I realize that we all have photos that we will have difficulty identifying. But often we have others where we are able to identify people and places. This photograph of me from 1969 provides an example of one way to create a “citation” for a photograph–with more that just who is in the picture. These are the elements included in the illustration: individuals in photograph; date of photograph; location of photograph; how photograph was identified; location of the original; date digital image made Now I just need to do this for all my photos! Note: Now that I think about it, I need to include provenance–how I came to obtain the photograph. A good place to do this would be before or after the current location of the […]
This was taken from a post I made to our Facebook page recently Dower was mentioned in a post a week or so ago and there were some questions and comments about it that slipped by, so we’re going to post about it here. Keep in mind these comments speaking generally and there may be slight variances from one colony/state to another. Also keep in mind that dower has generally been abolished and replaced with other rights of joint ownership, survivor rights, etc. Dower, or usually more correctly dower right, was the right a wife had in her deceased husband’s estate (typically a third) as his widow. This right also applied to land owned by the husband. At a husband’s death if a widow elected to take her […]
Individuals applying for military pension or military bound land warrants usually applied under a specific Act. The details of the Act indicated who qualified for a pension or a land warrant. Most of the Acts are available online by searching for the name of the act of the date on Google or another search engine. Read the Act and remember that if your ancestor applied under that act that he (or she) must have met the qualifications. What is in those qualifications–length of service, length of marriage to soldier (for a widow), age, etc. could be clues about your ancestor.
If you are fortunate enough to visit an ancestral graveyard, make certain to get pictures or images of not only your ancestor’s tombstone, but also other ones nearby. It is very possible the person was buried near relatives of which you are unaware. These individuals can be even easier to miss if the relatives have last names of which you are unaware. Also take an overview picture showing the relative positions of the stone to the one you were actually interested in at the time.
Do you need to just start from scratch on a problem? Scrap what you already “think” you know or what you have compiled on the person. While going back to before you knew anything about the ancestor in question is not usually possible (after all, can you really intentionally forget what you know?). But there are some things you can do with the information you have already collected. Go back and and make certain you have completely and accurately cited each record mentioning your problem person. Review those records and analyze carefully each piece of information you have discovered–paying particular attention to clues or names you may have overlooked originally. Write down each step in your logic and reasoning. Maybe even argue with yourself slightly as you work […]
From a while back… Just because seemingly different sources agree does not mean that they have to be correct–it just means that they agree. Consider whether or not the sources are truly independent. Sometimes different “sources” have the same actual person directly or indirectly providing the information. My grandmother’s 1935 marriage record, 1994 death certificate, and 1994 obituary all provide the same place of birth for her. Grandma was essentially the informant on all three because her children provided what they were told for the death certificate and the obituary. And all three gave places different from Grandma was actually born. Just because Grandma was consistent does not necessarily mean that she was correct.
From a while back… Never assume that those “boarders” in a census entry are merely strangers taken in for extra income. Those boarders could be relatives as well. Sometimes the census focuses on the “financial” relationship and not the biological one. Always do a little snooping on those boarders living with your ancestor.
My Grandma Neill’s already been made headless in this photograph and one might be tempted to crop the right half of the photograph as well. That would be a mistake. The right half is what told me where the picture was taken as it contained clues (the door, the light switch, and the curtains) indicating where it was taken. Those items might also be in other pictures that would at least tell me (or someone else) where a photograph was taken. Of course, there are likely other homes in the world that have a room with a similar curtain, light switch plate, and door, but if the individuals are close relatives of mine that’s likely where the photograph was taken. When my brother and are gone, no one […]
From the past… If your relative has property values in the 1850 and 1860 census, analyze them in context–not in isolation. The only thing the value tells you by itself is that the relative owned property. Context matters. How does their property value compare to that of their neighbors in both these enumerations? By what percentage does their property value change from one enumeration to the next? Does this same change seem to be taking place with their neighbors as well? An increase in property value could mean more property was acquired, property values in that area went up in general, or improvements were made on the property. A decrease may mean property values declined or property was sold. No matter the value of real property listed in […]
I stumbled today upon the name of my father’s 4H group he was a member of in the 1950s–the Elvaston Strait-Shooters. There were 4H clubs nearer to where they lived and the reason he and his brother were members of this group instead of one of the nearby ones has been lost to history. There are a variety of organizations–including church–where your ancestor may not have attended the nearest one. There are many reasons your ancestor may have not attended the nearest church of her denomination. Your ancestor may have been a Mason, but may have been active in a group that was not nearest to where he lived. Sometimes people have a falling out with the nearby group (or church) and change their membership. Sometimes people move […]
I will be honest. When records are in a foreign language, I scan for names. But when viewing records in a foreign language, make certain to understand the structure of those records. This christening record from 1798 underlines and seems to emphasize the name of the father–Erasmus Trautvetter–and not the child–Johann Georg Trautvetter. Other records kept by this pastor in this place during this time period are also structured the same way. There is nothing odd or unusual about this entry–when compared to others. That’s one reason that no church record entry should be looked at in isolation. What you think is unusual may not be unusual at all.
If your family was one who moved frequently, that increases the chance that family ephemera was lost along the way. When moving, people decide to downsize, things get lost, things get forgotten, things get left behind, etc.
If your ancestor goes “poof” and comes back 5-10 or so years later, have you consider they headed west for the Gold Rush or any other event that caused people to pack up and leave in a hurry? Some families found life wasn’t all what they thought it would be in their new location and returned to where they were from. And of course, the direction might not have been west at all. It’s just worth remembering that your anecstor might have moved somewhere in hopes of better opportunities and, when finding those opportunities weren’t what they thought they would be, eventually headed “back home.”
Local courthouse records often contain references to an individual acknowledging a document, witnessing a document, being a bondsman, and the like. Keep in mind that these references indicate the person was alive on the date they knowledge a document, witnessed a document, were a bondsman, etc. Of course one needs to make certain there were not two contemporary people with the same name living in the same location, but sometimes these innocuous references can help extend a lifespan. Maybe “extend a lifetime” should be replaced with getting a better estimate of their lifespan. At any rate, documents that suggest life may be crucial to your research depending upon what else was going on in the person’s lifetime.
We put an eighth note on the back of my great-aunt’s tombstone because of her lifetime of teaching music and playing the organ for her church. Musis was important to her. The symbol was an attempt to show that. Images are frequently on stones to convey a message without using words. Don’t ignore those images on your relative’s tombstone. Pictures or images on a stone may provide a clue to your ancestor’s life, religious beliefs, club memberships, or more. Many articles and websites reference such images and what they mean. Here are a few: ThoughtCo. article Stoneletters.com article “Symbolism on Gravestones” from Association for Gravestone Studies “Headstone & Memorial Symbols and Meanings,” from City of Grove, Oklahoma website–fairly comprehensive. Don’t neglect the non-textual information on a stone. It […]
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