The American Revolution caused some residents of the United States to move to Canada. While not all of us have Loyalist ancestors, it is important to remember that historical events of all types might have caused our ancestors to move. And our ancestors didn’t have to be politically inclined for historical events to cause them to move. All kinds of things might have brought about your ancestor’s migration. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you know where the lines are? The county line, the property line, the village line? If you aren’t aware of where the various lines are located, are you certain you are looking in the right place? And remember that the lines can change, especially in frontier days in the early days of settlement. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Legally an infant is someone under the age of majority. That frequently is 18 for females and 21 for males. So a legal document refers to a male as an “infant,” he could easily be 21 years old. We’ve used this tip before, but it bears repeating and remember—in legal documents words are used in their LEGAL context (and based upon specific legal definitions), not necessarily the way we use them in everyday conversation. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Rarely are two separate documents 100% consistent. While it does happen, the more likely situation is that documents are fairly consistent, with minor differences. It is up to the thorough researcher to determine if the inconsistencies are inconsequential and to find reasonable, plausible explanations for them. Usually violations of the laws of biology and physics are not necessary to explain things ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Never hurts and never hurts to do it every so often. I “googled” the name (including maiden name) of a first cousin of my great-grandfather. The first cousin had to have died at least forty years ago. However, the searched turned up an obituary for a daughter who died in 2007! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Why would an ancestor give a child $1 (or another token amount) in a will? Basically to show that they had not been left out. The child could have had a falling out with their parent, or perhaps the parent had already given them their inheritance, perhaps when they got married, started some type of business, bought their first farm ground, etc. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
So you interviewed your relative twenty years ago when you first started genealogy. Have you thought about interviewing them again? Maybe they remember something now they didn’t remember before or are willing to discuss something they didn’t want to discuss twenty years ago. It is worth a shot. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Many states took censuses in “off-census” years. These records can be a great way to track people in between federal census enumerations. Many have been microfilmed and Ancestry.com includes some in their databases. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It is an oft-repeated suggestion, but we’ve not used it before here. When visiting that cemetery, consider putting a waterproof calling card on the stone or near to it. A business card in a plastic bag, or a laminated one will work just fine. Use a stone, rock, or some other object to secure it in place, without harming the stone. You never know when another relative, who doesn’t use the internet at all, might stop by that same cemetery and find your card with contact information. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that tax lists are not just for those who had real property. In some areas during some time periods, certain items of personal property were also taxed. So your non-landowner relatives might be listed. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It can be difficult when you only have one census enumeration to tell you anything about an ancestor. I was working on a Benjamin Butler who was enumerated in Iowa in 1870. The problem was that his place of birth in 1870 (Canada) was shown as New York in the 1880 census where I eventually found him. And his 1880 enumeration had him listed as William. Fortunately the wife and all the other details matched. When using just one enumeration to search for others, considering that any one piece of information could easily be incorrect. My search for Benjamin will be mentioned in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues. Subscribe now and get in on the fun. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do not always assume you will remember why you reached a certain conclusion. In analyzing an 1870 census entry for an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues, I made some preliminary conclusions about the oldest female in the household. In reviewing the material later, it took me another ten minutes to “re-reach” those conclusions. It would have been easier if I had taken the time to write down my thought the first time. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When entering dates into any database, check them twice. There is always the possibility that you copy something incorrectly and you may make an inconsistency where there really is not one. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A minor naturalization was a naturalization of someone who immigrated as a minor and wanted to naturalize once they had reached the age of majority. These individuals didn’t have to wait quite as long to naturalize as did those who immigrated as adults. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We use the names of people on documents as clues. Sometimes the reason why a person is listed on a document is fairly obvious, parents on a birth certificate for example. But a witness on a deed or a will. The witness may be a relative, friend, or another warm body. But the witness had to be of legal age and that may be a clue. And always learn why names are on records and in what capacity they are acting. What requirements were there to act in that capacity? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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