At long last, More Genealogy Tip of the Day, packed with genealogy tips and ideas from ten years, has been published. We are excited to offer this companion volume to our original Genealogy Tip of the Day book. More Genealogy Tip of the Day can be read front-to-back or browsed through at the reader’s whim. Tips are about genealogical sources, pitfalls, and procedures based on Michael’s extensive experience researching ancestors in the United States and abroad. Tips are practical, easy-to-understand, and applicable to those with ancestors in a variety of locations. Tips have been edited for clarity and updated when necessary. Any content that was time-sensitive has been removed. What’s left is research advice and suggestions with some humor thrown in. Chapter 1: Selective Memory, Separate Maintenance, and […]
Emailed a county clerk in a rural US county yesterday and they were able to answer my question and get me a copy of the page I needed. I asked a very specific question about a specific item in a record set I had used before. I was not going on a fishing expedition. However, to maximize the chance of success in general, remember to ask specific questions, learn about the records (as much as you can before emailing), be patient, and always ask if there’s another way to access the information other than via an email correspondence. Keep in mind that while records may be open, offices do not necessarily have to respond to email requests. Always look and see what finding aids and other materials are […]
The first name of a newly discovered relative is not that bad, but it does get rendered a variety of ways. Her first name appears to be Ockje. Searching for that name in an English-language world can be a challenge. Most variant spellings of the name begin with an “O” and generally end with an “e” or an “a.” The “ckj” portion of the name gets rendered as “thch,” “kj,” “ck,” “ckt,” or something similar. When possible, a wildcard search for the first name using O*e and then O*a is helpful. Nothing is perfect. It’s also good to remember that an “A” in a name can be replaced with an “O,” depending on the inflection of the speaker and the ear of the hearer. This name is also […]
We won’t be around forever. What genealogy-related items would you like to make certain you actually finish? Is it: Or something else? Try and avoid spinning your wheels and spending too much time in genealogy rabbit holes…completion of a project is good too! We are taking orders for More Genealogy Tip of the Day, which is scheduled to be released in mid-to-late June. Details are on our announcement page. It’s over 400 pages!
We are taking orders for More Genealogy Tip of the Day, which is scheduled to be released in mid-to-late June. Details are on our announcement page. It’s over 400 pages! The book will retail for $29.95 on Amazon–before shipping it’s $29 if ordered from us directly. Payment can be made via credit card, check, or money order. Check it out!
Don’t assume that online site will “always be there” and you can always go and get what you need. Make a copy of that image for yourself while you have it on your screen. Save the information while you have access to it. Websites go down. Fee-based websites sometimes lose the ability to include certain items in their subscription. Websites change how things are organized and what you could find a month ago is impossible to find. Your cousin could remove their online tree from that hosting site. You may find yourself unable to continue to pay for that monthly subscription to that database site that includes images. Save it while you can. Name it in a way that makes sense. Save it where you can find it. […]
If you had an aunt or an uncle who was divorced, have you considered looking at their divorce records? These records are typically local court records and there may be some restrictions in accessing them in some locations, but they are generally public records–at least the generic details. In earlier times state or colonial legislatures may have granted divorces. In cases that were heard by a local court there may be a court packet containing testimony and affidavits. There may be mention in those records of where they married or where they lived when they were first married—details that can help with determining where your direct-line ancestor was from. And there is always the chance that your ancestor provided testimony in the divorce of a sibling. These records […]
While some relatives take their family history stories to their grave, others become more willing to tell stories as they age. The reasons for changing their mind really do not matter, but remain open to the possibility that Aunt Martha may eventually decide that the world will not end if she tells you that “family secret.” Or course some people are not going to tell you things no matter what. But some do become more open with age. It may be worth a try.
Genealogists do a great deal of work digitally. The plethora of digital images of records certainly has made research easier than it was in the past–both in terms of accessing records, sharing them, and storing them. But there still may be times (at least for me) where using paper makes it easier to understand things, “lay things out,” or otherwise help with visualization. It’s not just official records, relationship charts, and other charts that I sometimes like to use in paper form. Maps are another research tool that I sometimes like to print out and mark up with additional information–location of key events or key places. I have digital copies of these maps without my markings, but sometimes marking things on a piece of paper helps me to […]
I shared a picture of the cover of the upcoming second Genealogy Tip of the Day book and a cousin of mine commented on the picture I used to illustrate the front of it. I already knew who was in the picture and where it was taken. But a cousin of mine told me a few things about the picture that I did not know–the situation under which it was taken and my great-grandmother’s reaction to it. It reminded me that even when a picture has been identified, there could still be work to be done. Others may have additional memories of the photograph or be able to tell you more about it besides who is in it. Those details may be genealogically relevant as well. Personally it’s […]
If you have a newspaper clipping that is undated and unsourced, flip it over. Anything can be a potential clue as to location or date, even classified ads. One obit I found in a set of clippings had a date, but no name of the newspaper. Flipping it over I found the classified ads. The phone numbers and street names suggested it was from a nearby town of 40,000 and not one of the small towns near where the relative actually died. Accessing newspapers from that town allowed me to locate the digital image of the newspaper with the same obituary I had in the clipping.
I know cemetery photographs can be tagged with GPS coordinates, but there are times when a picture just makes it easier to find a stone again or indicate to someone where it is. This photograph was one of several taken at the Lutheran Cemetery in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois, to give an idea of where the stone of interest was located. I should have indicated in the image what road I was standing on as well. Closeups of stones are great, but perspective helps. In addition to background shots, take photos of adjacent stones and a picture showing the relative position of those stones to the stone of interest. Genealogy Tip of the Day book number two is in the final stages. You can add yourself to the mailing […]
When searching for records of an estate settlement, keep in mind that it may be ten or twenty years before an estate is finally settled. This final settlement may appear in the probate records or the land records–or both. Thomas Sledd died in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1815. His land was finally partitioned among his heirs in 1831. Genealogy Tip of the Day book number two is in the final stages. You can add yourself to the mailing list for announcements about the book when it’s available–including a pre-publication order and price option!
If you have a sample of a relative’s known handwriting, do you save an image of it along with records and documents? Years later, someone may be glad you saved that sample. Census records and other materials are easy to find elsewhere (usually), but unique items such as handwriting samples are not. Consider saving those images along with record images related to your ancestor. This 1829 consent to marry for William A. Thomas was witnessed in 1829 by my ancestor Augusta Newman. I’m reasonably certain he wrote it–so I’m attaching it to my images for him in my genealogical database. Tip book number two is in the final stages. You can add yourself to the mailing list for announcements about the book when it’s available–including a pre-publication order […]
Years ago, I discovered that my grandmother had a step-grandmother who had never been mentioned. For a long list of reasons, I never mentioned the step-grandmother to my own grandmother. However, I did learn where the step-grandmother was buried. A few months later, my Dad and I had cause to go close to the cemetery on a trip somewhere else and I asked if we could stop for a few minutes to see if I could find the stone. There was no stone. Dad mentioned to Grandma the next morning that we had stopped at said cemetery. Grandma later very directly asked me WHO I was looking for in THAT cemetery. Grandma probably knew who I was looking for as there are NO other family members buried there. […]
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