Those whose families have lived in the United States for centuries sometimes think that their relatives will not appear on a passenger manifest.That is not necessarily true. It is possible that your ancestor traveled overseas for his work, for pleasure, or as a part of military service. My great-grandmother’s families had lived in the United States since at least the 1780s and her sister’s Red Cross service during the first World War caused her to be on a passenger manifest.
For those who find the daily updates too much, a weekly blog update is available. An electronic copy is available here–along with subscription instructions. The weekly update is only $5 a year.
The church’s funeral register indicated the first funeral at the church was in 1880. For a brief moment, I assumed that would be the first burial in the church’s cemetery as well. Not so. A physical search of the cemetery’s tombstones indicated a burial there in the mid-1870s. It could be that the cemetery was not originally associated with the church, that the church’s earlier records are missing, that the burials were conducted by a pastor from another church before the church in question was formed, or something else. But my assumption that I had the first records of the church and that there could be nothing before that was wrong. Check your assumptions before your own research gets buried by them. Learn more about research methods and […]
When using published sources and materials, copy (or take a picture of) the index in the back of the book. It is a great way to make certain you didn’t overlook any names. A paper copy is a good place to keep track of which pages you copied. That reduces the chance a page gets overlooked. Sometimes I will take a few notes on that “index page” and make a digital image of that page to put with any digital images I actually made from the book. That way I have digital images of the pages I want and a digital image of my notes–all in the same place.
Genealogy Tip of the Day by it’s intent is short and to the point. The brief nature of our tips means that we don’t cover everything in great depth. The intent of the tip is to make you aware of something or to remind you of something you forgot. For some tips following up elsewhere is necessary. My how-to newsletter Casefile Clues is different–it’s more detailed, more in-depth, and covers topics or records more fully. Casefile Clues brings you one or more of the following: Sources–Some weeks Casefile Clues focuses on a specific source or type of record, discussing how that source can be accessed, researched, and interpreted. Methodology–Some weeks Casefile Clues works on one of Michael’s problems. Many times these problems are “in progress,” and Casefile Clues reflects that by explaining what was researched, why it was […]
Always look at all sides of a tombstone–there may be additional details on the “back,” the “side,” or the “top” of the stone. Most stones won’t contain a reminder the way this one does. There usually isn’t anything on the bottom of a stone and digging them up to look is frowned on and occasionally dangerous. And the back of the stone does give more information about Franzen: The Franzens are buried in what’s known locally as the “South Cemetery.” It’s actually the Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery southeast of Golden, Adams County, Illinois. Learn more about research methods and analysis in Michael’s newsletter Casefile Clues.
Under a US Congressional act of 1796 (the Act For The Relief and Protection of American Seamen (1 Stat. 477) signed into law on May 28, 1796), American seamen were periodically issued certificates to hopefully prevent them from being illegally impressed by ships from other nations. . These documents can appear in one of three formats: registers–listing certificates that were issued–not all are extant, some are held by the National Archives and others by local historical societies applications–proof and evidence–generally held by the National Archives, available on microfilm or digitally and usually arranged by port certificates–usually kept by the sailor himself The Mystic Seaport Museum has a database of entries from the Custom Houses of Fall River, Gloucester, New Haven, New London, Newport, Marblehead, and Salem. FamilySearch includes these databases: […]
What genealogy clues are waiting for you in the advertisements? This one from Maryland in 1907 gives a college graduation date.
In locations that have birth certificates and birth registers, it is necessary to look at both. Determine what the “chain of creation” was. Usually the certificates were the “original document” and information in the register contains a transcription of what was on the original certificate. There’s always the possibility that the register contains a transcription error. But there’s also the possibility that the register’s entry is easier to read than the certificate or contains an additional comment made by the clerk and is not on the certificate. It’s important to read both and to know how they were created.
Witnesses to a will cannot be beneficiaries named in that will and are generally not heirs. Witnesses should be disinterested individuals. And, as a reminder, beneficiaries and heirs are not necessarily the same group of people. Heirs have legal rights of inheritance under statute. Beneficiaries are named as the recipient of real or personal estate, usually upon the death of the owner of that property.
Your relative died in 1850, but records indicate that his estate was not settled up and the farm sold or transferred to someone else until 1869. Don’t conclude that there had to be “drama” or some court action that you cannot find. It could be as simple as the family waiting until the widow had died or the youngest child reached the age of majority. Mother may have put her foot down and issued an edict that she was living on the farm until she died. The children could have decided to let mother have control and the money from the farm until she died. The heirs could have decided it was easier (and cheaper) to wait to “settle up” until all the heirs were of age and […]
There is no such thing as a mullable rose. And yet there is because that’s what Grandma called them and I had seen them. They had to exist. I really doubted Grandma had discovered a new plant. Years later I discovered a reference to something referred to as the multiflora rose. Based upon the discussion and the description, I thought it was odd that I had never heard of the plant before. And then I saw the picture. There was Grandma’s mullable rose. The word was not “mullable.” It was “multiflora. Maybe I heard Grandma wrong. Maybe Grandma said it wrong. Maybe Grandma heard it wrong. Maybe all three. When you can’t find that maiden name that Grandma insists is true consider how off the pronunciation may be. […]
Do not mindlessly type names in database searches without first learn what you are actually searching. Is it a website that contains voluntary submissions of data other researchers have compiled? If so, it may be incomplete. Is it an official archives site? Even those may have omissions because some records were not extant. Most sites will indicate where they obtained their information. Find out and find if all records were extracted. Gaps or omissions seem to always be for the time period one needs. Not knowing what you are searching may explain why you are not finding the information you seek.
Remember that the children may not know their mother’s maiden name and what they do know is not first-hand information. They may think their mother’s step-father was her actual father. They may never have met her father and may have a totally “mixed” up version of the name in their head as a result. Or they may be entirely correct about their mother’s maiden name. It depends upon a lot of factors, but keep in mind that information children provide about their mother’s maiden name is not first hand information.
We’re offering the following giveaways: Two free issues of Casefile Clues 2018 Brick Walls Follow the download instructions. No credit card is required. Enjoy! Michael
Recent Comments