If your relative was a member of a religious order is it possible that in some records their first name is Sister, Brother, or perhaps another title associated with their role in the order?
If you ancestor’s first name is Christian, consider searching for him as “Xtian” as this was an occasional abbreviation for the name. Thanks to MR for reminding me of this tip.
Paying real property taxes in a location means that the person paying the taxes has an ownership interest in property in that location. It does not guarantee that they live in that location. Non-residents paying property taxes in a area are most likely to be land speculators, have formerly lived in the area, inherited property in the area, or to have received land as a benefit for military service. There may be a possible other reason, but those scenarios fit the majority of cases.
Locating your ancestor in a draft registration means that they were legally obligated to register and that the draft records have been preserved. Registering for the draft is not the same thing as enlisting in the service or actually being drafted. FamilySearch has draft cards from World War I and information about various draft cards from World War II. The FamilySearch Wiki has information on Civil War Union draft records. Get the Genealogy Tip of the Day book.
An uncle’s obituary and biography in the county history indicated served in the Union during the US Civil War. I found records of his enlistment which were consistent with statements made in the obituary and biography. He died in the 1930s and based upon his service likely would have qualified for a pension. Yet the various indexes to Civil War pensions did not include a reference to him having received a pension. When I obtained his compiled military service record, I determined the reason he had no pension: he deserted. Many servicemen during the Civil War deserted. My uncle and a few other men in his unit had “gone home” while their unit was in Kansas after the war ended–but before they had been officially discharged. They were […]
Before using a genealogical record, ask yourself how some one gets listed in a record and what would prevent them from being listed in a record? Land owners are in property tax records. Residents of a certain location are in a census record. An individual who dies with no money is usually not the subject of a probate record. A person who is not born in a certain location is not in a birth record there. Sometimes the reasons are obvious and sometimes they are not, but thinking about how someone gets in a record and what might preclude them from being in a record is always helpful.
It is always helpful to know what it is you are using. Several years ago a researcher indicated they had purchased a book of maps for their county of interest showing landowners created from federal land transactions. They were excited about the book and then I asked them when their family of interest moved to the area. It was fifty years after initial settlement started. They then told me their families were not in the book. That’s because none of their family obtained federal land. While maps are always helpful to help with geographic perspective, my friend might have gotten more use of out one contemporary to his research, one with more geographic and topographical features, one showing modern landowners and features, etc. Maps of first landowners can […]
The funeral home your ancestors used may have records that could help you in your research. However, keep in mind that funeral homes change names and owners over time and tracking down the current name and location of operations may take some time. Newspapers, websites of current funeral homes, Google searches for former home addresses, and reaching out to residents in the area (including libraries and historical/genealogical societies) are some good ways to get started trying to locate the records. Remember that funeral home records are private company records and that the business has no obligation to provide you with information. Be polite, courteous, and respectful when requesting information.
Despite having “done genealogy” for decades and knowing full well the distinctions in varying degrees of cousinship (including the “removed” part), I generally refer to a cousin of any degree as just that: a cousin. I don’t specify that someone is my first cousin once removed, my second cousin, my third cousin twice removed, etc. It important to remember that a relative may write the word “cousin” on the back of a photograph and not meant first cousin. The best bet is to transcribe the item as written, indicate (if known) who wrote it, and go from there. Aunts may not be a sister of the person’s parent. Uncles may not be biologically related or even married to an aunt. In some families the terms “aunt” and “uncle” […]
When viewing records created during the marriage process, remember that a couple is not married until the officiant declares them married in a legal ceremony. Licenses, engagement announcements, banns, etc. indicate the intention to marry is there, but until the ceremony has been legally performed, the couple is not married.
Remember that it is entirely possible that a list of grandchildren in an obituary may list grandchildren who are actually step-children of a child of the deceased who is no longer married to the spouse from whom they acquired the step-child. If the grandparents considered their child’s step-child their grandchild, that relationship and consideration may not have ended when their child’s marriage to the parent of the step-child ended. While these relationships may matter greatly to the individuals involved, DNA is only concerned about which individuals reproduced with which individuals.
Many documents and records that genealogists use contain information that is submitted or given without any attempt made to validate the information. Always ask yourself, is there a chance the informant was misinformed, guessing, lying, or in some other way giving incorrect information that would never be fact-checked by the clerk or contain information whose inaccuracy would later be discovered?
If your relatives were farmers who owned their own land in a federal land state, do you know how the sections within a township are numbered? Knowing where your relative’s property fits in relationship to others can help you know how close they really live. Not all bordering sections have adjacent numbers. The GLO Primer will give you a broad overview. In some states, particularly Ohio, there are a different systems used in different areas of the state. Check with a local county atlas or plat book to see what is used in your area of interest.
Before doing any research, read the entire document or record. Before responding to an online post, read the entire thing. Throw caution to the wind and read a record or document a second time before doing further research, drawing any conclusions, or entering information into your genealogical database.
Have you ever guessed about an answer on a form you filled out? Have you ever lied on some sort of record–particularly if the answer wasn’t really germane to the issue at hand (a wrong mother’s maiden name on a eighty-year-old mans’ death certificate is not the end of the world)? If you’ve guessed, lied, or intentionally left something blank on a record what’s the chance that an ancestor did the same thing?
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