It is always possible that you ancestor lived, at least for a time, in a place that seems to make no sense, fits no migration patterns, etc. I still haven’t figured out my an uncle was in Arkansas for a few years in the 1910s. There may be a reason, but even so, in his family this is unusual. Anyone who left Illinois either went west or north. South was rare. Never discount the possibility that a relative in the “wrong” place cannot be yours. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My great-great-grandmother died in February of 1888 in rural Illinois. Her obituary indicates that relatives from two separate towns, one 8 miles away and another nearly 20 miles away, came to her funeral. The travel would not have been easy, given the time of year. Chances are those people were related to my great-great-grandmother, even though the newspaper did not mention any relationship, and the last names were unfamiliar to me. I would have researched them even if great-great-grandmother died in the summer, but given the probable difficulty of travel in February, the chance of a connection was even greater. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Most of the time quitclaim deeds are used to clean up title to a piece of property after the owner has died. Individuals who sign quitclaim deeds are literally “quitting their claim” in the real estate listed in the document. If you see a group of individuals listed as grantors on a quitclaim deed and one other likely relative listed as the grantee, you should be asking yourself “who likely died that caused this deed to become necessary?” Often it was the last surviving member of a couple, but not always. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
For families that lived during a time of no vital records genealogists often do not have dates of birth. In some cases, it may even be difficult to estimate years of birth if records are not available. In cases such as these, make certain that you indicate the birth order is either a guess or inferred from the order of children in a will or another document. If children married, years of birth could be estimated from the marriage dates. And ask yourself, would any of my conclusions change if the order of birth for these children change? Most times they wouldn’t, but you never know. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind that there’s not always a “need” for a record or a document. If a child has no “estate” or inheritance from a deceased parent, there will not be need to appoint a guardian. If an ancestor doesn’t belong to a church, his children probably won’t be christened there. If an ancestor does not own property, there will not be property tax records. If recording births was not mandatory when a relative was born far from the county seat, there might not be a record of their birth. If your ancestor didn’t care about his reputation among his neighbors, he probably didn’t bother to have his biography included in the local county history. It doesn’t mean that we should fail to look for records, but to […]
Sometimes we need to forget we are a genealogist and think about census taking as if it were our job pretend we were the clerk that couldn’t understand your ancestor imagine we are a semi-literate frontiersman collecting taxes imagine you are a non-English speaker with a fear of the government who sees the census taker coming think what it might have been like to have 4 small children, little money to spare, and barely able to afford a burial plot, let alone a tombstone Remember, the research is about our ancestors and the people who created the records that we use–not necessarily about us. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In several post-1840 US Census records, tic marks are used to indicate a variety of things. In some cases, it is eligibility to vote, married within the census year, ability to read and write, etc. If you’re using a US Census after 1840, don’t ignore those tics, there may be clues hiding there. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There is a difference between an heir and a legatee. An heir is someone who, usually by statute, is entitled to a share in someone’s estate if that person leaves no valid last will and testament. A legatee is typically someone who is given property in a will. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
This has been a tip before–but it bears repeating. When was the last time you read a history book? Actually read it and not just searched for a name in the index. Either a history of the place your ancestors lived or the time period in which they lived would be excellent reading material. If a book seems too much (and it isn’t), consider reading a few issues of the local newspaper during the time period of your “problem.” You might be surprised what you learn. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If your ancestor died during a time when there might have been an obituary or a death notice, search every paper that might have published something. In an urban area, consider the daily newspapers and suburban newspapers that might have included a notice as well–especially if the ancestor actually lived in a suburb. For rural areas, consider all nearby newspapers, ones in the county seat, and perhaps ones in the nearest “large” town, which could be 40 or 50 miles away–especially after auto travel became popular. Newspapers in towns where your ancestor used to live might also have published a notice as well. And always consider ethnic or denominational newspapers, even if they were not published near your ancestor lived. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of […]
A rod is a unit of measure of length equal to 16.5 feet. A rood is a unit of measure for to 1/4 of an acre. Rod is for linear measure and a rood is for area measure. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
November webinars we are giving include: Ancestry.com US Census Searching DeedMapper for Metes and Bounds Properties Using the Bureau of Land Management Website A Missing 1840 Census Enumeration More details and registration information are located on our website. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are having difficulty reading the handwriting on a document or record, particularly one that is entirely in longhand, consider making an “extra” copy and tracing the handwriting yourself with a pencil. Getting a “feel” for the handwriting of the person may help you to transcribe those words or phrases that are giving you difficulty. This also can work with foreign language script as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Even something obviously incorrect can be a clue. On a 1900 census enumeration my great-grandfather’s siblings indicated that their mother was born in Ohio. Every record indicated she was born in Illinois and there was no reason to doubt that. It turned out that her parents had lived for 2 or 3 years in Ohio before her birth and had been married there as well. Ohio was a clue to the family’s past, it just wasn’t where the ancestor was born. Even errors can be clues, often because people remember the name of the place, but forget just how it fits into the family’s individual chronology. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that some families kept in contact more than others for a variety of reasons. Your great-great-great-grandfather in 1850 may have had a rough idea of at least the county where his siblings were living and might have been able to at least write a letter to them with that address and have them get it. Other ancestors might have had no idea where their siblings were located or any way to contact them. It can vary from one family to another and one place to see evidence of it is in estate settlements or probate records. A Civil War pension for one ancestor indicates she knew where her scattered siblings were. Another indicates she had no real clue where her siblings were located. Of course, that may […]
Recent Comments