Keep in mind that there’s not always a “need” for a record or a document. If a child has no “estate” or inheritance from a deceased parent, there will not be need to appoint a guardian. If an ancestor doesn’t belong to a church, his children probably won’t be christened there. If an ancestor does not own property, there will not be property tax records. If recording births was not mandatory when a relative was born far from the county seat, there might not be a record of their birth. If your ancestor didn’t care about his reputation among his neighbors, he probably didn’t bother to have his biography included in the local county history. It doesn’t mean that we should fail to look for records, but to […]
Sometimes we need to forget we are a genealogist and think about census taking as if it were our job pretend we were the clerk that couldn’t understand your ancestor imagine we are a semi-literate frontiersman collecting taxes imagine you are a non-English speaker with a fear of the government who sees the census taker coming think what it might have been like to have 4 small children, little money to spare, and barely able to afford a burial plot, let alone a tombstone Remember, the research is about our ancestors and the people who created the records that we use–not necessarily about us. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In several post-1840 US Census records, tic marks are used to indicate a variety of things. In some cases, it is eligibility to vote, married within the census year, ability to read and write, etc. If you’re using a US Census after 1840, don’t ignore those tics, there may be clues hiding there. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There is a difference between an heir and a legatee. An heir is someone who, usually by statute, is entitled to a share in someone’s estate if that person leaves no valid last will and testament. A legatee is typically someone who is given property in a will. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
This has been a tip before–but it bears repeating. When was the last time you read a history book? Actually read it and not just searched for a name in the index. Either a history of the place your ancestors lived or the time period in which they lived would be excellent reading material. If a book seems too much (and it isn’t), consider reading a few issues of the local newspaper during the time period of your “problem.” You might be surprised what you learn. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If your ancestor died during a time when there might have been an obituary or a death notice, search every paper that might have published something. In an urban area, consider the daily newspapers and suburban newspapers that might have included a notice as well–especially if the ancestor actually lived in a suburb. For rural areas, consider all nearby newspapers, ones in the county seat, and perhaps ones in the nearest “large” town, which could be 40 or 50 miles away–especially after auto travel became popular. Newspapers in towns where your ancestor used to live might also have published a notice as well. And always consider ethnic or denominational newspapers, even if they were not published near your ancestor lived. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of […]
A rod is a unit of measure of length equal to 16.5 feet. A rood is a unit of measure for to 1/4 of an acre. Rod is for linear measure and a rood is for area measure. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
November webinars we are giving include: Ancestry.com US Census Searching DeedMapper for Metes and Bounds Properties Using the Bureau of Land Management Website A Missing 1840 Census Enumeration More details and registration information are located on our website. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are having difficulty reading the handwriting on a document or record, particularly one that is entirely in longhand, consider making an “extra” copy and tracing the handwriting yourself with a pencil. Getting a “feel” for the handwriting of the person may help you to transcribe those words or phrases that are giving you difficulty. This also can work with foreign language script as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Even something obviously incorrect can be a clue. On a 1900 census enumeration my great-grandfather’s siblings indicated that their mother was born in Ohio. Every record indicated she was born in Illinois and there was no reason to doubt that. It turned out that her parents had lived for 2 or 3 years in Ohio before her birth and had been married there as well. Ohio was a clue to the family’s past, it just wasn’t where the ancestor was born. Even errors can be clues, often because people remember the name of the place, but forget just how it fits into the family’s individual chronology. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that some families kept in contact more than others for a variety of reasons. Your great-great-great-grandfather in 1850 may have had a rough idea of at least the county where his siblings were living and might have been able to at least write a letter to them with that address and have them get it. Other ancestors might have had no idea where their siblings were located or any way to contact them. It can vary from one family to another and one place to see evidence of it is in estate settlements or probate records. A Civil War pension for one ancestor indicates she knew where her scattered siblings were. Another indicates she had no real clue where her siblings were located. Of course, that may […]
Records of a private business, such as a funeral home, are private records which do not have to be made available to the public. Yes, they may have provided funeral services for your great-grandparents, but they are under no obligation to tell you who paid the bill, what biographical information was provided, or anything else. So be courteous and polite when requesting these records, or any records that are not public records. This includes church records as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
An 1870 estate settlement lists your male ancestor as an heir of their grandfather. The estate settlement enver indicates your male ancestor is a minor, so you (reasonably) conclude they are “of age.” Based upon this you conclude that your ancestor was born by about 1849. Did you list the estate settlement as the “source” of the approximate year of birth? Did you include in the notes HOW you reached this conclusion. The estate settlement doesn’t provide direct evidence of age and the indirect nature of it (which includes your reasoning) should be discussed in your notes on the specific ancestor. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We won’t be offering our September and October topics for a while and because of hosting and other costs, the registrations for future webinars will be higher. Topics: Court records Land records Establishing migration trails Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls The schedule, registration information, and download information (if you cannot attend) is here http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If there are key terms that confuse you, consider taking a short list with you when going to a courthouse to research onsite. If you cannot remember the difference between grantor and grantee, quitclaim and warantee, executor and administrator, etc. having a list might be very helpful. It could prevent you from misinterpreting something and wasting time. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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