It took me forever to locate this 1852 marriage bond from Kentucky. Recorded in book form, I almost missed the fact that there were notations on the reverse side of nearly every entry–many with significant details. The notation on the reverse was the only place where the bride was listed as a widow. This was also the bond–made out before the marriage–and not the actual marriage record. That still needs to be located. The bond indicated that a marriage was impending, but….things happen. The marriage record will give the date of the marriage, the name of the officiant, and maybe more. Look at the reverse side. Know how the materials are organized. Know how the record you’ve found fits in the “process.” And make certain you have everything […]
In addition to searching for a webpage or email address for a local genealogical or historical society, search for their Facebook page as well. While not all organizations have a Facebook page, many do. Depending upon the set of up their page, you may able to “instant message” the organization or email them via Facebook. I usually keep my first message relatively short–until I’m certain that someone is actually monitoring it and I get a response. Don’t expect instant responses as these organizations are typically staffed by volunteers or staffers with limited hours. Interacting with a group’s Facebook page can be just another way to reach out. Keep in mind that many organizations do not have the time or the staff to perform research at no charge–especially for […]
Augusta Newman received a warrant for military service in the War of 1812. Yet another man “gets his land.” Why? The reason is that Augusta Newman assigned his warrant over to that man–Thomas J. Stone. Stone likely paid Newman for the warrant. It was sometimes easier for veterans to simply sell their warrant than to move into new federal lands and “start over.” The image with this post is from the Bureau of Land management. The surrendered warrant (which has Augusta’s signature on the back where he assigns it to Stone) is at the National Archives. We’ve discussed Augusta’s warrant and application in issues of Casefile Clues.
I’ve seen this picture numerous times and it wasn’t until today that I really noticed the pin that Foche Goldenstein is wearing in this picture. I’m not certain of its significance still, but it might be worth some time trying to determine. I also realized that the scan of this picture, made years ago, does not include the names of the children in the picture. I have that information, but never put it on the actual image–so there’s something else to do as well. The oldest child (the daughter standing in the back) is my great-grandmother, Tjode (Goldenstein) Habben (1881-1954). The identification of the other children in the picture was done by her daughter. When I annotate the image, I should indicate who made the identification of the […]
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“Maiden” names can be tricky in some families. That name a relative used on their first marriage application or marriage record may have been: the last name they were given when they were born; the last name of their step-father; the last name of the couple who adopted/fostered them; the last name of their own mother if the parents never married. Those issues are compounded by spelling, interpretation, and transcription errors on the original document. And perhaps that first marriage wasn’t really the first marriage after all. If there is no marriage record and one is relying on information children gave on death certificates and other records, a whole additional level of complication is thrown into the mix.
Sometimes we may be tempted to “start over” on a genealogical problem. It’s hard to do that. You can’t unlearn what you think you have discovered and you can’t just forget the information that’s confused you–or at least the conclusions you came to from that information. What you can do is go back and double-check each fact or piece of data to see if you made a mistake. You can determine the source of each piece of data (creating a citation while you do it). You can reanalyze something to see you made an incorrect conclusion or inference. You can make a list of your assumptions. You can learn more about the time period, location, culture, applicable laws, etc. Don’t stress out about going back to “square one.” […]
Never change the order of any names in a document. Children could (but not necessarily) be listed in order of age in a will. If an older child is listed last in a census enumeration it may mean that they weren’t really living there or had moved back home (or it could just be an “error” on the part of the census taker). Heirs may be listed in order of age on a quit claim deed (or they may not). The order may be a clue, but try and use other documentation to back up any conclusions you make about the order. And remember that order, sometimes like life, may be completely random and meaningless.
I realize it would never happen to any “Tip of the Day” readers, but could you possibly have made a mistake at some point in your research? Sometimes the misake isn’t consequential, but in some cases it could be. While citing my sources for an issue of Casefile Clues, I reviewed an illustration for an article I wrote years ago and which I have used in countless lectures. When footnoting one of the items used to compile the chart, I realized that I had a marriage year listed two years off. It was clearly just a typo and did not impact my conclusion, but it was still wrong. Could you have made a mistake or typed something incorrectly? Is it possible that the mistake has an impact on […]
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No matter how long you’ve researched and how adept you are at locating, interpreting, and understanding records, it is always a good idea to communicate with someone familiar with the resources in a location where you’ve never done research before. That “new” county may organize materials in a slightly different fashion, have a finding aid you’ve never encountered, or have other “issues” with their records that may hinder your research if you are unaware of them. That local may know things about the location that are not “common” knowledge, be aware of others who could be able to assist you, and may give you suggestions on navigating the materials in their local area. It’s a mistake to assume that just because you are familiar with records in some […]
No matter how common or easy to spell a name may appear to be, it can always be spelled in an atypical way. A correspondent told me there was a homestead entry for Eliza Ramsey in Saunders County, Nebraska. It took me a while to find it–Ramsey easily gets rendered incorrectly as Rumsey. After spending some time thinking maybe the document was filed under her husband’s name of Harrison or under “Eli,” the entry was finally located under the spelling of “Rhamsey.” It doesn’t really sound any different–“h” is one of those silent letters. Of course this is the only document I’ve found on Eliza or her husband that uses this spelling, but now I’ll keep in it mind. There’s more on this homestead entry in my Rootdig blog.
Avoid jumping to a conclusion based on one document or a statement made by another researcher. This is particularly helpful when things don’t make sense or seem a little off. A correspondent told me that a relative was a bigamist, marrying his second wife after his first wife apparently was too old to have children. The document he sent me was admittedly somewhat confusing, but confusion doesn’t mean that the ancestor in question was married more than once. Further research indicated that the ancestor was not a bigamist at all, but instead had named his oldest son after himself. It was the oldest son who married the woman that my correspondent thought was the ancestor’s “secret family.”
Sometimes records are only accessible onsite and travel is not an option. Sometimes records are in a foreign language and someone who can read and translate them is necessary. Sometimes things just don’t make sense and you need someone with expertise and experience to review your materials and make suggestions or do some research. Before you even consider hiring a professional: organize what you have–go through it, put it together, find the “sources,” transcribe it, summarize it see if there are other ways to access the records you need see if there’s a Facebook group, email list, or other group where you can post your questions–or get suggestions for someone who may be able to help see if you can translate the records yourself--but make certain you are […]
If late in their lives, you can’t trace one of your older relatives, consider the possibility that Grandma moved in with one of her children or grandchildren. This could easily have been a distance from where she lived most of her life and where her husband is buried. It is also possible that a “disappearing” grandparent moved near one of their own siblings instead of one of their own chidlren. It’s also possible that your “disappearing” older relatives moved away and did not live near any of their children as a pair of mine did in the 1870s. And if the census was taken before 1850 in the United States, that older relative may be hiding in one of those tic marks in the census enumeration of their […]
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