It was late and I was trying to search for a person I knew I had found in an 1860 census–William Brice. After several attempts, there he was listed as Wm. Brice. Don’t forget that some individuals may be enumerated under abbreviated names. Wildcard searches do not always catch these alternate names. Will* certainly would not catch Wm. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A gentleman bemoaned the fact that he could not find his ancestor in the 1880 census. When he asked for help, I asked to see what he knew about the ancestor to help formulate a search. Reading the obituary, it was clear the ancestor died in 1875. That would explain the absence from the 1880 census. Make certain your ancestor would reasonably be where you are looking for him before you spend too much time. And if she died in 1902, search the 1900 not the 1920 census. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Online databases change–sometimes they add data or make corrections. Part of your tracking your search should include the date an online database was accessed. Then you can compare the date of an update with the date of your search and know whether you need to search the database again or not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Google maps does not always get every location correct when you see it marked on the google map. Some cities had renumbering or renaming of streets and there is always the possibility that a house number from 1880 is not the same as the house number today. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that your ancestor might not have named all his children in his or her will. They might have had a falling out with some children or had already given them their inheritance earlier. Unless the will says “my only children are” and then names them, don’t conclude a will lists the testator’s entire family. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I was lucky that an ancestor married in October of 1870 a few months after the census. Finding her parents was a little more difficult. I searched for everyone with her name in the 1870 census, searching the census in a circle with a 15 or so mile radius of where she married in 1870. Then I researched every person with her name in 1870 and eliminated those that couldn’t be her. The key was that I didn’t just grab the “first one” I found and that I also used variant spellings even after I had a match on the “right name,” just in case. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you don’t know what it means, look it up. Misinterpreted terms can create even bigger brick walls for yourself and other researchers. And make certain you know key dates in local history for the locations where you are researching. When were counties formed, when were streets renumbered, when did the courthouse burn, etc.? Don’t guess. Once in a while our lack of knowledge can aggravate the problem. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Your female ancestor marries for the first time in her late teens or early twenties. The marriage takes place apparently several states away from where she was born? Have you looked very carefully in the area where she married for relatives of hers? Keep in mind her relatives might not be listed under her maiden name if her natural father died and her mother married again. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind if your foreign-born ancestor proved a homestead claim in the United States, he had to prove citizenship. What this means is that there should be a copy of his naturalization papers in his homestead file. Where that naturalization took place could be a clue if the place is different from where the homestead was located. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My ancestor’s second wife disappeared after his death in the 1880s. Apparently dropped off the face of the earth. Turns out, she married after my ancestor died, thus changing her last name. If a woman “disappears,” remember that she could be right where she always was, just living with a new husband and a new last name. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There are things that researchers will not be able to pinpoint precisely. No record might exist that provides great-grandfather’s exact date of birth–and March of 1874 may be as specific as you are going to get. Keep perspective though. Bigger concerns are that you have this ancestor tied to the right parents, sibling, spouse, children, etc. A date of birth that is not specific is not always the end of the genealogy world. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I’ve seen quite a few deeds in my genealogy research. Recently I located one where the wife was listed first, instead of the husband. What it likely means is that the money to buy the house in Chicago was hers, in this case likely an inheritance from her father. It is rare to see a woman listed first in a legal record when she and her husband are listed. If she is listed first, see if you can determine why. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
More material than ever is available in digital format, either free or on a fee-based site. Remember that a significant amount of material exists only in paper form, in the original location where it was recorded. You are missing out if you only access digital images and microfilm. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Planning a trip to a remote courthouse or archives this summer? Do not assume they will be open just because you are coming. Offices have temporary shutdowns for a variety of reasons. Find out before you go–not when you are at the office door. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You’ve found your ancestors in the 1850 census, but there appear to be gaps in the ages of the children. It is possible that some died and it’s possible that some are living with neighbors or other family members, perhaps helping out with children, farm work, etc. It is also possible that great-great-great-grandma didn’t have any children between Henry in 1832 and Sarah in 1840, but there might have been ones in between that are either deceased or just are not in the household. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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