Never be so stuck on an initial conclusion that you avoid other reasonable scenarios or avoid looking for records because the person you need to find “simply cannot be in that location.” A relative concluded a family member returned to Germany for a visit and returned to the United States simply because the ancestor could not be located in the 1870 census. The story of the trip was repeated enough that it became an accepted fact. It’s easy to jump to conclusions when we are first starting out. We can sometimes “break brick walls” by going back and reviewing those initial conclusions.
Obituaries and estate notices usually appear in newspapers shortly after someone dies. There are other times a person may be mentioned years or decades after their death or departure from the area. Some small-town newspapers published snippets of items from the past as a way to engage readers and generate subscriptions. These items from ten, twenty, twenty-five, or fifty years ago were usually abbreviated versions of the original article. Given that earlier newspapers are sometimes harder for computerized algorithms to read, a digital search may find the more recent reference easier. Don’t always set your years of search to the person’s lifespan. The most interesting references may have been published some time after they were dead. And always go back and read the original reference for additional information.
Before going to the library, courthouse, or other research facility, considering creating a short “cheat sheet” of key terms you will use while there that confuse you. It may not be practical to constantly “google on the go,” and sometimes time can be saved by making a quick referral to doublecheck the meaning of a word or term. Grantor and grantee are two terms that people often get confused–and that confusion can easily cause the researcher to waste valuable time.
Genealogy Quick Start is a bi-weekly genealogy show that is on YouTube and Facebook Live. The show airs live on Tuesday nights with Shamele Jordan, Jim Beidler, and I (Michael John Neill). We discuss a variety of topics and always have a special guest for the last half of the show. Old episodes can be watched on either YouTube. We can be followed on YouTube and Facebook .
If person A is the sister-in-law of person B, then in common usage, person A could be person B’s: Don’t assume which relationship it is and don’t assume that the “in-law” is in in-law through the current marriage. It could have been from a former one–particularly if that marriage ended due to the death of a previous spouses. In some families, the use of the term “in-law” will continue even if marriage ended in divorce. This 1950-era newspaper clipping indicated that Mrs. Mundy and Mrs. Wetzel are sisters-in-law. Mrs. Wetzel’s first husband, Herman Trautvetter, was a brother to Mrs. Mundy.
This series of National Archives microfilm provides information on US post office locations. Verbal descriptions of locations are included as well as maps. Time period actually covered varies from one location to another. The 683 rolls of microfilm were originally published as Microfilm M1126, Post Office Department Records of Site Locations, 1837–1955. Thanks to DL , a member of our Tip of the Day group on Facebook, for reminding me of this wonderful series.
“Cousin” is one of those words that people sometimes use in a variety of ways. It may mean first cousin (where two individuals have parents that were siblings), it may mean a more distant cousin relationship, it may be a cousin-by-marriage, someone who is related in an unknown way, or someone who may not even be related at all. Genealogists are sometimes precise in their use of cousin relationships. Other people often are not and sometimes genealogists find it easier to use the word “cousin” instead of the precise term for the relationship. Don’t assume the precise nature of the relationship when someone is referred to as a “cousin.” Research it to try and determine what it is. And remember that there’s always the chance that the person’s […]
We all have information, records, or other bits of genealogical data that we have not analyzed, put in our organized materials, shared with others, etc.? Do you have a pile of papers in your genealogical work area that you have let accumulate over time without doing anything with? Do you have images of family history materials in your downloads folder that you saved ages ago with the intent of working on–but are still sitting there accumulating age? It’s fun to make discoveries, but working with what we’ve had for some time may result in the best discovery of all–that the answer to our problem was already in our files or piles. Or at the very least we’re preserving something that may have other eventually died at the bottom […]
Applications for US military pensions often mention the act under which the veteran (or his widow) applied. The details of that act may explain why the veteran waited until then–and that reason could be a clue. Men or women who applied for federal property usually did so under a certain act. If you have records of your ancestor having “applied” for anything, look to see if the act under which the application was made is referenced. Learning about that act may tell you something about your ancestor that is not stated in the application.
We released a new and updated recording of my FamilySearch Full Text Search webinar–including presentation and handout. More details are on our announcement page.
From tips of the past… It has been about ten [now twenty-five] years, but there used to be a local band named “DOS GUYS.” There were three ways one could take this: DOS Guys meaning 2 guys from “dos,” Spanish for two. DOS Guys as a way of saying “those” guys, “dos” as a slang way of saying “those.” DOS Guys, meaning guys who were still using the DOS operating system on their computer. Is there something that could be interpreted more than one way? Have you “jumped” on one interpretation that may be the wrong one? It may be that you are creating your own brick wall by doing so.
When you encounter a new ancestral name, always consider spelling variations for that first and last name combination. Determining how the name was likely pronounced can help, especially if it has a linguistic heritage with which you are not familiar. My search for Baltser Heeren was complicated by variations on both the first and last names. The last name could have been pronounced in several ways resulting in spellings of Herren, Hearn, Hirn, Horn..basically anything starting with an “H” containing and “r” and ending in a “n” with varying vowels and numbers of “r”s thrown into the mix. Baltser is a different story entirely. It’s also important to consider spelling and pronunciation variants on names with which we are familiar. That’s when it can be even easier to […]
I’m not one to engage in genealogy games, but these two (which I made up myself) were somewhat interesting and got me to thinking about a variety of things. Going back no further than your great-great-grandparents, which ancestor has places of birth and death the closest to each other? Think about how you know where they were born, how precise your knowledge of their birth place is, and how accurate that information is. For me, it’s two of my great-grandfathers who both born and died in places within three miles of each other. How close are the places of birth for you and your maternal grandmother? For me it is 2.75 miles–roughly.
The 1866 will of a relative is contained in the packet of loose probate papers along with receipts, original copies of orders, original inventories, etc. The packet of probate papers has been microfilmed and digitized. The will is difficult to read. But there’s another digital image of the will. That digital image is made from the record copy of the will recorded in the will record book. That record copy, given the time period, is also handwritten. The will record has been microfilmed and digitized as well. It is much easier to read than the digital image of the original will. The record copy of the will, contained in the probate court’s will record book, is admittedly a derivative copy of the will. Record copies are considered the […]
Remember that when dealing with some record agencies, government offices, churches and private businesses, helping you with your genealogy might not really be their job. County record offices maintain records, but if you don’t know what you are looking for it makes it difficult for them to help you. Some offices may maintain old records, but their “real job” focuses on current day-to-day activities. Churches and private business maintain their records “privately,” and really don’t have to share information with you, even if great-grandma was a lifetime member or great-grandpa spend a “huge” amount there on his funeral. Just a few thoughts. It doesn’t mean that clerks have to be rude or impolite though!
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