A piece of genealogical information provided by someone who had first hand knowledge of the event is said to be primary information. Other information is secondary. The closer the information is provided to when the event took place, the more reliable the information is considered to be. My knowledge of my exact date of birth is not primary–I know it because I read it somewhere or I have been told it. My knowledge of my age, within a year or two, is primary. Having gone to school since the “age of five,” I have a good idea of just about how old I am based on my life experiences. I can provide primary information of when and where my children were born. My knowledge of my father’s date […]
Who, what, when, where, and (if you are lucky enough to know it) why a picture was taken are great things to leave behind on those digital images of photographs that you may have in your collection. This 1985-era photograph of my grandmother and her niece was one of many in my parents’ collection of family history ephemera. Fortunately it was identified on the back, albeit in a handwriting which I did not entirely recognize. The only clue was that it referred to my grandmother as “Aunt Ida,” indicating that it was written by one of her nieces or nephews. This was one of those photographs taken during my lifetime so the identification was not necessary for me, but the date was helpful. The location of the picture […]
When requesting vital documents, be clear about what is being offered, what you actually want, and what you end up requesting. The county clerk and recorder in the Illinois county where I was born have a copy of my birth certificate. It was created by some photographic process from the original certificate on file in the state vital records office in Springfield, Illinois. If I request a certification of birth from the county clerk, I will get a document certifying that they have a copy of my birth certificate. That document will state what the original says–including my name, date of birth, place of birth, and names of my parents. That certification of birth will not include a “reproduction” of the actual certificate. Genealogists usually want an actual copy of […]
While supplies last, we are offering copies of Genealogy Tip of the Day the book at $17.00. The 286-page book contains an edited version of our earlier tips. We’ve removed repetitive content, promotional items, and “news” that’s no longer news. There’s more information on the book on our website–that page does not have a link to this offer. This link is the only one that contains an order at this price. The book’s price ordered directly is $25. The Amazon price is slightly less than that for Prime members. You can learn more about the book on our website, but this link is the only one that has the discount price.
If a veteran or his widow received a land warrant for service in the War of 1812, they had one of two choices: haul their happy self to territory that had unclaimed federal land sell the warrant and assign it to someone who did want to haul their happy self to territory that had unclaimed federal land Then whoever had the warrant would claim the appropriate amount of acreage in the federal domain and surrender the warrant in exchange for title to the property. The warrant was what was used for payment or consideration. After the paperwork was completed, the individual who surrendered the warrant would receive a “first deed” (patent) giving them title to the real estate they had claimed. The application to get the warrant (filed by […]
While DNA passes from parent to child, each child only gets half of each of their individual parent’s DNA. Consequently, as a lineage is worked back in time, there will be ancestors in your genealogical tree with whom you might not share any DNA. It doesn’t mean that the ancestor is not your ancestor. It simply means that their DNA did not makes it’s way all the way down to you. While DNA is microscopically small, there’s only so much your body needs. Some suggest (for example, Blaine Bettinger in his The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy) that once a lineage is traced back to the 4th great-grandparents that there are paper genealogy tree ancestors with whom you do not share DNA. That’s why you […]
If a deed of transfer for a piece of property or other item indicates that the only consideration is “love and affection,” there is a likely relationship between the seller and buyer on the property. In fact, it might not even be technically correct to refer to the grantee as as buyer. On these deeds the relationship among the parties is not always stated. Similarly, if the amount of the consideration on a deed is a token amount, say a “dollar,” that also might be a clue as to a potential relationship between the individuals involved. Deeds that say a “dollar and other valuable consideration” may be referring to a mortgage or other document also recorded on the property. That phrase may also be a way of avoiding […]
Ever wonder how fast the mail was one hundred years ago? There was a slight clue in an old pension file: Letter dated 3 May 1907, Washington, DC–sent to West Point, Illinois. Response to letter is dated 7 May 1907, West Point, Illinois. Response received 9 May 1907, Washington DC. The letter was a request for information in a pension file. There’s no guarantee of when anything was mailed and a date could easily be off, but the timeline was tighter than I thought it might be for 1907. Just something to think about. Are there clues about the speed of mail in an old record you have?
Witnesses to a wedding can be a family history clue, but there are a few things to keep in mind before assuming that witnesses have to be related to the ancestral couple who got married. Witnesses legally are just saying they saw something happen and that they know the individuals who are they claim to be. The witnesses do not have to be related in any way shape or form to the people getting married. The witnesses can be friends of the bride or groom–perhaps even an engaged couple themselves. The witnesses could also be the wife of the officiant and another nearby warm body old enough to legally be a witness. They could even be the parents of the couple. Unless the parents were vehemently opposed to […]
Variations in how your ancestor’s name was spelled can be endlessly frustrating. However, it’s worth remembering that a variation of how your ancestor’s name appears in an index can arise from a variety of situations: Your ancestor did not know how to spell his name Your ancestor could not read Your ancestor did not speak clearly Your ancestor had an accent with which the writer of his name was unfamiliar The clerk didn’t care The clerk had bad writing The transcriber could not read the name The transcriber did not care The transcriber made a typographical error The document has faded over time and is difficult to read Or something else Keep in mind that one of more of these could explain why James Rampley ends up indexed […]
Names will not be spelled the same. Sometimes a name can be spelled multiple ways in one document. What the researcher should look for is whether the spelling of the names are consistent with how the name probably sounds when spoken. That concept of relative consistency applies to more than just spelling. Age, place of birth, occupation, and other characteristics of your ancestor should also be relatively consistent from one document to another. Nothing will be 100% consistent. Do not expect it. Humans make mistakes. But records should provide information that is in general agreement with other information known about the person. Unless they are outright lying. But that’s another problem.
If possible, obtain as many official records as possible that reference that place of birth, maiden name of mother, parental relationship, etc. One reference can be incorrect–either because the informant was unaware of the actual information, was intending to deceive for one reason or another, or something in between. It can be tempting to go with the piece of information given in one record, but that one record and one piece of information can easily be incorrect. Obtaining as many records as possible allows you to evaluate information given by individuals over their entire lifetime and by other members of the same family. For one reason or another those details may not be entirely consistent and obtaining all those records and clues gives you the best chance of […]
Before using that digital camera (or phone) to take images of tombstones, books, relative’s photographs, or records on a trip, make certain that you know how to: Organize the photographs. Take the photographs in a way that helps track where you “got the information” (entry to cemetery, book cover, title page, etc.) Back up the images so they are not lost. Also include your notes or comments (pictures of anything you write down is on easy idea). If you have any concerns, practice these activities at home. That is the place to get the bugs worked out, get help if necessary, and make certain what you are doing actually works.
When an index or manual searching takes you to an ancestral entry in a census, tax or other list entry take times to look at the neighboring names. Are the names in rough alphabetical order? If so neighborhood clues can’t be inferred from the proximity of names. That is unless all the “B” surnames lived in the same part of the county.
If certain details of your ancestor’s wife change, but the first name remains unchanged, have you considered that he had two wives with the same first name? Maybe Thomas married Mary One and after her death married Mary Two.
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