Determining where immigrants came from or where any migrant lived previously can sometimes be difficult. The problem is more difficult to solve when these “movers” die young, leave few records, don’t share information with other family members, etc. While looking at the expanded family/kin network is always advised, for these “movers,” determine all the individuals with whom they interacted when they were new to their new area. Sometimes this can be difficult and requires a tedious search of records. Who witnessed any of their naturalization documents? Who married them and did that person have any religious affiliation? Who were they living with in early census records? If their children were baptized, who were the sponsors? If they purchased land, who witnessed those land sales? If there was a […]
It is fun to collect items, obtain new information, and make genealogical discoveries. I understand that. But if your goal is for some of your discoveries to remain found and for the connections you have made between family members to stay connected, then it is important for your to organize some of what you have found and to share it with others. Consider how permanent your method of sharing it. Online and digital publishing are great ways to share information but not necessarily great ways to preserve it long term. Archival paper is still a great way to go. Will digital files be around in one hundred years? Will they be readable?
If a genealogical database includes Social Security numbers as one of their keyed data fields, search the database for the Social Security number you have for your deceased relative. Many times you will simply locate the entry that was previously located, but occasionally an additional reference or entry may be revealed. If the database returns the Social Security number but does not provide a specific search box, try a key word for the number–both with and without the dashes. Add Genealogy Tip of the Day–the book–to your bookshelf!
The list of alternate names for anyone in the “Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007” at Ancestry.com may not contain every “alternate name” the person ever had–particularly if the person was a female who was married. It appears that Elsie’s Social Security file contains no information from before October of 1962. In this case the likely reason the additional last name is not included is that this woman, who died as Elsie Cegas, had a first marriage that ended in the early 1930s–before the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935. Elsie may have married Mr. Queen before she ever even applied for a Social Security number. It’s a good reminder to know when certain records were kept and when programs that required those records were in […]
My family tree is more accurately a family web. I have numerous cousins who are related to me in more than one way because we share two or three sets of ancestors. I have just as many more sets of individuals where I am related to person A and to person B, person A is related to person B as well, but the three of us do not share a common ancestor. All of which makes analyzing DNA matches more of a challenge than usual. So when deciding with DNA match’s shared matches with me that I should analyze first, I pick the one who moved away. The descendants of my uncle whose only child moved 500 miles away to a completely different rural area. The descendants of […]
A long-time friend wrote a short inscription in one of his works of fiction that he recently sent to me. I have not seen him in over thirty years. I always thought his handwriting was somewhat distinct and unique. Seeing it took me back to that time when we were kids and got me to thinking about things I had not thought of in years–memories that seeing pictures of him for some reason did not bring back. If you have pieces of a deceased relative’s handwriting, consider using it as a memory prompt. Images can be powerful memory joggers. And if you do not know whose handwriting it is, consider asking family members if they know.
I shared a 1938 aerial image of my grandparents’ farm. The closeup only showed their house and barns and some of the nearby acreage. The closeup made it difficult to see that it was actually their farm. There was no context. And, even showing the neighboring properties would have made it difficult for someone to “know” that the farm was theirs. The shed and the additional barn was missing from my grandparents’ farm. The subdivision across the road was not there. I could have included a modern plat map showing the property borders and the modern location of the house. That map shows the same shape of property as the photograph does–as the railroad tracks form the western boundary of the property. I could have included the fact […]
It is not unusual for a married couple to purchase a tombstone before their death and have all but their date of death inscribed on the stone. It is also not unusual to visit a cemetery and see such a stone with the death date of one individual blank. If they were born in 1870 they are probably dead. The question is are the buried in the cemetery or not? It is possible that they were buried there and no one bothered having the death date inscribed on the stone. It is also possible that the person was buried in another location–perhaps with another spouse. Death certificates, cemetery records, obituaries, or funeral home records may help to answer the question.
It’s hard to have a new tip every day, so today is a reminder. What have you not preserved that you have the only copy of? Do you have items that have not been identified? Do you have relatives you have not called, contacted, or reached out to in order to see if they have pictures or items you do not? Have you backed up your own genealogy files and databases?
DNA results can be overwhelming and some are anxious to solve those decades-long brick walls the minute they get the results back. That’s not how it works, especially if you have never analyzed DNA results before. To help in the results analysis: Have your tree as complete as you can. Trace as many descendants of your ancestors through your 3rd great-grandparents as possible–at least down to people born in the 1920-1930 era. This helps in analyzing short trees. Identify as many matches as you can (back through 3rd/4th cousins at least)–even on the lines you are not interested in. This helps to sort out other matches and helps to build your skills.
The picture of my Mother, my brother and I on a snowmobile has “Jun 75” stamped on the bottom of it. It was taken on a frozen pond south of the house where we grew up. It was not taken in June of 1975. That was the month the picture was developed. There was some time where developed photographs had the month and year of development stamped on them. At the time this was common knowledge. There did not need to be a warning phrase “this is when the photograph was developed.” Documents often contain a variety of dates–execution, acknowledgement, recording, returning, etc.–that may be spelled out explicitly on that document. Sometimes those dates are not explained but remember that any piece of information on a record–especially if […]
Land records are one of those documents that typically are recorded relatively soon after they are drawn up and signed. But some relatives may have a looser definition of relatively soon than others. Deeds are occasionally recorded decades after they were executed. This may be due to temporary illness, absentmindedness, distance from the courthouse, or other reasons. The oversight is most likely to be noticed when the purchaser dies or wants to sell the property. The decades-earlier deed of acquisition may be recorded right before the deed of sale. Two reminders here are to look for a deed in record books long after you think the property transfer was a “done deal” and always look to see what’s recorded right before and after any document you have discovered. […]
Family tradition and initial research indicated a relative lived in one township after his immigration to the United States in the 1850s until his death in the 1910s. Every decennial census showed him living in the same township from 1860 through 1910. Digging a little deeper it turned out he spent approximately 10 years in the county to the north–where he owned property, a few children were baptized, and where he would have been found in the 1890 census if it were extant. After he and his wife spent his time there, they moved back to where they originally settled. This ten or so year excursion would have been more difficult to determine if the family had not owned real property and had not had their children baptized […]
Biological relatives are the logical place to begin your search for family history information. And while biological relatives are the obviously place to search for others who may be willing to take a DNA test, non-biological relatives may be the place to get additional information. If your ancestor/relative was married several times, the descendants of the final spouse may have family history items from your family in their collection of old materials. Descendants of ancestral associates may have information about your relative. Former neighbors of somewhat close family members may have stories about your family member that your immediate family do not know or are not willing to share. One way to locate some of these individuals is to reach out to local history groups on Facebook. In […]
For any family history photograph, letter, or other “historical” item, do you track as best you can the provenance of the item? How did it come into your possession? Who had it before you? Who told you about the item (if anyone)? Where was it when you obtained it? Do not forget to record the history of the item in addition to identifying what it is and who is mentioned or pictured in it.
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