It can be tempting to conclude that the reason behind things was always that there was family drama going on behind the scenes. That’s not always the case. Three daughters inherited a small amount of real estate in the 1850s in Ohio after their father died. Two daughters sold theirs to their brother immediately. The third daughter was deceased and her family sold her share ten or so years later–to the same brother. It may be tempting to interpret the delay as the result of family drama, but the more likely scenario was that they waited until the last child of the deceased daughter reached the age of majority so that the child could legally sign a deed. Another family waited to sell the farm of their late […]
Don’t the numbers fool or confuse you. Join us for this informative webinar or order a recording to view at your convenience. Date and time: 25 September 2024 at 8:00 pm central time. Why did great-great-grandma get 34/99 of her late husband’s estate—when there was no will? We will answer this question and others during this presentation. Attendance live will be via Zoom. Topics included: Calculating probate fractions, dates and ages, Wolframalpha for genealogists, land measurements, money, and more. The math will be low-key, but ignoring the numbers can cause you to miss ancestral clues. Michael was a community college math instructor (teaching from basic arithmetic to calculus) in another life and brings that experience to the presentation. There is no math prerequisite for this class, but you […]
If you’ve got photos that have not been digitized, identified (where known), organized, preserved, and shared, this is your reminder to work on those tasks. Photos only you have can easily be lost forever if life events strike you in a certain way. Don’t wait.
An aliquot part is, in the area of the United States where townships and sections are used for surveying and describing property, a fractional portion of a section of land, such as: Given that a section is normally 640 acres, the acreage can be determined from the description of the aliquot part. Measurements and distances need not be given in the description of an aliquot part–it’s relationship to the whole section is sufficient. Learn more about Michael’s “Math for Genealogists” webinar.
Issue 5-5 of Casefile Clues is out–it analyzes an 1860 census entry. If you’re a subscriber to our bi-weekly genealogy newsletter (significantly more in-depth than our Tip of the Day), you should have it in your inbox. I’m pleased with the positive feedback I’ve gotten to Casefile Clues since we brought it back. Learn more on our website, get a sample copy, or subscribe. We’ll send you the first 5 issues from volume 5 to start off your subscription.
The fact that US census records before 1850 only lists heads of household is a source of frustration to genealogists with US ancestors. It’s also why people who “should be” enumerated can’t be found. It’s not that they aren’t counted in the census, it’s that they are hiding under a tick mark in someone else’s entry. Are they enumerated in a household headed by their father (or perhaps their mother)? Are they living with an older brother or brother-in-law? Are they living in a household headed by their step-parent? Make certain you have looked at enumerations for all members of the extended family of the person of interest. Are their adults in the household besides the head of household? Could one of those adults be your missing ancestor?
Deeds are not the only record that can be recorded in an area after your ancestor left. An estate was opened for a relative in Harford County, Maryland, ten years after he died in Ohio, and fifteen years after he left Maryland. He received a settlement in a court case that had taken years to settle–long after his immediate family in Ohio had closed his estate there. Your relative may have had financial ties to an area long after he left it.
From a while back: In census records where relationships to head of household are stated, “boarders” may be boarders, but they could be related as well. This 1880 enumeration includes a boarder with the household who is actually the wife’s nephew.
One way to get past that brick wall is to analyze a document as if you know nothing about the family other than is what on the document and what you know about the document itself (why it was created, what types of information it typically contained, legal requirements to perform acts listed in document [it applicable], and the like). Forget what you know about the relationships of people listed in the document. Forget what you know about the people in the document. What does the document tell you? Then…after you done that, compare that information to what you know (or think you know) about the people involved? Is the information consistent? Are there new details?
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Don’t the numbers fool or confuse you. Join us for this informative webinar or order a recording to view at your convenience. Date and time: 25 September 2024 at 8:00 pm central time. Why did great-great-grandma get 34/99 of her late husband’s estate—when there was no will? We will answer this question and others during this presentation. Attendance live will be via Zoom. Topics included: Calculating probate fractions, dates and ages, Wolframalpha for genealogists, land measurements, money, and more. The math will be low-key, but ignoring the numbers can cause you to miss ancestral clues. Michael was a community college math instructor (teaching from basic arithmetic to calculus) in another life and brings that experience to the presentation. There is no math prerequisite for this class, but you […]
Full-text searching of local records at FamilySearch Labs is great, but there’s no guarantee it will catch everything and one still needs to engage with the records located and be aware that there could be more. Recent full-text searches at FamilySearch labs located two deeds for an ancestor in Ontario–one where he purchased land and one where he sold it. One parcel (the purchased one) is for twenty-one acres and the other (the one where he sells it) is for twenty-seven acres. I need to compare the legal descriptions of the properties as well, but a six acre difference on a piece of property this size is significant and it begs the question: is there something else? Because of the difference a manual search of grantor and grantee […]
When a family has apparent gaps in their family–ranges of time when no children appear to be born–keep in mind not to jump to conclusions. The couple could have been separated for a time. There could have been temporary fertility or other medical issues. The couple may have been married before and the earlier children are by their previous spouses. Children could have been born during the gap only to die later. The mother may have had a series of miscarriages. The key is not to assume.
Ever wondered if the census taker came around right after your 5th great-grandpa got back from the local tavern or having a some moonshine? In all seriousness, it is always good to keep in mind that we don’t know who provided information to the census taker, what the informant really knew about the other people in the household, or whether they occasionally intentionally lied. Occasionally when a family has a large number of children and the entire enumeration appears to be correct, I have wondered if the informant referred to the family Bible to determine the correct ages. That’s not always the case. In additional all seriousness, most errors were likely unintentional or simply oversights–occasionally the informant might have even been told to (shockingly) guess. And when asked […]
“I need to prove James was the father of Enoch.” You may hope James was the father of Enoch. You may want James to be the father of Enoch (for one of a variety of reasons). But what you need to do as a genealogist is determine who were James’ children and who was Enoch’s father. It may be that Enoch falls into that list of James’ children. It may be that Enoch’s father is James. As a genealogist, you want to gather all the materials that may provide evidence related to the issue at hand (who are James’ children? who is Enoch’s father?). You don’t want to only look for materials that will provide evidence of a conclusion you’ve already reached before the research has been conducted. […]
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