I’m not a big fan of “genealogy games,” but here is an activity that might get you to thinking. Pick a random date–at least 100 years in the past. Determine which of your ancestors were alive on that date, where they were probably living, and what stage in their life they were in (child, young adult, newly married, widowed, etc.). Also think about how you know what you do about your ancestors on that date. Learn more about research methods and sources in Casefile Clues, Michael’s newsletter.
Can’t find that ancestor in a certain record? Can’t find the parents for a certain ancestor? Write up all the work you have done to find that record or set of parents. Explain the sources you have used, why they were used, and what was located. Pretend that you are writing it for someone who knows nothing about your family and not much about the time period or location in which you are researching. When you explain something to someone who does not have your familiarity with the details, you are apt to notice gaps. And any of those gaps could be part of your problem. Learn more about research methods and sources in Casefile Clues, Michael’s newsletter.
Avoid copying just the one item “you want” from a record book. Copy several items if possible. This 1844 marriage record was easier to transcribe when there were others from the same time period and clerk with which to compare. The “legal phrases” were similar from one document to another and easier to read on other entries.
Is there a relative who never had any children of their own, had no siblings and died owning enough property to require a probate or an estate settlement? If so, the records of that settlement may be particularly interesting. The deceased person’s heirs-at-law typically would have been their first cousins or their first cousin’s descendants. Even if there was a will, these heirs-at-law typically would have had to have been notified of the probate. Those records could help determine relationships and indicate where people were living at the time the relative died. These estate or probate records would typically be filed at the local court level. Check out Michael’s newsletter–Casefile Clues.
Researching women in the United States is compounded by the fact that researchers need the woman’s “maiden name,” the surname of her biological father. In some cases what the researcher thinks is the “maiden name” may actually be a step-father’s last name, the mother’s last name, an adopted father’s last name, or the last name of a previous husband. All things to consider.
Sometimes it is simply faster to mark up a map with what you know–especially when people of the same name are moving around and appearing in a variety of records. Failing to acknowledge geography can cause problems. And sometimes it is simply faster to notate in pencil as you are thinking. There will always be time later to make a neat copy if necessary. Sometimes making a neat copy slows me down and I lose my train of thought. I always have blank copies of maps on paper so I can start taking notes “geographically” when necessary.
In October of 1815 Augusta Newman and Sally Sled signed a marriage bond before the marriage of Augusta Newman and Belinda Sled could take place. The value of the bond was fifty pounds “current money” the payment of which was “to be made.” Not was made. Not has already been made. But “to be made.” The agreement signed by Newman and Sled concludes with “…if there is no lawful cause to obstruct the said Marriage then the above obligation to be void.” Otherwise to remain in full force. That “otherwise” was if there was lawful cause to obstruct the marriage. The amount of the bond “was to be paid” if the agreement was in full force. The agreement was to remain in full force if there was a […]
Copy the covering for any packet of loose papers from which you make copies. Citation will be much easier if you do and there may be clues on the cover you need later. The time to make the image/picture is when you have it.
If you subscribed to Casefile Clues after our recent offer, you should have received your back issues and a confirmation email. If you did not, please email me at the email address in your receipt (mjnrootdig@gmail.com). The offer is still good today for those who might have missed it (12 free issues). Casefile Clues strives to be readable, clearly written, practical, and down-to-earth. Find out more on our website.
We need to make assumptions in our genealogy research. Many times assumptions are necessary in order to get our work off the ground. But after a point, it may be that the assumption is hindering our work or that we have forgotten that an assumption was made. If you are guessing that the parents were married near where the first child was born, that is a good start. But somewhere in your notes, indicate why you believe where they were married and that you have no proof. If research does not validate your assumption, it may be that your assumption was incorrect. And if you enter your assumption in your genealogical database as fact, it can be very difficult for that information to go back to being an […]
A bondsman on an executor’s or administrator’s bond is guaranteeing that if the executor or administrator of the estate runs off with the estate’s property without paying the bills of the estate that the court can come after the individuals who signed the executor’s or administrator’s bond. Generally speaking, if someone signed the bond your ancestor posted as an estate administrator, that bondsman trusted your ancestor enough to know that he wouldn’t run off leaving unpaid bills of the estate. And the judge knew that the bondsmen were “worth enough” to cover the value of the estate if the administrator defrauded the estate. The value of the bond represented what the bondsmen “were worth” to cover the estate–usually a multiple of the value of the estate. It was […]
Some records, particularly United States census records in the earlier part of the 18th century, have more than one set of page numbers. When creating citations, clearly indicate which set of page numbers you are using, for example: stamped page number upper right printed page number lower left Because the page numbers can confuse some researchers, it is always advised to include additional citation information to assist in locating the record. For US census records, this would be the geographic information (state, county, township/village/enumeration district, etc.) and the household/dwelling number. The geographic information is necessary information anyway (since it tells you where the person was living), but it could also help someone else to locate the record again if the page number is “off” or confusing. Some church […]
We’re excited that Casefile Clues is back up and running. Writing is a great way to improve your research (speaking just for me) and reading about records, analysis, interpretation, and methodology is great for readers. Subscribe by 30 July and we’ll send free 11 issues. Subscriptions normally start with the next issue, but we’ll send the first 12 issues of volume 4 with our compliments for subscriptions that are ordered by 30 July. Casefile Clues strives to be readable, clearly written, practical, and down-to-earth. Find out more on our website.
Offer for “Tip of the Day” fans-download this presentations free. For those who don’t know how to annotate their digital images. Irfanview is of the most popular image viewing and manipulation programs around that has the best price–free! This presentation focuses on basic skills that are useful for the genealogist, including cropping, adding citations, adding text, adding metadata, batch renaming, and more. Geared towards those who don’t have much familiarity with the software. Today (29 July only) download the presentation for free–handout included. You will have to “order” and “checkout” but the price will be 0 and no credit prompt will be given.
It can be a pain and it can take time. But it can result in great discoveries–manually searching records. Indexes and finding aids fail. They are not perfect. Sometimes a person needs to go page by page in order to make certain that the record they want really is not there. Before you search page by page, there are some things to consider to increase the chance you actually find that person, you should determine: how the records were originally organized how the records are organized in the format you are using them (probably the same as when they were created, but it may be different) where your person should be in the records–probable residence for materials organized geographically, date of event for items organized chronologically) how complete […]
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