hundred years ago. All of this can also help in the […]
There’s a difference between nicknames and diminutives. Diminutives are variations on a name that are based upon the sounds in that name. Bill, Billy, Will, etc. are diminutives for William. Calling the same person “Red” because his hair is read is using a nickname. Calling him “hotheaded Bill” is technically both Using the name Kate, Kat, or Kathy in reference to someone named Katherine is also using a diminutive. Referring to my low-German ancestor Trientje by the name Katherine is not using a nickname or a diminutive. In this case it is a anglicization (translation into English) of the name Trientje. Your non-English speaking ancestors “new names” may not have been nicknames or diminutives at all–they could have been translations of their actual name.
Always look to see what the “consideration” is on a land transaction. It’s what is given up in order for the grantee to obtain the property. If there’s not an amount of money listed, try and determine what the relationship was between the grantor and the grantee. Whenever property is transferred without cash being transferred, that’s something the genealogist needs to look into. The 1728 deed from Middlesex County, Massachusetts, below mentions that the grantor wants to show “my love unto and Care of Timothy Gibson now living with me & hath done from a child”
“Maiden” names can be tricky in some families. A more accurate phrase may be “last name at birth,” but even that may not be the last name someone used (or had used for them) during their childhood. That name a female relative used on their first marriage application or marriage record may have been: Those issues are compounded by spelling, interpretation, and transcription errors on the original document. And perhaps that first marriage wasn’t really the first marriage after all. If there is no marriage record and one is relying on information children gave on death certificates and other records, a whole additional level of complication is thrown into the mix.
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Researching the entire family is advised, but we don’t always do it. I was trying to pin down information on an aunt, Wilhelmina (Trautvetter) Senf Kraft–particularly when she managed to settle in Illinois. It was not until I obtained the christening record of each of her grandchildren that I was able to do that. There as one of the sponsors for one of her grandchildren was Wilhelmina. It helped me to pinpoint when she had arrived in Illinois. Do you have grandchildren of an elusive ancestor that you have not completely researched?
Genealogists with ancestors who immigrated from certain parts of Europe are used to dealing with boundaries that were somewhat fluid. It is important to remember that changing boundaries after your ancestor left a region can result in varying places of births given in later records. It may even impact the current location of records created long ago. The place of birth for my ancestor Anke Hinrichs Fecht was either Hanover, Prussia, or Germany-depending upon when she was asked. She was not the only person whose “country” of origin changed during her lifetime. Even an ancestor who indicated in 1860 that they were born in Virginia might have actually been born in what is now West Virginia. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day book version for other tips and questions […]
An announcement in a 1940 newspaper indicated that a local girl, after meeting a foreign student at a nearby college, had flown to New Zealand to marry him. Curious what happened to her after the marriage, I did little research on her. While I am not certain what happened in New Zealand, two years later in her home state of Missouri, she married another man using her maiden name. The reminder here is that the intention to marry is not the same thing as actually getting married. Only enter a couple as married in your genealogical database as married when you have evidence that the marriage actually took place. This usually means seeing the returned license or seeing evidence of a date and place of the marriage along […]
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Associations between individuals other than those of biology and marriage can sometimes be difficult to determine. Biological connections may be documented in a variety of records, vital records, court records, probate records, DNA, etc. Relationships by marriage may be documented by the record of the marriage (or evidence of the marriage) in addition to records that can document a biological connection. It can be more difficult to determine other connections between two individuals. Determining that connection frequently involves researching everything extant that mentions one of the two individuals to see what overlap there is. That overlap can be difficult to determine, but admittedly sometimes the connection is more of a curiosity than a research necessity. Scanning through my hometown newspaper for obituaries, I ran across a name I […]
There’s more to analyzing a census entry than trying to figure out the relationship among the various household members. Several additional things should be considered–depending up on the census year and what details are actually provided. How much geographic specificity does the entry provide? Is it just the county? Is it a general region of the county or a more precise one? Is there an address given? Is it possible to determine from the names of neighbors where in the county the individuals likely lived? How does the family’s likely structure compare to that of neighbors? How do the places of birth for members of the household compare to that of neighbors? Does the family appear to have recently moved into the area? What about their neighbors? How similar are the family’s occupation(s) to […]
“I had a large client report.” The report, or more accurately the client report, was what was large–not the client. In this case, it is probably pretty clear that the word “large” does not refer to the actual client. But ask yourself when reading any statement: is there another way to read that? Is there a different interpretation that is reasonable? Don’t get stuck on your first interpretation of a word, phrase, or sentence. Some items genealogists use are poorly edited for clarity, particularly 19th century county histories, “mug books” of biographies submitted by family members, and more newspapers than one may care to admit. If that’s the case, references to certain items may be ambiguous. Always ask yourself: Is there another reasonable way to interpret this?
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