Try and keep your data is as current a format as possible on the most up-to-date media there is. Times change. Technologies change. If you don’t remember punch cards from personal experience, search for them online. It’s a good reminder that any format can become obsolete. Or you can use paper and high-quality ink. Or a durable stone.
In some ethnic groups, during some time periods, it was common to use the names of deceased children for children born after the child had died. A couple could easily have had four children with the same name as one of my ancestral couples did. The last child fortunately survived, but the first three did not, dying shortly after birth. Genealogical software programs typically flag these types of children–thinking you have simply entered in the same child multiple times with different vital event dates. While today this practice is not usually done, there was a time when it was commonplace and don’t immediately assume that a researcher has made a mistake when they indicate a couple had repeated children with the same first name. Like always–do a little […]
I read a headline on a genealogy search site that read “spelling doesn’t count.” While it’s true that your ancestor’s names may have not have been spelled precisely the “correct” way and the same way every time, spelling does count–to a point. It’s not the precision of the exact letter match that is important, it’s the sounds suggested by these letters that matters, at least partially. Trautvetter, Troutfetter, and Trautbetter are not spelled exactly the same but the sounds represented by the different letters are similar enough that the spellings likely refer to the same “name.” There are other factors at play as well. Handwriting issues, Trautveller for Trautvetter, vowels misread as consonants, Trantfetter for Trautfetter, and similar challenges are also concerns. And there’s always Wharton being rendered […]
In 1877, my ancestor wrote his will and gave his wife a life estate in his real property. Upon her death, the real estate was to be divided among their three surviving children. It can be tempting to say “oh how gracious of him to do this” and focus on how this bequest limited what his wife could do with the property. It did limit what she could do with it. However, as long as the property taxes were paid, it kept her from losing it, kept someone from influencing her into selling it, kept it from going to pay the debts of a subsequent husband, made it impossible for her to mortgage or sell it to pay the debts of a child, etc. She could use the […]
We’ve mentioned it before, but a reminder never hurts. Always review what you’ve written one last time. Are the dates correct? Did you transcribe the names correctly? Were the relationships stated clearly? Is something phrased in a way that is vague or that could be misinterpreted? Once it’s online and the incorrect genie is out of the genealogical bottle, it can be difficult to put it back in. And often it’s impossible.
Any record can have an incorrect detail. A clerk or a scribe can make an unintentional error for any of a number of reasons. This clerk in the 1840s confused the “former” names of two women involved in a court case with one of the other men being sued. It’s an honest and easy mistake to make. A good analytical technique with any record is to ask yourself: What if one detail in this record were incorrect? How would my research change? Is it possible one item is wrong? Registration deadline ending on 10 June for my trip to the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
The reality is that there is no trick or instant solution to genealogical research problems. However, generally speaking the following approaches are helpful: citing your sources; learning as much as you can about all the records in the area; learning the history of the area; having contemporary maps; obtaining as many records as possible; using compiled sources (published genealogy books, online trees, etc. ) as stepping stones to original records; realizing assumptions may not be true; continuing to learn about genealogical research in general; proofing and double checking your work. Not one trick and not a guarantee, but these general suggestions will go a long way.
Probate records for tenant farmers may not provide any direct statements as to where the deceased lived–just that they had property within the county limits. Make certain to read the entire file completely, paying particular attention to anything that may list an address or location. Receipts often have a date and a place written on them. Doctors, estate appraisers, and other small businessmen who may have interacted with your ancestor likely lived close. Appraisers often live in near proximity to the deceased–giving them a better idea of what the deceased owned and what it was worth. Receipts for publication of probate notices may be to newspapers in the county seat or the nearest town with a newspaper. Receipts for payment of court expenses will be “placed” at the […]
James Orrey had four “natural children” when he died in Bedford County, Virginia, in the 1790s. The reference indicated that James and the mother of the children, Mary Parker, were not married at the time the children were born. These children would not automatically be James’ heirs during the period in question–unless he publicly acknowledged them. Fortunately, he did acknowledge his four children and provided for them specifically in his will. The Legal Genealogist has more about natural children in this blog post.
Reading the German language records was difficult and I almost didn’t bother obtaining copies of the baptismal entries for the siblings of John George Trautvetter who was born in 1798. It is a good thing I did for there was a clue in one of the relationships listed along with the name of the sponsors. And there in the entry for one of John George’s brother was the indication that their father’s brother was the sponsor. A helpful hint in this case where knowing as many relationships as possible is necessary because every family had a George and a Michael and every son’s first name was Johann. Don’t neglect those ancestral siblings.
Not all genealogy experts are created equally and sometimes giving genealogical advice is more of a guess as not all families are the same, some people lived outside the lines, some of what you think you know may be incorrect, your explanation may not be as clear as you think it is, the expert might not really be listening to what you are saying, etc. Sometimes the expert will accurately tell you something that you do not want to hear or will suggest a valid approach that seems initially to be “too much work.” There may be something about your ancestor that you really don’t want to know or don’t want to admit and it may be that the time period and location in which your ancestor lived […]
There’s still time to join me in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, at the genealogically renowned Allen County Public Library. In addition to the vast collection of books the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has, the library is a FamilySearch affiliate. That means that some of the digital images on FamilySearch I cannot access at home I will be able to access while at the library in Ft. Wayne. One advantage of going to a library a distance from home is that it makes it easier to immerse oneself in research, concentrate a little better, interact with other genealogists face-to-face, and access materials that are not in digital format. Fortunately there’s a time to organize the material I brought home from the Family History Library in Salt Lake before I head to Ft. Wayne–especially […]
Years ago after a presentation, a gentleman came up and told me that I should not suggest people rely on census records or other “secondary records” for information. While census records can be incorrect and information that’s secondary can be suspect, sometimes it is all that we have. My ancestor, Ellen Butler was born in Missouri in the 1850s. Her family moved frequently, did not attend any church that kept records, there is no family bible that I can find, and she died before there was vital registration of deaths as well. While I keep looking for a “better source” of information, there’s probably never going to be anything other than a few of census enumerations to estimate her year of birth. Of course census records can be […]
If it takes years for a relative’s estate to be finally settled, it can be tempting to think that the reason was because there was a legal wrangling over the estate. While sometimes that is the case, it is also possible that the relative’s surviving spouse had a lifetime interest in the property or was given a life estate by the deceased relative. It’s also possible that if there were minor heirs, the other heirs waited to finally settle the estate until all the heirs were legally old enough to execute documents. That’s often easier than going through the process of appointing a guardian. There are reasons why an estate could be drawn out over some time besides family drama. Although family drama is a frequent reason.
While working on a Virginia family at the Family History Library, I located some court records that partially explained a family and their relationships and partially confused me more than I already was. I thought if I just kept looking at the information, I would eventually “figure it out” and the likely scenario would dawn on me. It didn’t. Time spent drawing out the possible scenarios was better spent looking for more records, crossing sources off my search list, etc. It’s usually best to wait until the research is complete to start trying to put it all together. Of course, one is going to conjecture and speculate as new materials are located. That’s normal and it’s a good way to move your research forward. But sometimes it’s best […]
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