If the estate records of your ancestor indicate she died “intestate” that means there was no valid will that was admitted to probate. There might have been a will, but that will was denied probate by the judge. That will should be filed with the court. Read it if you can. Sometimes it’s clear why the will was denied and sometimes it is not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you written down those stories your grandparent or older record used to tell you? Have you written down those stories of things you did as a kid? If not, hop to it. Your dead relatives can wait another day or so. Your memory might not! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I have given four Brick Wall from A to Z webinars–and I’m not doing any more. These are titled: Brick Walls from A to Z More Brick Walls from A to Z Yet More Brick Walls from A to Z Brick Walls from A to Z–the Final One The recording and handout normally sell for $8.50. From now until 7 PM CST on 18 May 2012, we’re offering these at $5 each. That’s a savings of 40%. Don’t wait… Brick Walls from A to Z–first in the series Brick walls from A to Z–second in the series–More Brick Walls Brick walls from A to Z–third in the series–Yet More Brick Walls Brick walls from A to Z–fourth in the series–The Final One ———————————— Check […]
My “Crossing the Pond” webinar was recorded today and has been uploaded for immediate download. This presentation discusses problem-solving strategies for tracing 18th and 19th century ancestors back across the Atlantic. It is geared towards advanced beginning and intermediate researchers. This presentation does not merely list a list of sources, but focuses on research methods. Our introductory price on this webinar (media file and handout) is $6. Orders can be processed here:https://getdpd.com/cart/buy/11078/38382/38541?gateway=paypalThanks!Michael ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Always pay close attention to names of passengers that appear next to your ancestors on a passenger manifest. They may be names you encounter when researching your ancestors in the area where they settled. Neighbors sometimes immigrated together and occasionally those “nearby names” are relatives in some way shape or form. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Some universities have local or regional historical materials in what frequently is termed a “special collection,”usually in the library or an archives. There might even be historians who have done research in the local area. Not necessarily genealogical research, but historical research that still may give some insight into local families. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is it possible that your ancestor’s name was spelled in a different way on a document, record, or tombstone because there wasn’t room for the “right” spelling? That’s a potential problem and might be the reason “Rebeca” appears on this stone instead of “Rebecca.“ ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Whether a name matches depends on more than the exact same spelling. It is only in recent times when consistent spelling has become important. When trying to determine if a name could be the “same,” consider spelling and pronunciation alternates and variations. Your ancestor’s name probably will not be spelled the exact same way in every document. You should look at other identifiers in the record (if they are given), such as age, ethnicity, social status, marital status, occupation, etc. Never look at just the name if you can avoid it and never “throw out” a potential match without good reason. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If it appears that the “mother” of a child is in her mid-fifties or older and there’s a gap of quite a few years between the last child and the child prior to the last one, consider that the last child might be the “mother’s” grandchild and not her actual child. If there’s an unmarried daughter in the household in her late teens, she could be the mother. Of course the “mother” actually could be the mother–assuming her age at the birth of the child isn’t stretching the plausibility of childbirth too much. And it’s possible the youngest child was actually adopted. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Naturalizations before the reform of 1906 typically provide little in the way of genealogical details. Records after the reform tend to contain more information about the applicant’s nativity, immigration, and family. If your ancestor had a cousin or other relative who naturalized after 1906, consider searching for their naturalization materials. It may provide you with significant detail. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you can’t find a person in a census index, try reversing their first and last names. It is possible the census taker (or other record keeper) made a simple goof. Foreign language names can easily get recorded in this way. This could easily explain why Panagiotis Verikios was enumerated in 1930 as Verikios Panagiotis. Think about it–it’s possible with English language as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In the United States, during the time before the Cable Act, a native born American woman would lose her citizenship status if she married a man who was an alien. This explains why the 1920 census for my children’s great-great-grandmother indicated she was an alien even though she was born in New York State. Her husband was an unnaturalized Greek immigrant. Did your female ancestor lose her citizenship because her husband was an alien? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In 1912, Miriam Pierce had a Presbyterian minister write a letter on his office letterhead to the US pension office inquiring about a military benefit. I assumed that she had the letter written by the minister solely because he was a minister and might lend more credence to her claim. While that might have been part of it, it turns out that the minister was her son-in-law as evidenced by a census enumeration from 1920. My initial conclusion didn’t include that possibility. Is there a chance that your initial conclusion is incorrect? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Has it been some time since you conducted that unsuccessful search for an ancestor in a specific record? Perhaps a second look is in order. It is always possible that you overlooked something the first time around, especially if that first time around was several years ago. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We have just announced the remainder of our May 2012 genealogy webinars:Crossing the Pond–10 May 2012–for help with those immigrant ancestors in the 18th and 19th centuries.Comparison Shopping-8 May 2012–determining if you have the “right” person.Registration and additional details are here:http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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