More and more unindexed records are going online every day. When was the last time you looked to see what was “new?” My most significant breakthrough came when I searched a previously unindexed state census that had just been released on Ancestry.com. Boom! There was a likely match on a person I was struggling on. I had not used the records before as I could not search the entire unindexed state. When was the last time you looked to see what was “new?” ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
“Low is south and high is north.” It was the essence of a misunderstanding another genealogist and I had. I referred to my “low-German” ancestors and she thought they lived in the southern part of Germany, perhaps because that was “lower” on the map. In this case, the “lower” part of Germany is near the sea. Are you interpreting things correctly? And remember, geography is three dimensional. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just remember that not every source genealogists use is online. Many books and materials have been digitized, but many have not. Make certain your search also includes materials that are only available in their original format. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You ancestor could easily appear in records in the state archives for the state where he or she lived. Sometimes we forget that states kept records too. In some cases the State Archives may copies of county records as well. Make certain you have included the State Archives in your searching. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Anyone who wants to join me in Salt Lake at the Family History Library in late May…check out my group trip page: http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you really know the geography of the area in which you are working, or are you “working” from assumptions? Best to get maps, modern and contemporary, just to be certain. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are using any reproductions of original documents, be it microfilm, digital images, or photocopies, do you know what images came from the same piece of paper? It is not always clear what “front” should be paired with what “back.” And sometimes it makes a huge difference in how you analyze documents. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Are you doublechecking information as you enter it into your genealogical database? Are you making certain those transcriptions are done correctly, word for word? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You should have some documentation, or at least a verifiable reason for every relationship between two individuals in your database. “Thinking they are related” isn’t a reason. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I will be making the following presentations at the following upcoming conferences/workshops over the next several months: Topeka Genealogy Society Seminar, 24 April 2010 The Oft-Married Sarah Female Ancestors: After the Marriage Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls Widows Denied-Pensions for Widows and What they Can Tell You Southern California Family History Jamboree, 11-13 June 2010 Restacking the Blocks: Organizing Your Information From New Jersey to Ohio: Establishing an Early Nineteenth Century Migration Trail Pig Blood in the Snow: Court Records Can Solve Problems Family History Expos-Loveland, Colorado 25 & 26 June 2010 Searching Tips and Tricks Where Did the Farm Go Where Do I Go From Here? Restacking the Blocks: Organizing Your Information Cleveland, Oklahoma Summer Seminar, 24 July 2010 Using Probate Manuals and State Statute Barbara, Nancy […]
Going to that local courthouse to do some family history research? Know what you are looking for and look presentable. Staff will take you more seriously if you act like you know what you are doing and are dressed reasonably well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t look for just births, marriages, and deaths in newspapers. Were your ancestors married fifty years or more? Did one live to be hundred? Were there other events that might have warranted mention in the newspaper? Search for these events as well. One-day those newspapers may be digitally scanned and full text searchable, but until then this approach might work. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are looking for that female relative in a death record, Social Security Death Index, probate record, etc. remember that you need to have her last name on the day she died. If she married shortly before her death, that might be a problem. Make certain you really know the name under which she might be listed in those records created after her death. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Look at every age of your ancestor in every available record? How consistent are they? Compare each and every one of them, creating a range of years in which your ancestor could have been born. Making a chart could be helpful in analyzing what appears to be inconsistent years of birth. Such a chart was helpful in working on a person of interest in this week’s issue of Casefile Clues. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Are there old pictures you have not “gotten around” to identifying? Are there people you haven’t asked that might know who is in those old pictures. Ask now, before it’s too late. Other information will be around in a week. Aunt Myrtle might not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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