My German immigrant ancestor and his brother settled in Adams County, Illinois, in the 1850s. His mother and her second husband also immigrated to the United States, settling some ninety-eight miles away. Early in my research, because I didn’t find her near my ancestor and his brother, I assumed that she never immigrated because “people settled together.” That’s true–usually. But there were a few other factors at work in this family. The “boys” were adults when they immigrated and they actually did settle in an area where a few of their former German neighbors (and perhaps an errant relative I simply haven’t tracked down yet) settled. Their mother had a second husband she married in Germany and it’s possible that he had connections in the area where the […]
I recently discovered the second husband my ancestor had and the children she had with him during the 1840s and early 1850s. I knew her first husband had died, but I had “lost” her after his death in the late 1830s. Her two children with her first husband were immigrants to the United States in the 1850s and are well documented. One of the things I wanted to discover was when she, her second husband, and their children immigrated. Before I start looking for names in online databases and indexes, I need to do one thing: take a look at the manifests on which her two sons appeared (they immigrated separately) and see if the mother (and her crew with husband number two) are also on the manifest. […]
When documenting your immigrant family’s experience, keep in mind that immigrants could have been “up in years as well.” Widowed individuals, on their own for the first time in decades, may have felt the pull to “cross the pond” with one of their children. Empty nest couples whose last child was emigrating may have felt they had no other choice or decided it was time for a new adventure. And you never know, Grandpa or Grandma may have been the driving force encouraging their children and grandchildren to emigrate–only to decide to join them.
If your genealogy group is looking for a virtual presenter for your next monthly meeting, email me for details at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. Many groups are meeting virtually given the current situation. I recently gave a presentation for a group in western Massachusetts whose meetings are online–which is great for those who have mobility challenges or do not live near enough to the meeting site to attend in real time.
If you can identify the handwriting on the back of that photo don’t forget to do that. It helps you know how accurate the identification probably is. And someone later may be glad they know whose writing it is if they find similar writing on the back of one of their pictures of the family.
It is always good to interview as many relatives as possible about the same person or event. Each will remember slightly different things based on their own perspective and life experiences. That’s entirely natural. Humans are not virtual tape recorders no matter how “good” one may think their memory is. They may also have been told different stories about long-deceased relatives or remember details that resonate with them for one reason or another. Long-dead Aunt Myrtle may have liked one cousin better than another and shared more stories with one as a result. The reasons are not so important as the reality: talk to as many as you can, even if they think “I don’t know nuthin’ you ain’t already heard.”
Think about that “fact” you are trying to discover. What records could contain information stating that fact directly? What records could contain information that may provide incomplete information about that fact? What records may contain information that could help you locate additional records that would help you locate information about the fact in which you are interested? This activity is easier to do if you are familiar with records kept in the area and time period for the individuals involved. Brainstorm. Make a list. Then start your work.
When looking for siblings of an adult ancestor, it’s easy to focus on individuals living near the person that have the same last name. They are obvious candidates as siblings of the ancestor of interest. But that person with a different last name who appears on several documents with your ancestor and appears to be hanging out near the ancestor in Amherst County Virginia, and then in Bourbon County, Kentucky? Could he be a brother-in-law of your ancestor-married to the ancestor’s sister? Sometimes those neighbors with different last names are just as related as those with the same last name. And there’s no guarantee those with the same name are related just because they have the same last name either.
If the property your ancestor “owned” or lived on was entailed, it meant that he was not allowed to dispose of it however he saw fit. Broadly speaking, the document setting up the entail (usually deed or a will) defined how ownership would pass from one generation to the next. Many times this would be from the oldest son to the oldest son or to other heirs of the body (frequently males). Entails were generally abolished by the late 18th and early 19 centuries in most English speaking locations. A genealogist may find reference to an entailed estate in a deed and should reference the original deed or will of the initial landowner to determine how the original entail was constructed so that later ownership of the property […]
Documenting your search process is key to analyzing and understanding what has been located and in knowing that there might be more to find. If you have a DNA match with whom you suspect the genealogical connection and that match has an incomplete tree, do you stop researching three when you find the first connection consistent with your theory of how you connect? Or do you research the tree further? If I suspect that the match is connected to me on my Neill family and that we are related around the great-great-grandparent generation for that match, do I quit after I find a Neill connection in that tree even through at least half the tree is incomplete at the great-great-grandparent generation? If you quit (and there are valid […]
If Amazon’s too slow, we still have copies of the Genealogy Tip of the Daybook that can be sent directly to you via USPS. It can be a great way to refresh yourself on things you forgot, learn new things, or view research from a different perspective. It can be read in one setting, browsed at random, or used to generate ideas for your own research. It’s easy to read, informative, and geared towards helping you with your research and not seeing how much labored prose and ten-syllable words can be used in one sentence. If you’re “stuck at home” (or even if you are not), get your copy today! There’s more information on the book on our website.
A few concerns before posting that genealogy question in a Facebook group, Fan Page, etc.: Start your query with key names, location, and one date in the first sentence (some people will only initially see the first part of your query on their screen, phone, etc.). Briefly indicate what you have already searched. Briefly indicate what you are trying to locate. Look to see if there are replies to your post. Try and respond to questions asking for additional information, etc. Don’t post your question and never check on it. Read your post again before sending–does it make sense? Is it clear? Don’t fuss over grammar (within reason), but make certain that your message communicates what you are trying to say. Keep sentences short and to the point. […]
One of the things that can block our research efforts are things that we “know” about our relative that are simply not true . One problem-solving approach is to turn the computer off, put away your phones, and avoid your files. Then write down everything you know about your problem ancestor, including: place and date of birth, areas of residence, names of parents, names of other relatives, educational level, religious preference, occupation, name(s) of spouse(s), names of children, ethnic background, social class, comparison to their peers (financially better off, not financially better off, etc.), anything else, shoe size. Let the list sit for a while–preferably a day or more. See if you can add anything to it. Then after a few days, see which of those things you […]
The photograph of my great-grandparents was mounted on a piece of heavy paperboard. My grandmother has written on the reverse side of it–writing that is on the paperboard and not on the picture. Today, approximately 100 years after the picture was mounted on the board, the glue gave up the ghost. The photo had been freed. It was freed from the paperboard and potentially from being identified. How many of your identifiers are not really attached to the picture? Get more tips in our Genealogy Tip of the Day book.
It never hurts to ask someone else “what is this?” I ran across an online posting indicating a former US president had written a decree in a divorce case. While I remembered the president having been an attorney, I did not remember him being a judge. Knowing that memories are sometimes ephemeral things (mine included), I recognized the fact that I could be wrong. Instead of scanning biographies of the former president, I decided to look at the original copy of the document to which the posting referred. A quick read of it made it clear what it was: a bill of complaint in a divorce case. It was not any sort of verdict or order issued by a judge. The former president had written a “bill” for […]
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