If you are looking for a specific court case, make certain that you are looking in the records of the court that would have heard those types of actions. For example, criminal matters may be heard in a court separate from those that hears civil matters, disputes over inheritances, divorces, etc. I spent some time looking for records of a case in the wrong court because the action I was looking for was actually a criminal matter.
Our goals here at Genealogy Tip of the Day are simple for the most part. They are generally to get readers thinking about: the research process what they find analyzing what they find their assumptions about research and their ancestors terminology and language used in records the history, culture, and environment in which their ancestors lived And we try to be short—that’s sometimes the difficult part. Tips are not meant to be verbose or lengthy discussions. The intent is to make people aware or to remind them of a topic, concept, term, etc. Longer discussions are posted on my Rootdig blog. We also appreciate those who purchase a webinar, one of the recommended how-to books on my virtual shelf, or the Genealogy Tip of the Day book. Those things help support our endeavors here. […]
One of the “big” genealogy sites recently announced an update to a database for a state where I have a handful of relatives. Instead of reviewing the information on those relatives in my database and then conducting some searches, I immediately began conducting searches. That was a mistake. The “search right now” approach to get immediate results may be tempting, but it can be easy for the researcher to forget key details, mix up names, overlook some relatives, etc. All this does is end up wasting time and cause information to be overlooked. Always go back and review details about people before searching for them. That little bit of time spent could result in more time being saved.
Wills, deeds, and other legal documents may list all the children of a specific individual. Don’t assume that they are listed in order from oldest to youngest. They may be–or they may not be. Try and use other records to estimate the years of birth for at least some of the children when vital records are not available. That may give you a better perspective on whether children are listed in birth order in a specific document or not. Remember that a quit claim deed drawn up to settle the estate of a deceased individual may mention children and grandchildren of the deceased in order to transfer title properly. The deed may not distinguish between children and grandchildren, only referring to them as heirs. The deceased individual may […]
There is a picture of my Dad and my brother taken in the early 1970s. My Dad is wearing a pair of dress slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. My Dad rarely dressed up–most pictures of him are in jeans and some form of work shirt. My immediate thought was “where were we all going?” Sure enough, my Mother had written the month and year when the photo was taken and the name of the cousin whose wedding we were getting ready to attend. The picture was taken in the front yard of the home where we live. Many documents, records, and pictures have unwritten clues that can be just as important as the statements and images that are straightforward. Sometimes those unwritten clues are more important […]
If your ancestor apparently picked up and moved to where he knew no one, is it possible he was responding to an advertisement? Speculators, land agents, promoted their projects and developments in a variety of ways–including newspapers. It might have been an advertisement that caused your ancestor to pick up and move to where he knew no one.
Have you checked out the website for the state archives, state historical society, state library, etc. in the states where your ancestors lived? At the very least many have research guides and information about records in the state or province. Many have online indexes, databases, or actual images of records that can be accessed remotely. Others offer some research services via email or phone or at the least answer research questions. Don’t neglect state-level facilities. They often have budgets and staff that local agencies do not. Some may also be repositories for local records that can no longer be maintained by the original creator or holder of the records.
Even if Aunt Martha does not have hollowed out book on her bookshelf, any book in her collection could have an obituary, photograph, letter, or other paper-based family history item tucked into it. Family Bibles are the first place to look–and to page through page by page. Clippings, funeral notices, and the like can also be used as bookmarks. Make certain you have flipped through all the pages of those books if you have the chance to go through them. You are looking for items of family history value–not just items with monetary value. When the book in the illustration was pulled off the shelf, it’s purpose was clear. Not all hollowed out books are as easy to spot.
I give this property to John Smith and his heirs and assigns forever.”The phrase “heirs and assigns forever” means that John can “assign” (sell by deed or give by will) the property or, if he has not done that by his death, then John’s heirs will have title to the property (depending upon state statute and common legal practice at the time). That’s a rather simplified version of “heirs and assigns” forever, but “heirs” and “assigns” mean different things. And the genealogist who doesn’t concern themself with the definitions runs the risk of drawing conclusions that are not necessarily true.
Don’t always assume that “adopted” children were unrelated to the family. There could have been some relationship between the adopted child and the parents. The child could have been the grandchild of the couple or a child of a sibling or other family member. But there’s also nothing saying that the adopted child was related either. It’s just something to think about.
A certification of birth is a document that certifies a record of the birth appears in the records of the local office authorized to record records of birth. It may contain a transcription of the entire document or just a portion of it. The certification is not intended to be a complete transcription of the original document. It just confirms that the record is on file. A copy of the certificate of birth is usually an actual copy of the birth record. From the standpoint of genealogical research, it’s the preferred item to request. The image contains part of the certification of birth and birth certificate for my late grandmother. The certification of birth contains spellings of her parents’ names that are not what appears to be on […]
When a man naturalized in the United States in the 19th and early 20th century, his minor children automatically became naturalized as well, even if their names are not listed in the naturalization. When foreign born Ekke Behrens applied for a homestead in Nebraska in the 1880s, he included his father’s naturalization as proof of his citizenship. This type of citizenship is often referred to as a derivative citizenship. If you are unable to locate a naturalization for your foreign born ancestor, consider the possibility that his father’s naturalization served as his naturalization as well.
If a document refers to your ancestor as the lessor on lease–he owns the property that is the subject of the lease. If your ancestor is referred to as the lessee, he is the person being given temporary use of the property. The lessor owns it, the lessee borrows it–generally speaking. Records of leases usually are not kept by local record keeping agencies. Leases are usually only mentioned in local records when they are the subject of legal action over the terms of the lease or a conflict involving the property that was the subject of the lease. If there was such court action, a copy of the lease may be included with the court papers.
Remember there are several United States censuses that provide evidence of ownership of real property. Some ask for values of real property, others ask if the home was owned or rented. Documenting that land ownership through local land records may lead to additional information on your ancestor. Are you getting all the clues from the census?
I’m a member of subscription sites that allow me to create links to images on their sites that requires me to have a subscription to access.I don’t link to the images that are behind the “pay wall.” I download images of records that I need to my own media so that I always a copy of the image for personal use. That way, if something ever happens or I don’t have access to the site any longer–I still have digital copies of the images I used.
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