Keep in mind that there are several factors that might have caused your ancestor to move from point A to point B. They include: Economic concerns–land opportunities, jobs, etc. Politics and political unrest Family–others in their family had already moved. Acquaintances/friends–people in this group had already moved. Religion–your ancestor was a part of a religious group that migrated. There are other reasons, but consider these and ask yourself if you have really looked into these causes. Doing so may provide the answer to your family history puzzle. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Periodically revisit sites that contain data you have used in your family history research. It is not necessary to revisit them every day, but monthly or even quarterly visits may result in undiscovered finds. No matter how many genealogy ezines and blogs you read something can easily slip past your radar. New information is always being made available. Take the time to look. Make a list of sites and visit them regularly. Not obsessively, however (grin!) ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind it is not the number of generations in your family tree that is important. What is important is that each generation be documented accurately. Bigger is not always better. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We are offering a $25 discount on the complete price on our 2010 Salt Lake Research Trip for those who make their deposit by 30 June 2009. The complete registration price for those registering by this date will be $175. The balance of the fee is due in December, just the deposit is necessary by 30 June. There is more information about the trip on our site at http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html This discount won’t be posted on those pages, email Michael at mjnrootdig@gmail.com for a registration brochure with the discounted price or questions. Thanks! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Scanning documents is great and an excellent way to preserve them. But transcribing serves a purpose too. It forces you to actually READ the document. That is a great way to notice phrases or words that sometimes get overlooked. And there are times when that one word or phrase can make all the difference. Transcribe something today. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
How many pieces of information are in your family tree or genealogy database from “memory” or some unidentified source? Check them out. They could be the real reason you have a brick wall. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Try searching Google books for every ancestor, even the ones you think will never be in there. I located my paternal grandfather in an Angus breeders’ directory from the 1950s and a 4th great-grandfather in an 1830s era directory from Germany. http://books.google.com ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just a little piece of advice. Before you buy a CD with a PDF or a scan of that out of print book, make certain it’s not available on www.archive.org or the BYU website for free. Then you could download it and search it for free and make your own CD. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keeping up with the genealogy news can be overwhelming at times. Two great ways to keep up can be to read Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter or Leland Meitzler’s Genealogyblog.Of course, I’d be appreciative if readers signed up for the paid version of Eastman’s as that includes my weekly “Casefile Clues” column. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I love to use Gmail for my genealogy mail. Those who use Gmail might want to check out the Gmail blog post about being a Gmail Ninja. There are a lot of good tips there for making the most of gmail and saving time and hassle in the process. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you thought about how long after your ancestor’s death he or she may be mentioned in a record? My ancestor Peter Bieger died in 1855. He is mentioned by name in a 1906 deed when his grandchildren are signing a quitclaim deed for the property. Fifty-one years after he died. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Researching “completely” a family you know may do one of several things for you or your research. You may learn something about research or something about the family you did not know before. Recently I obtained deeds showing how a house and a farm were sold after the owner’s died. In both cases, I knew all the vitals on the family. In both cases I understood the records better because I “knew” the family. That helps me understand records later when I don’t know the family. Sometimes it is easier to learn about records when the family isn’t as foreign to you as the records. And in one case I learned a few things about the family that were new to me. Another reason to search for everything. […]
I wasted an hour today looking for a set of documents I scanned. I scanned and saved them when I was in a hurry and the file name was very helpful, “ufkes.” When a last name is your mother’s maiden name, MANY files contain that word. I eventually searched the entire hard drive for files with “ufkes” in the title, but there were MANY that I had to go through. I renamed the file with a more descriptive name “john_ufkes_cancelled_homestead_file” Are your file names helpful? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is there some record type of source you have never utilized because you thought it was too difficult to use, too difficult to understand, or was hard to access? Consider expanding your research horizons and make today (or this week) the time you use that new (to you) source. You may make some wonderful discoveries. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When writing genealogy information for anyone to read, avoid using terms like “Grandma” or “Uncle” without fully identifying the person. Vague references will only confuse the reader. The same is true when asking people questions in an interview. It took me forever to get my grandma Neill to understand that I was asking questions about HER Grandfather Trautvetter, not her dad (who was my dad’s Grandpa Trautvetter). Once you’ve had children, it does get a little confusing who you mean when you say “Grandma.” Don’t leave someone in a hundred years confused about who you meant. Be specific. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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