If you ask another genealogist for their advice, remember that they are one person and they can make a mistake. However, if four independent experienced researchers tell you the same thing about a record or a source, it might be time to admit they are correct–even if they disagree with you.
During some time periods in some locations, the publication of a death notice may be cost prohibitive for the family. For that reason, some individual’s deaths may not be mentioned in their locale paper. If they do not have an estate with enough value to warrant a probate, a probate notice will not appear in the paper as well. Some newspapers publish obituaries for free and others do not. Researchers should not assume that every newspaper has the same obituary publication policies.
If you have found someone in the newly released 1940 census, have you looked at the very far left hand side of the page? Some enumerators made notes about their enumerees there–some of which can be good clues for further research. One enumerator in Warsaw, Illinois, made notes about which homes were owned by an estate that had not yet been settled. Scanning down the name column to find your person is good, but after you have found them, look at the entire page
If your ancestor’s last name has a “t” in it, did the “cross” on the “t” over another letter and “change” the name? My Butlers became Butters for that very reason.
We’ve converted my online AncestryDNA class into a self-contained series of lectures and handouts that you can view at your leisure. There is no “attendance.” Download and view at your convenience. $55 introductory rate ends 7 January 2019. See how to get more from your AncestryDNA results.
After nearly twenty-five years, I learned that the singer I always “thought” was Eric Harmon was actually Eric Carmen. Is it possible that a census taker or record clerk “heard” your ancestor’s last name incorrectly? A “silent” “h” is the cause here, but there are other letter combinations that can cause names to be heard incorrectly as well.
Have you determined if there are materials that a local library or genealogical/historical society has that may be helpful to your search? Frequently individuals in charge of these collections are uniquely positioned to be aware of research nuances in the area and their facilities may have specialized materials not available elsewhere. A Google search for “yourcounty yourstate historical/genealogical society” may get you on the path to more information.
Even if a doctor is the only one who actually signed a birth certificate, there were other informants. The doctor (or midwife) did not provide all the information from their first hand, direct knowledge. The doctor or midwife would have probably known the details of the birth (date, time, place, mother, etc.) The parents likely provided their names and any other information about themselves listed on the certificate. The difficulty is that in records with probable multiple informants, it’s impossible to know exactly who provided which pieces of information. That doesn’t mean the information is correct or incorrect–it’s just that we need to think about who most likely provided it. And some of those pieces of information we won’t be able to know 100% who provided it–we weren’t […]
O, Mc, Mac, Van, Vander, De, and similar prefixes can easily be removed from a name when it is being entered into a record. O’Neill can become Neil, Vandeberg can become Berg. Names that are compound names can only appear partially in a record: Greenberry becomes Green or Berry. Any name can have part of it cut off before it gets recorded.
If time allows, share what information you have already discovered with others while you are able. Share images of photographs, letters, and other family materials that you may have. Don’t assume that your family will do it for you because you asked them to. Try and find someone who is interested in the family history if you can, but sometimes that simply is not possible. Organize the information you have–start small if that makes it easier. Write a biography of one ancestor–citing information you’ve located as completely as possible. It is “okay” if your research is not complete–just indicate what sources you have used and stick to details that come from actual records and not conjecture. A total lack of planning and organization on your part increases the […]
I was working on a family that I thought was closely related to mine–they were from the same little Irish village, but settled several hundred miles away. Both families used many of the same first names–Samuel, Edward, Joseph, Thomas, Charles. That was a clue to continue working on locating information on the second family to see if something more strongly connected them to mine. It was a clue that there could be a connection–it was not proof in and of itself that the families were connected.
If the time period is right, one place to potentially obtain copies of marriage and vital records is in military pension or other military benefit records. Widows would have to prove their marriage to the soldier in order to receive their pension and birth records for children of deceased soldiers would also have to be submitted–if those children were under a certain age. In some cases, the original record may no longer be extant and the copy in the pension may be the only copy. If you received a copy of a vital record from a pension file, indicate that the copy you have was made from a copy in the pension file. That doesn’t mean it’s not a valid copy–it’s simply indicating where you obtained the copy. […]
A periodic reminder to download images of records you use on any site. This way you have the images. Remember: the site may go down; the site may no longer have the rights to display the images; you may decide or need to cancel your membership. Save digital media to your own devices. Make a copy for your own use on your own equipment. Linking to your online tree in your “account,” will require you to maintain that access. Save it. You’ll be glad you did later.
I’m not one for making resolutions, but a great way to get beyond brick walls and make new discoveries is to review what you’ve already located on one ancestor or family. This can be one you’ve already researched yourself or one that someone researched previously and you thought was “done.” They might not have been as “done” as you think or you may know more about research now than when you “finished” work on that ancestor years ago.
Really getting into these things takes some time, but here are some general things to remember when you are “stuck:” Money and work motivate people to move and people are sometimes more mobile than we think-especially if opportunities were limited in the area where the person was living. Create a timeline of all events in your ancestor’s life. Gaps of more than a few years are opportunities for research. Lots of things can happen in two or three years. Do you really know what you think you know? How do you know it? Did you assume when you should not have? Do you know where that source came from? Could you be wrong? Are you familiar with all sources in the area–civil (all levels of government) and private […]
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