Scanning documents is great and an excellent way to preserve them. But transcribing serves a purpose too. It forces you to actually READ the document. That is a great way to notice phrases or words that sometimes get overlooked. And there are times when that one word or phrase can make all the difference. Transcribe something today. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
How many pieces of information are in your family tree or genealogy database from “memory” or some unidentified source? Check them out. They could be the real reason you have a brick wall. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Try searching Google books for every ancestor, even the ones you think will never be in there. I located my paternal grandfather in an Angus breeders’ directory from the 1950s and a 4th great-grandfather in an 1830s era directory from Germany. http://books.google.com ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just a little piece of advice. Before you buy a CD with a PDF or a scan of that out of print book, make certain it’s not available on www.archive.org or the BYU website for free. Then you could download it and search it for free and make your own CD. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keeping up with the genealogy news can be overwhelming at times. Two great ways to keep up can be to read Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter or Leland Meitzler’s Genealogyblog.Of course, I’d be appreciative if readers signed up for the paid version of Eastman’s as that includes my weekly “Casefile Clues” column. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I love to use Gmail for my genealogy mail. Those who use Gmail might want to check out the Gmail blog post about being a Gmail Ninja. There are a lot of good tips there for making the most of gmail and saving time and hassle in the process. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Have you thought about how long after your ancestor’s death he or she may be mentioned in a record? My ancestor Peter Bieger died in 1855. He is mentioned by name in a 1906 deed when his grandchildren are signing a quitclaim deed for the property. Fifty-one years after he died. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Researching “completely” a family you know may do one of several things for you or your research. You may learn something about research or something about the family you did not know before. Recently I obtained deeds showing how a house and a farm were sold after the owner’s died. In both cases, I knew all the vitals on the family. In both cases I understood the records better because I “knew” the family. That helps me understand records later when I don’t know the family. Sometimes it is easier to learn about records when the family isn’t as foreign to you as the records. And in one case I learned a few things about the family that were new to me. Another reason to search for everything. […]
I wasted an hour today looking for a set of documents I scanned. I scanned and saved them when I was in a hurry and the file name was very helpful, “ufkes.” When a last name is your mother’s maiden name, MANY files contain that word. I eventually searched the entire hard drive for files with “ufkes” in the title, but there were MANY that I had to go through. I renamed the file with a more descriptive name “john_ufkes_cancelled_homestead_file” Are your file names helpful? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is there some record type of source you have never utilized because you thought it was too difficult to use, too difficult to understand, or was hard to access? Consider expanding your research horizons and make today (or this week) the time you use that new (to you) source. You may make some wonderful discoveries. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When writing genealogy information for anyone to read, avoid using terms like “Grandma” or “Uncle” without fully identifying the person. Vague references will only confuse the reader. The same is true when asking people questions in an interview. It took me forever to get my grandma Neill to understand that I was asking questions about HER Grandfather Trautvetter, not her dad (who was my dad’s Grandpa Trautvetter). Once you’ve had children, it does get a little confusing who you mean when you say “Grandma.” Don’t leave someone in a hundred years confused about who you meant. Be specific. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I am on entirely too many email lists for genealogy. Finally at long last I sat down in my gmail (which I use for my genealogy email) and made a separate filter for each one. Messages to these mailing lists then never go to my main inbox and I don’t see them unless I visit the folder individually. Now my inbox is not overflowing with these messages and I my inbox can stay clear for the “important” ones. This is particularly helpful as I get my genealogy email on my blackberry and before the filter I was ALWAYS getting email on my phone. A little annoying. Email lists are great for genealogy, but now I can read them when I want–not have them flying at me 24/7. ———————————— […]
In some families and ethnic groups, there are tendencies to pass on certain names. Sometimes this is done in a certain fashion, perhaps the oldest son for the father’s father, the oldest daughter for the father’s mother, and then on down the line. Remember that this practice was a tendency in some families and is not proof of anyone’s name at all. Names can be used as clues, but they are “extremely circumstantial” ones at best. And if both grandfathers are named John and both grandmothers are named Anna, then you really have a mess! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that just because your ancestor took out a marriage license does not necessarily mean that he got married. Make certain there is a return as well with the date of the ceremony given by the officiant. Most people who take out a license get married, but once in a while something happens between the courthouse and the ceremony. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Many genealogists would benefit from having a legal dictionary. It doesn’t have to be a current one. I picked up an old edition of Black’s Law Dictionary on Ebay several years ago for $8–shipping was nearly that much as well. Current editions are much more expensive. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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