Have you fully researched those siblings of your ancestors without descendants? Their pension applications, marriage records, census materials could be just as helpful on your direct ancestors in answering questions about your family’s origins. And, if they had an estate requiring probate, those records could help document additional family relationships. Sometimes there’s a big story in the aunt or uncle who never has children. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
After you have transcribed and analyzed the information, take the names of neighbors from the census and ask family members if they remember people with those names. Names of neighbors can often jog people’s memories and cause them to remember stories you never thought to ask. That’s one thing I wish I had done with my grandfather’s 1930 census entry for the rural township in Illinois where he grew up. I’m certain asking about those names from the nearby census entries would have generated a lot of memories. When the 1940 census comes out and you finally find your people, don’t just file the information away. Use it. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you ancestors were living in an area before the county was formally settled and had established a local government, are you aware of the county from which it was formed? Do you know where to obtain records for that time before the county actually had its own government and set of records? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When reading a 1790s era deed, a quick reading seemed to indicate that the seller was selling all of a piece of property he had acquired a few years earlier. The acreages were inconsistent with the whole property being sold. A more detailed reading indicated that the part being sold was actually a part of the original. What was originally confusing was just me being not careful. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It never hurts to be reminded of the importance of spelling: ignoring it for names (within reason). The last name of a person can easily be spelled more than one way, even within the same document. The key for the researcher to remember is that the different spellings should indicate the same name. Bigger, Bieger, Berger, Picker, Pickert, Bickert, Burger, etc. could all easily be the same person. However, a last name of Haase would be considerably different. In modern times we want our names spelled the right way consistently for a variety of reasons. Our ancestors didn’t live in modern times. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In some handwritten indexes to local county records, the entries for those names beginning with “Mc” or “Mac” may be filed in a separate section after all the “M” entries. So if it looks like the whole county didn’t have one Mc or Mac family, look at the “end” of the “M” names to see if they are there. Sometimes they get put at the front too. It can vary but just remember that in some indexes those names may have their own separate section. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that information on a census is to be given as of “the census date.” Sometimes censuses were not taken until days, weeks, or occasionally a month later. Respondents might have been confused when giving information as of a certain date that had happened in the past. As a result, children might be listed who were born “after the census date.” ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Immigrant ancestors who married in their new country might very well have known each other back in their homeland. If you have located one of them in the “old country” and cannot find the other, consider looking for them in the same area. It was not uncommon for men to immigrate, get settled and write back that they were looking for a bride. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are “stuck” on a specific ancestor, have you completely researched all the way through their grandchildren? There may be direct clues in records on those individuals to help you on the grandparents, or there may be indirect clues (associates, etc.) that may help you on the actual ancestor you are working on. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you contacted the local historical or genealogical society in the county where your ancestor lived? They may have unique sources or knowledge that could be helpful to your research. Don’t fail to make contact with these organizations. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that city or town dwellers who owned their home should appear in land records as well as farmers who owned property of larger sizes. These transactions may help pinpoint a migration time for your ancestor and deeds drawn up after the surviving spouse died may help you locate missing children. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My webinar on the probate process (focusing on American records) was recorded today. Geared towards the advanced beginner or intermediate researcher, it covered an overview of the process and looked at selected documents from two probate settlements with a discussion of the pitfalls to watch out for along the way. Probate records are an excellent genealogical source–regardless of the time period in which you are researching and may contain clues about your ancestor, where he lived, his occupation, etc. The recording (and handout) are available at an introductory rate of $6. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Your great-great-grandparents probably have other descendants besides you. They may easily have several hundred descendants. Any of those individuals could have the family bible, pictures, or other items of genealogical interest. Don’t just look to your immediate family for this information. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My webinar “Researching Female Ancestors” was recorded today. In giving the presentation live, a few ideas for my own research crossed my mind as well. This presentation discusses approaches and techniques for determining an ancestor’s maiden name and locating “missing” females. Geared towards the advanced beginner or intermediate researcher, it focuses on American records and sources. The content is not specific to any one time period and many of the approaches can be refined for different locations or types of records. If you are stymied on your female ancestors–and half your ancestors are female–consider purchasing the webinar (and handout) at the introductory price of $6. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
The appraisers of an estate cannot have a direct interest in the estate they are appraising. This eliminates heirs and creditors of the deceased. What this means is that children cannot be appraisers, but other relatives can be–as long as the deceased did not owe them money. It is possible that relatives of the widow were appraisers. Or they just could be neighbors. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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