Join me for “The Best of Genealogy Tip of the Day” on 3 November–or purchase a download. Details on our announcement page. This will be one of our last 2024 presentations.
Some records were created before an event took place, usually in preparation for the event itself. The issuance of a marriage license does not guarantee that the marriage ever took place. The announcement of marriage banns also is not evidence of the actual marriage. Even a church bulletin announcing my baptism that day in church does not guarantee it took place. It does indicate the event was planned and scheduled for that day. And, in all likelihood, it did take place. But if one document said something was going to happen and other reliable information indicated that event did not happen, remind yourself that not every event intended to be actually comes to pass.
Our popular A to Z series is back! This 2024 edition of “Brick Walls from A to Z” has been released for distribution–recording and handout. Through 29 October we’re offering it at an $8 discount. View as many times as you wish. We’ve posted more details on our announcement page–don’t wait. Presentation does not have to be viewed immediately.
If it takes years for a relative’s estate to be finally settled, it can be tempting to think that the reason was because there was a legal wrangling over the estate. While sometimes that is the case, it is also possible that the relative’s surviving spouse had a lifetime interest in the property or was given a life estate by the deceased relative. It’s also possible that if there were minor heirs, the other heirs waited to finally settle the estate until all the heirs were legally old enough to execute documents. That’s often easier than going through the process of appointing a guardian. There are reasons why an estate could be drawn out over some time besides family drama. Although family drama is a frequent reason. Check […]
When using a record or source that is new to you, here are some things to think about to make the best use of it: There are other questions to ask about the record as you analyze the information it contains, but the answers to these questions will hopefully make your search easier.
For twenty years, it seemed as if my ancestor Ira Sargent was dropped off by a UFO in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1880. Turns out he wasn’t. He was in the 1850 and 1860 United States Census listed under the last name of his step-father–whom his mother had married in 1849. Until I discovered the last name of the step-father, I was unable to find Ira. Is it possible that your UFO ancestor wasn’t dropped off by aliens but was instead listed in records as a child under his (or her) stepfather’s last name? And that the first time they used their “birth name” in a record was when they married?
We’re excited to offer our first Genealogy Tip of the Day merch! Check out our t-shirt details .
From a while back with an update: “An online tree indicates that an aunt of mine was married in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, in 1869. The only source that tree has for this date are two other online trees. There is no additional information to indicate how the information was obtained–no minister or justice of the peace name, no church, address, etc. A search of extant Hamilton County marriage records did not locate the marriage. “The only way I know that my aunt married is because her husband’s name is listed when she inherits from her brother’s estate a few years later. That estate record is my evidence for the marriage and I’m using the date they are mentioned in the court record as a “married by” date. […]
There are times where I still like to use pencil and paper. For me, it’s just faster and one of those old habits that I just can’t get out of. However, I need to keep those notes in a way that I won’t use them. Typically my notes are made while searching and making digital images of records. I was using a page from an 1895 genealogy of the Sargent family to start my search for vital records of the family. To keep myself organized, I took a picture of my notes sheet and filed it with the digital images I made of the vital records that I located. Then when I go to review those images my notes are right there. If I need to take more […]
This mid-18th century document from Middlesex County, Massachusetts, indicated that Simon, Catherine, and Ephraim Puffer had chosen Samuel Connant as their guardian. Chances are because the document was in the packet of papers for their guardianship, their choice of guardian was approved. Children could choose or nominate a guardian if necessary (the Puffer children’s father was deceased), but the child generally had to be over the age of fourteen and the court had to approve the appointment. Seeing a child has chosen their guardian can be a suggestion as to how old that child is. Make certain you are familiar with local practice before using such a document as evidence a child is of a certain age. And remember that children could have guardians appointed if their mother […]
When I posted this mage to our Facebook page a few days back, I neglected to indicate where the record image came from. And I’m not talking about FamilySearch although that’s an important part of any citation—where the image was actually accessed. What this actually is is more important. It’s an image of the record copy of judge’s findings in an early 20th century court case. It’s not an image of the actual judge’s report of findings. It’s a typed up copy of that report that was put in the court record. The original report is still in the case file of court papers for this case. If I don’t indicate where this actually came from, then it’s just a picture of a typed piece of paper. So…this […]
In some areas of the United States in some time periods (particularly before the Civil War) what is included in a county’s “will book” is more than just record copies of wills. There may often be other probate-related information as well (inventories, approvals of administrators/executors, sale accounts, list of disbursements, etc.). When browsing local records manually–which still has to be done–don’t ignore the will book just because your ancestor died intestate.
We’re bringing back our popular Brick Walls series–refreshed for 2024. Check out the announcement page.
Discovered a relative was arrested on assault charges in 1917. The court records I could find online only indicated the arrest. The verdict could not be located. I need to see if there are more records in the jurisdiction where the arrest took place. I decided to perform a newspaper search and did find where he paid a rather steep fine–at least by 1918 standards–for the crime. Whenever I discover someone has been arrested, I always search newspapers to see what can be found. I did not perform a manual search for the week he was arrested, which I need to do. That said, I still need to manually search the court records to see what I overlooked. I also need to manually search the newspapers as well. […]
We’re recorded these three presentations and uploaded the recordings. These are now available for purchase and immediate download. We’ve gotten good feedback, but the full-text searching presentation was especially popular. One person got so distracted with our search ideas that they were searching instead of listening and others have said they now feel better able to get even more out of it than before. Details are at https://conta.cc/3BO5GsG
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