In our attempts to locate living relatives, we sometimes ignore those ancestral siblings and cousins who left no children of their own. After all they have no descendants with whom we can make contact. That is true, but records on the childless relative may provide more details on earlier family members and how the estate of the childless relative was disbursed may mention previously unknown relatives. And completely researching the relative without children is always advised in order to obtain a complete picture of the family.
No one cares as much about your research as you. No one will look as diligently for a piece of information or a record as you will. Someone you ask for help will only spend so much time on your problem. Someone you hire will not be able to research indefinitely to find that missing piece of the puzzle (unless your budget is unlimited). And if you want your genealogy to have a chance of surviving past you, it’s up to you. It won’t happen by magic. That’s why it’s up to you to record the stories you find, preserve the artifacts and ephemera you acquire, and try and nurture an interest in genealogy with the younger generation. Some don’t care what happens to their research after they […]
From a while back… The modern use of GPS sometimes makes researchers think that every location can or should be known with exact precision. That’s not always possible nor is it always necessary. Only include in your database locations as precise as the actual record indicates. Don’t assume any more precision than the record provides. A marriage record for an ancestral couple indicated they married in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1830. Based upon other records for their families it’s probable that the couple married in or near Jackson Township. But the marriage record does not state that–either directly or indirectly. My suspicion regarding the location could be put in my notes for that couple along with the evidence that supports that conclusion. Sometimes our knowledge of the location will […]
Mom didn’t tell me too many actual “family history” stories, but there were a few stories that I heard numerous times that were important to me in other ways. High school was not always a fun time for me and there were two stories Mom told of her own experiences that were meant to inspire, motivate, and make me aware that there’s a lot of life after high school and the things that seem to be important in high school aren’t always important afterwards. The specific stories don’t really matter and I’m not posting them here as they were somewhat personal to my Mother and out of respect for her I’m not repeating them. But here’s the thing: they are stories I should write down and record. They […]
Issue 5-8 of Casefile Clues has gone out to subscribers. In this issue we analyze an 1867 marriage record. Subscribers should email me if they did not receive their issue. You can add yourself to our subscription list or find out more about the newsletter on our website.
If you are having difficult thinking spelling variants for your last name, remove vowels or change each vowel with another one. Vowels are the letters most likely to be the cause of spelling variants. Neil easily gets spelled as Neal, Hull as Hall, Harley as Hurly, Beller as Bullar, etc. There’s other letters that can be a problem (“w” and “h” come to mind), but vowels are a good place to start.
When collecting family stories, try and get memories from as many family members as possible, not just one. Different family members may remember different details or different stories. And even when they do remember the same event, their perspectives on that event may differ. One is never enough if you can get more.
One never knows when life will change in an instant. Have you preserved or shared pictures and images of items you have that cannot be replaced? Don’t wait. A sudden illness, natural disaster, or other event can alter your plans for “doing it later.” Make certain others have digital copies of items you have. Initially focus on those items that are unique–letters, pictures, etc. You can wait to make copies of census records and other items that are probably elsewhere. But that wedding book that has signatures of relatives? That scrapbook that has one-of-a-kind pictures? Those are the things you need to focus on initially. Life has a way of happening and those left behind may not have the interest in the things that you do.
We’re really excited about this presentation! Join me on 4 November (or order the recording)–details on our announcement page.
The leaf seemed to be defying gravity. It was simply hanging in the air. Of course the leaf was not defying gravity. It had been caught in the fine, and difficult to see, strand of spider’s web. It was supported and it did have a connection to something else. Those unseen connections are often what we try and find in our genealogical research. Some of the connections leave records where the connection is stated explicitly (birth and marriage being the most common). Some connections are mentioned in other records (death records, probate records, wills, obituaries, etc.). Some connections are strongly hinted at in other records (probates that do not mention how heirs are related, quit claim deeds where numerous grantors are listed without stated relationships, and the like). […]
Need to search several versions of the Social Security Death Index at once? This page on Steve Morse’s site allows you to do that. The Social Security Death Index includes deaths from 1936-2014, but only includes those deaths submitted to the Social Security Administration. It is not an index of every death during that time frame. The actual URL is https://www.stevemorse.org/ssdi/ssdi.html
Genealogists cite Bibles for family history records. Now I’m citing a dictionary, but it’s not for a definition of a word. It’s for my Mom’s college address. I’ll probably cite it in a similar fashion to how one cites family Bibles, but there’ll be some twists. It’s “Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary,” (c) 1959 by G. & C. Merriam Co. Mom’s address is not on a numbered page, it’s on the page immediately following the inside from cover (the first flyleaf?) which is unpaginated–so I don’t have a page number to cite. I’ll include the provenance–how I know it was my Mom’s dictionary. I had seen it a few times before she died and I remember her telling me that her parents got it for her. It’s got her […]
Join me for “The Best of Genealogy Tip of the Day” on 3 November–or purchase a download. Details on our announcement page. This will be one of our last 2024 presentations.
Some records were created before an event took place, usually in preparation for the event itself. The issuance of a marriage license does not guarantee that the marriage ever took place. The announcement of marriage banns also is not evidence of the actual marriage. Even a church bulletin announcing my baptism that day in church does not guarantee it took place. It does indicate the event was planned and scheduled for that day. And, in all likelihood, it did take place. But if one document said something was going to happen and other reliable information indicated that event did not happen, remind yourself that not every event intended to be actually comes to pass.
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