We are not talking about every book at the courthouse–although it is a good idea to look through as many books as you can. In this tip “going through every book” means taking a look through every book you have before you decide to sell, donate, recycle, or other wise dispose of it. This applies to even the non-genealogy books–particularly works of no-longer-popular fiction and the like. Tucked in one such novel was a birthday card my daughter made for me when she was eleven years old. You can easily find other items that, for one reason or another, have been tucked into a book where you would least expect it. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day--the book–on our website.
Other than part-time work at the local sale barn, my father’s entire work life was centered around farming. I can’t create a list of employers for my Dad other than Grandpa Neill and Dad himself. But I can think about the various farm tasks he completed on a daily or regular basis. I do remember that he didn’t do most mechanical repairs other than the occasional “botching” something to get it to run until he had time to have it actually fixed. I don’t remember him ever welding anything although some farmers do that. There’s a variety of other farm-related tasks that I won’t bother to list here–but they are things to put in my file about my Dad. And stories about pieces of equipment that always seemed […]
If you are keeping for your descendants a short history of your life, do not forget to include your former addresses. This is particularly important if you’ve made several significant moves in your lifetime. It’s also important if you lived in one area most of your life time with the exception of a few years in a different location. Those things get forgotten. And if you aren’t keeping a short history of your life for your descendants, why not? Don’t we wish our ancestors had done that? And asking about former addresses is a way to get a relative’s memory going as well. Just don’t nag them for specific house numbers if they can’t remember. City directories and other contemporary sources may help you fill in the specific […]
If your ancestor transitioned from one job to another, have you tracked in your genealogical records when that happened (along with your source)? If your ancestor actually retired, have you recorded that information as well? Job changes can be key events in a person’s life and a time when they make other changes as well. Some people work the same job until they pass away—others do a variety of things..including retirement. Don’t forget to track those things when you can. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day--the book–on our website.
The word “relict” typically refers to the widow of a deceased person. If Hinrich and Johanna were married and Hinrich dies, Johanna is his relict. The word is not used today as “widow” tends to be preferred. Relic–as in old item surviving from an earlier time–has the same root as relict. There’s usually no specific significance to the word “relict” and it’s use does not mean there were former spouses of the deceased who also survived him. Our 25% sale on new webinars ends on 1 November–see our list of offerings before it is too late.
Regularly evaluate the information you locate. Compare it with what is known about the ancestor or family in question. Do things make sense? Is information relatively consistent? Is the person performing acts at a reasonable time in their life? Are people moving too frequently? Does the migration path seem reasonable (or if not, can you find a reason)? Don’t just gather without evaluating. Don’t move backwards to earlier generations until you’ve confirmed relationships in more recent generations.
If your ancestor was not a cradle-to-grave member of the same church or denomination, have you created a chronology or time-line of when your ancestor was a member of what church/denomination? If your ancestor was a cradle-to-grave Methodist and moved frequently, do you know where she attended church in each of those locations? Have you found out where those records are? Have you accessed them? Even your ancestor was born, lived, and died in the same home and never changed denominations, they may have attended more than one church for a variety of reasons. Intro price on my new Funeral Home webinar and Creating Children’s Stories from Genealogy Records ends on 1 November.
A list of amounts paid to settle an estate can tell you more than who the heirs or beneficiaries were. Those payments can tell you to whom your ancestor owed money, with whom he did business, where the funeral was held, what church he went to, what general store he purchased items from (perhaps even some items purchased), and more. Make certain you have fully analyzed those payments for clues about your ancestor.
I had a great time giving these two webinars this week and am happy to announce that the recording and handout are now available. More information is available on our announcement page.
I referred to them as “seed corn pencils” and did not think twice about it. They are pencils that were used to advertise seed corn my great-grandfather sold in the mid-20th century. To me the reference needed no further explanation. But I discovered that I am not everyone and that not everyone has my experience. I grew up on a grain and livestock farm in the American Midwest in the 1970s/1980s. I’ve know what “seed corn” is for a very long time: it’s corn that is used for seed–for planting. But not everyone has that background and when I referred to my great-grandfather’s pencils as “seed corn pencils” others did not understand the reference and thought they were some odd sort of pencils that somehow involved “seed corn.” […]
In the 19 January 1973 issue of the Galesburg Register-Mail a request is made for information on missing graduates of the 1923 class of Galesburg High School. One of the names is Pearl Trask. The Ancestry.com database entry for this Pearl Trask indicates that this means that Pearl Trask lived in Galesburg on the date of the newspaper. While it is possible she lived in Galesburg in 1973, what is certain is that the reference is indicating that a Pearl Trask graduated from Galesburg High School in 1923. It is possible she lived in Galesburg in 1973, but somewhat doubtful given the size of the town and the fact that the upcoming reunion was from a Galesburg High School class. Always check the original and make certain the […]
Keep in mind that there are some relationships stated in records that, after some research is conducted, are not as clear as we would like them to be. “Brothers” could be full brothers or half-brothers. One of the siblings could have been an adopted sibling. They could also be step-brothers or brothers-in-law.
When a manual search of census records is necessary, use a map. A map will help you keep a geographic perspective when searching and help guide you in knowing where to search if your ancestors are not initially where they are expected to be. The map can also be used to keep track of where searches have been conducted. The ideal map to use would be one that that shows the same enumeration regions that were used in the census. For censuses taken 1880 and after, these enumeration districts had maps created for the sole purpose of census enumeration and sometimes those districts had boundaries that followed civil government boundaries. These enumeration district maps are online at the National Archives and Records Administration website. For enumerations before 1880, […]
I had always known my mother lived with her grandmother between hr graduation from college and her marriage to my father. But if I had not, the 1966 annual church report from the church my mother and her grandmother had attended would have indicated they lived together for a time. Miss Constance Ufkes is listed at the same address as Mrs. Fred Ufkes. The relationship is not stated as it is for some in the directory. These directories can contain other clues as well–particularly addresses for church members who had moved away temporarily for school or military service. The directory may provide their school address or military rank and address. The difficulty is in locating these items. The church may have them. Local libraries or historical societies may […]
Never assume there cannot be more than one person with same name–or a name that’s very close to it–in the same area. Whether the area is rural or urban makes no difference. It is always possible. While writing a recent tip, I came across a person named Hilka Huls who died in the 1950s in Hancock County, Illinois. Wanting to make certain I had the correct person and the correct date, I did a little searching. There were two women with this name in that location. Both were born in the 1870s. Both died in the 1950s. They were sisters-in-law. Same namers may be related–most likely first or second cousins. They may be related by marriage–as in this case. They may also not be related at all. Sometimes […]
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