Genealogical researchers are reminded to be aware that any record can contain an incorrect piece of information. That’s true. A document can contain 15 pieces of information and 14 of them can be totally correct and that one last piece can be a mistake. Maybe. Don’t conclude immediately that something is wrong just because it looks off. Make certain that: You have the correct person. You’ve transcribed the item correctly. You have a good clear image of the record. You are understanding all the terminology in the record. The other information you have about the person is correct.
Riley Rampley has three tombstones in the Buckeye Cemetery in rural Hancock County, Illinois. Two of them have different dates of birth. My transcription of these stones should be true to the original–exactly as they are written. Comments about the accuracy of the information on any stones should be made in my notes. That should be done in such a way as to make it clear what the transcription is and what my comments are. I should not correct the information when I make my transcription. This also serves as a reminder to consider the possibility that your ancestor has more than one tombstone. Although I just wish more of my relatives had one stone–I’d be happy with that!
Going to a cemetery is more than knowing where it is and having your camera and other supplies with you. A few things to think about: Is it in a safe area? Contact locals who should be able to give you some insight into concerns you might have about safety of the area in which the cemetery is located and areas you may have to drive through in order to get there. When is it open? Are there a limited number of hours during the day when the cemetery is open? Can you find out where the stones are before you get there? Is there an office you can visit when you get there to determine the location of the graves you wish to visit? Some cemeteries are […]
Avoid overwhelming your new DNA matches with too much genealogical information. Focus you first communication is trying to confirm who they are and how they connect to you. An informal, laid-back approach is best–but avoid being too familiar and immediately jumping into personal questions. Your initial goal is to get a response and see if you can figure out the connection. Sometimes that’s a big goal. Save the 6-generation pedigree chart for when you’ve determined just how interested they are. We’re not suggesting hiding information–what we are suggesting is fostering a connection and an interaction.
Periodically reviewing your research on “worked up” ancestors is a good way to make additional discoveries, catch mistakes, and find ways to share what you’re already written up. Using the birthdays of your ancestor (if you have them) is one way to do that. I wish my software allowed me to assign an “annual review date” for each ancestor. That would give me a day to use for all those people for whom I don’t have a precise date of birth. But the annual review of each person might not be a bad thing–especially for those people you’ve been stuck on for a while and have put aside to work on other individuals. Today (1 Sept 2019) would have been my Grandma Ida (Trautvetter) Neill’s 109th birthday. I […]
“Grandma worked out as a young girl and when they bought their farm in the late 1930s it was on the ‘hard road.’ ” Explain terms in your notes that may not be clear to someone else later. Grandma was not going to the gym when she “worked out” and most farms in the 1930s where they lived were not on paved roads–it was a big deal at the time. She called it the “slab” too. Grandma babysat me when I was small and she’d warn me not to go out near the “slab.” My children had no idea what I meant. It was the state highway that ran in front of Grandma’s house. Always make certain your terminology is clear and make certain that you understand terms […]
Aside from names that are spelled wrong, first names that are omitted, and names that are flat-out wrong, there are at least two other big reasons you may have difficulty finding a newspaper entry for your relative simply by querying a database: the database of newspapers may be incomplete and the original images are virtually impossible for OCR (optical character recognition) to recognize. Browse the images to determine if there are gaps in the newspapers online at the site and look at some images from the time period in question to determine how legible. Some digital images of newspapers were made in the early days of microfilming and may be difficult for the computer to interpret. You may have to read them manually and search them that way […]
James Chiaro is referenced twice in this estate document from Cook County, Illinois. In the initial mention of his name, he is simply James. In the second reference, buried in text that sometimes gets overlooked, was the name of his alias. Had it not been read, it would not have been noticed. This document was indexed at Ancestry.com and the index only lists James. It does not list the alias of Vinenzio which is also given for him.
Depending upon the location and the time period, an individual’s probate file may have a “proof of death” statement or affidavit. The court wanted to know that the person whose estate was being probated was actually deceased. In other places there may be no such record and the best estimate of date of death is simply before the first date the individual is listed as “deceased” in the records.
It took me forever to “realize” where the nickname probably came from. Some family members referred to my Aunt Luella as “Law.” I had known her by those names for so long that I never questioned it and never wondered where it came from. I just took as it was. Until today. I was saying the name to myself for some reason or another and it dawned on me that the originator of the “Law” name probably said “Luella” in such a way that “law” was a part of it. I never heard it pronounced that way and didn’t say it that way myself. Of course the reason I never heard anyone say “Lawella” or “Lawellaw” is because those people never said her full name. They called her […]
We are excited to offer this new class on using US census records. Virtually every US genealogist uses census records, but not everyone is aware of how those records can be maximized for what they do contain. There are limitations to these records, but there are advantages to them as well. If you’ve wondered if you are getting the most out of US census records, this class is for you. Content: This three-week session will look at US census records from 1850 through 1940. Topics discussed will include: enumerator instructions and how information “got in the census” organization of original records working with family structure in 1850-1870 records correlating a family’s census records over time evaluating accuracy of census records determining other records suggested by a family’s enumerations […]
Do not assume that a reference to your relative as a “foreigner” means that they were from a different country. There are times and some records (eg. some town records in New England) where a reference to someone as a foreigner may simply indicate that they are from a different town or state. My uncle’s will was probated in Indiana in the 1980s and was needed to settle some property in Illinois where it was mentioned as a “foreign will.”
Death records, probates, and obituaries are not the only place where your relative’s name could appear after their death. There are a variety of records and materials that could contain a reference to your ancestor–even if that ancestor was deceased. Barbara Haase had been dead for several years and her name was still appearing on tax rolls because her estate had not been settled. Newspapers may mention your relative’s name after their death for a variety of reasons. The estate of your dead relative could have been sued as well. Your ancestor stops breathing when they die. References to them may continue for some time in certain records.
Legal documents are usually created in response to some event. Often that event is not stated in the document–try and determine what it is. Legal documents use words that may be used on “common conversation” with a slightly different meaning. Make certain you are interpreting words in the legal sense not in the everyday language sense. Legal documents are created in the context of contemporary law and contemporary legal practice. Try and determine what those are. What sufficed in 1719 might not be what suffices in 2019.
Sound genealogy methodology indicates that witnesses on documents should always be researched for a potential connection to the person for whom they are witnessing a document. That’s good advice. Just remember that not every witness had a connection to the person who actually was signing the document. Samuel Neill became a citizen in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1880. A quick search of the 1880 census indicated that the witness on his naturalization was the county collector who apparently had no connection to Neill other than he was in the courthouse on the day Neill naturalized. Sometimes witnesses are simply other adults of legal age who were in the vicinity of your ancestor.
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