Verifying family stories can often be difficult and the best advice is to record them as “stories” and indicate who said them. Remember though to get as many different perspectives as you can. Even in one family, different children had different experiences and may remember things differently. And their mother (or father) might have shared stories with one child and not with another. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We’re not trying to convert readers with this tip, but what do you know about your ancestor’s religious affiliation? For some of our ancestors, the church was extremely important and influenced many decisions in their lives–who they married, where they settled, etc. Is your ancestor migrating with members of a specific denomination? Are all of your ancestors associates members of that denomination? There could be clues there…. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Does a person providing testimony in a court case indicate that he has known your ancestor for fifteen years? Have you thought about where your ancestor was fifteen years before that date? Do you know where he was? If you can’t find him, look for the person providing testimony. Always think about the implications of any statement you read. There may be more there than just what it says “on the surface.” ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you know the difference between an transcript and an extract? A transcript copies information or a record verbatim. An extract takes out what the extractor sees as key points. If you are using published records, do you know if you have an extract or an abstract? It does make a difference. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t forget to keep track of how you formulate you searches of online databases. It’s impossible to tweak your searches if you don’t. I’ve become increasingly aware of the importance of this while tracking Benjamin Butler from Michigan to Missouri between 1820 and 1870 for a series of articles in Casefile Clues. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you can’t find your ancestor in the census with names, have you tried just initials? That’s how my ancestors are listed in 1880… ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Always double check those transcriptions you create of handwritten records. There’s always the chance you could make a mistake. This tip came about after reading tips for the past two weeks–I found two typos! Note: the proofreader for Casefile Clues does not proofread Tip of the Day…errors here are completely my fault. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I’ve spent some time trying to find a “new” ancestor in any census before 1870. After a while of using Ancestry.com, I searched for him on the FamilySearch site. An 1850 census reference was located. It still may not be my person, but it was a “hit” that for some reason did not turn on up on Ancestry. Different sites have their own indexes. If someone cannot be located in one index, determine if other indexes have been created. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Whose version of a story are you getting? Grandma most likely is telling you the version of events through her eyes. If she was personally involved in the events, could she possibly be tweaking a few details? If your great-grandfather is suing his wife for divorce his story is obviously being told from his vantage point. Keep that in mind for any record you use. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind the purpose behind any website or source you use for your family history research. Is it possible that the accuracy of the site and the information is influenced by something other than accuracy? Is the site’s as much information as possible, just to generate traffic and ad sales?Is the site’s goal simply to make information more accessible? Sometimes it can be hard to tell. But any site’s information should be compared with other records (particularly if the site’s information is transcribed). I have seen County GenWeb sites where names of cemeteries were wrong, locations were incorrect, and transcriptions were incomplete. And I’ve seen ones that were highly accurate as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember when searching the warrants at the Bureau of Land Management site that locations are not all that important. The individual who received the warrant might never have set foot in the state where the warrant was issued. This is especially true for those who received warrants for War of 1812 service and sold them to others who actually received the patent. Your ancestor’s widow may have received a warrant for his Virginia service while she was living in Kentucky. The patent may have been issued in Nebraska. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that in census records, relationships are given in regards to the head of the household–typically the husband. His children may not all be children of his wife. And individuals listed as children may actually be step-children. So relationships in one census may be tenuous and not entirely clear. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Years ago, I had a researcher search for the marriage of William Newman and Rebecca Tinsley in Rush County, Indiana. The couple married there in the 1830s. The researcher sent me the marriage record of Thomas Newman and Polly Tinsley who also married there in the 1830s, telling me that often times people used nicknames and that since the last names matched it was the same couple. Being young and inexperienced (I was probably 14 at the time), I believed her. Later I found out that Thomas and Polly were a separate couple, but the researcher was close. Thomas was William’s brother and Polly was Rebecca’s sister. Remember in genealogy sometimes “close” isn’t close enough. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just a reminder to doublecheck any information you find on the Internet. Anyone can post anything. Same thing goes for “free” advice, articles, etc. Sometimes it may be on the mark and other times it may be woefully incorrect. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is there a family bible or other heirloom you’d like to at least see from your family’s past? Keep in mind that any of your great-great-great-grandmother’s descendants could have it? Things didn’t just pass to your immediate family. So get out and get looking. There may be thousands of people who may have what you are looking for. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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