When analyzing a genealogical record, determining if the item being viewed is an original or derivative source is one key component of that analysis. Sources are generally considered “original” if they are in their first form (or an accurate digital reproduction thereof). Derivative sources are ones that are transcriptions of other sources (derivative or not) or are a compilation of information from a variety of sources. Original sources can be wrong or right. The same goes for derivative sources. I once read “typed sources are derivative.” That’s not necessarily true. Marriage records from the late 1700s that are typed are an obvious transcription. A will from 1930 that is typed could very well be the original. The same of a birth certificate from 1930. Handwritten records can be […]
Save 30% on Cyber Monday use code cyber2025. Check out our separate common name search webinar. We’re excited to offer this completely new presentation on the full-text searching at FamilySearch. We’ve redesigned our presentation as this functionality continues to change. And…we’re adding an extensive handout complete with forms to help you find more people. Fully Utilizing Full-Text Search: A New Approach Your purchase includes: We’ll be including and discussing: Determining what is in Full-Text Search—what you can access at home and what you will have to be in a FamilySearch facility or affiliate to access. Seeing How AI Transcriptions are different—they aren’t like the transcriptions made by humans. That can change your approach. Remembering that Full-Text means every word—approaches need to differ as we aren’t looking up a […]
I occasionally use Ancestry’s ThruLines to get a quick suggestion about a DNA match. I always thought that what was in the white boxes of the display of a ThruLines relationship and any relationship connections between boxes all came from me tree. Apparently not. The white boxes in this illustration are all for people who are in the tree tied to my DNA results at AncestryDNA. But I do not show Trientje U. Behrens and Trientje H. Behrens as half-sisters in my tree. Trientje H. is a double first cousin of Trientje U. Behrens in my tree because that’s the relationship between those two individuals. I’ve always confirmed from other sources what was in the gray boxes of a ThruLines match. Now it appears that I’ll now have […]
Different areas can easily have different sources, especially if the “new area” is in a different state, an area with a different population density, an area with a different ethnic background. Never assume what’s available in one area will be available in another. Thinking you know is different from actually knowing. Our revised and expanded full-text searching at FamilySearch webinar has been released and if you pre-ordered, you should have it in your email box. Order today (3 September). It’s the last day to save $10. Details on our site.
If your genealogy “problem” is during a period when railroads were in operation, do you know where the nearest train station was for your ancestor? Do you know nearby stops along the way? People could hop a train to elope, look for work, or simply leave home and never come back.
This presentation has been released and if you pre-ordered, you should have it in your email box. Order today (2 September) and save $10. Details on our site.
Do you know how your favorite genealogy database search site handles names “van,” “de,” “o,” “mc,” and “mac” when they appear as part of a name? Do you get different results when you search for DeMoss versus De Moss? Do you get different results when you search for O’Neill versus ONeill? And what about Van De Walle versus Vandewalle? Might be worth finding out.
The meaning of some terms and phrases changes over time or from one region to another. “Grass widow” is one of those phrases. It can mean a woman whose husband is temporarily away from home–perhaps for an extended period of time for employment. It can also mean a woman who is actually divorced and who does not want to refer to herself as being divorced. Dictionaries can be one place to discover these differences, but dictionaries are not perfect. Searching contemporary newspapers or literature can be a good way to get a better fix on what a word or a phrase means at the time and place where you have seen it used.
Pre-orders (at half-off–save $20) for our revised and expanded full-text searching at FamilySearch webinar end at 11:59 pm Pacific time on 31 August. Details on our announcement page.
From a while back… Some locations have precise geographic borders. Those borders may change over time, but often are reasonably well-established. Some places, particularly those whose names are informal and known to locals, may have more fluid boundaries or just be a general area. Ethnic regions of some urban areas can change over time and have boundaries that are in a constant state of flux or have no precise definition. In some rural areas, certain areas may have a name that known to locals but does not appear on any map, post office list, or other geographic finding aid. Frequently these items are mentioned in newspapers, family letters and correspondence, and other unofficial records. Some thoughts on locating such places can be found in our recent post on Prairie […]
For years I did not realize a relative who died in her early twenties had married. The only reference I had to her was in her grandfather’s estate settlement where she’s mentioned as having predeceased him. She did marry and was married at her grandfather’s death. She had married a man whose last name was the same as her maiden name–so her last name never changed and the “name change” clue one would expect to have was not there. Save 50% on our new full-text search webinar–with extensive handout/workbook included.
I am trying to determine who wrote out the recipe on a recipe card my Mom had but that was stamped with the name of a friend, relative, and teaching colleague. It appears to be in my Mom’s writing, but I wasn’t quite certain. I thought to myself that I wished I had a sample of the other woman’s handwriting with which to compare it. Then I realized I do…in several Christmas cards of my parents where I was pretty certain this woman had written at least a few lines every year. Sure enough I still had some of the cards she had sent and sure enough they had some of her handwriting in them. It appears that she didn’t write the recipe card. That’s not really the […]
Issue 6-3 of Casefile Clues has been sent to those on the distribution list. We’re analyzing three great deeds in this issue where joint owners in a farm in 1867 separate it out…the day before one of the owners died. There’s an error in one of the descriptions which we guessed at and ended up being right when we located a later deed for the property. This has been a fun issue to write. Learn more about Casefile Clues on our website. Get your own subscription–delivered regularly as a PDF file in your email.
Names in documents should be transcribed as they are written. But when writing about a person it’s easier for the reader (and the writer) to pick one spelling for a name and use it in every reference. I’m fighting that with a native of Ostfriesland, Germany, named Baltser Herren. His name is spelled numerous ways in a variety of mid-19th century documents in Illinois. But, I’ve decided to stick with Baltser Herren when writing about him. Herren because the family in the area tended to favor that spelling and Baltser because that’s the way I’ve seen it written most frequently. And if I need to ever change the spelling in my writing, “find and replace” works much easier when you’ve consistently spelled a name in all your references […]
We are still accepting pre-orders at half off for this presentation. Details on our announcement page.
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