Many researchers claim they do the “genealogy happy dance” when they make a discovery. I don’t as my preference is for the “genealogy happy swear” instead. Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether you dance or shout an epithet upon making a discovery, the next step is the same. Record your findings, save your images, and site the source. If you do none of that you may later be swearing for a different reason.
After fits and starts over many years, I finally spent some time working on my Trautvetter family in Bad Salzungen, Germany, and finally located the 1765 christening entry for my ancestor Erasmus Trautvetter. It pays to read and translate the entire entry. Erasmus Trautvetter was named for his sponsor, Erasmus Trautvetter. Fortunately the pastor indicated that the Erasmus the sponsor was the grandfather of Erasmus the sponsee. Always read the entire entry and always get everything transcribed and translated. And keep looking. Sometimes you finally get answers. But, in an attempt to be honest, it also bears saying that sometimes you do not.
Digital images are great, but one shouldn’t get too hasty when using them. It can be easy to make mistakes. Recently I was using digital images of German church records. I had zoomed in to read the records better and kept on scanning down the set of images that popped up on my screen after I hit the “next” button. I just kept doing that. It was several minutes later that I realized because of the magnification I had chosen, I was only scrolling down the right hand page. I was not looking at the left hand image at all. I had to go back and start over. Always orient yourself to the records carefully before viewing them, particularly when it’s a new set of records. Always zoom […]
Reminder: If you’re going to donate materials to a small historical or genealogical society, in addition to asking them first, organizing your materials, and the like, remember that some organizations have funding issues. What would happen if they had to close their doors five years after you’ve made the donation? I realize that no one can control the future, but if you’re going to donate items to a small, non-profit historical/genealogical group, see if a financial donation is also in your budget or if they need cabinets, shelves or other physical means to help with storage. Just a thought.
For most of American history, people could change their names or alter the spelling of their names relatively easily–without going to court. Among the places where you may find evidence of those name changes are probate and pension records. The court may notice that deeds of property acquisition do not quite match with the name of the deceased. Pension application examiners may notice that the name at marriage does not match the name on the application. There may be affidavits about the name differences in the record, or a judge or clerk may make some notation about it.
A cousin was married in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1911 and apparently became estranged from his wife approximately fifteen years later. Obituaries, death certificates, census, and other records were used to piece together their life. But many of these records omitted certain details or details that were incorrect. It was not until I located more records that a more complete picture emerged and I was able to see which records contained details that were incorrect. One marriage record? One obituary? That makes it difficult to compare, contrast, and see what appears to be the most reasonable situation. The more records you get the easier it is to get a complete picture. Learn more about my how-to newsletter Casefile Clues or our webinar specials!
Legal documents frequently contain the abbreviation “ss” after the court location. There is a reason the abbreviation is used in that part of the document. The letters are said to be a contraction for scilicet which is frequently translated as “in particular” or “to wit” and is usually used to state the venue of the court. Get More Genealogy Tip of the Day today from us directly for only $30-save $5.50.
Hasty research increases the chance that incorrect conclusions are made and that we include records for our “person of interest” who is not really our person of interest. To reduce the chance mistakes are made, take the records that you “know” are for your person of interest and estimate whichever items you do not have specifically: For all of these approximations, include your reason why you think the time frames and locations are reasonable–you should have at least one source document. These reasons combined with the records are key. Then look at the “new” records you think are for your ancestor. How closely do they match your expectations? Is the difference reasonable? Is it possible your conjectures were wrong? It may also cause you to question whether the […]
Write down your own life story and ask those interview questions you have been putting off. The human mind is the most fragile repository we use. Don’t waste it and don’t miss an opportunity.
We’re offering a sale on my webinar on the full-text search functionality at FamilySearch Labs. The promotion says through 3 August, but sale prices will be honored through 4 August. Details on our announcement page.
Undated clippings often leave the genealogist wondering from whence they came. There may be clues as to the paper’s origins on the reverse side–are any popular events mentioned, street addresses, etc. that might help determine where the item was published? On the chance the newspaper has been digitized, consider searching for key terms from the clipping (and the reverse side—just not as a part of the same search) in an attempt to find its source. Learn more about Casefile Clues!
When you find records of your ancestor that indicate he or she “made out a statement” before an official, try and determine where your ancestor lived at the time and where that official was authorized to act and where the statement was witnessed or acknowledged. An 1868 statement signed by my ancestor who was living in Hancock County, Illinois, was acknowledged before a Justice of the Peace in Linn County, Iowa. In this case, it was not a huge clue but it did document his travel there to assist in the settling up his mother’s estate. Some times knowing that a person traveled from one place to another is a big clue. Other times it is not. But looking at details in document for all the little things […]
When using US court records researchers should determine if there are case packets of various court papers in addition to using court references in various court ledgers and journals. These packets of court papers usually include original copies of filings, depositions, court findings, and other material related to the case at hand. Papers were typically folded and placed in one packet which may have been tied with a string or somehow kept together. Filing structure can vary from one location to another. Ledgers and journals duplicate some of what is in these materials, but many times there is information in the case file or packet that is not contained in the bound materials. Unfortunately not all jurisdictions retained these case files, but when accessing and utilizing any local […]
Our latest issue of Casefile Clues has been sent and should be in your inbox if you are a subscriber. It discusses and analyzes an 1875 Illinois land deed. Learn more here–subscribe today and we’ll start your subscription with issue 5-1!
Take care when creating citations for church records. In some times and places, one physical volume of church records may be broken into separate sections for various types of pastoral acts or other church records. Each section may have page numbers that start over instead of the whole physical book having one set of page numbers. Scan the entire volume to get a feel for how the material is organized before crafting a citation for a specific entry. The 4th edition of Evidence Explained, section 8.15 contains more detail on books divided into sections that we can discuss in a short tip. Even if you don’t use Evidence Explained, please scan the entire book in which the record was obtained in order to understand it better and create a […]
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