Look at the back of every document you locate–actual record, newspaper clipping, old family letter, etc. There may be some clue of significance written on the reverse side of the document. Years ago, a short note written on the reverse side of a probate document ended up being one of the biggest clues in the file. Backs of newspaper clippings can help to date the item or determine the newspaper from which it came.
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The story makes for a romantic one but, like many family legends, the reality may be somewhat different. A couple may not really have met for the first time on the boat. They may never have met on the boat at all. The future husband may have immigrated as a single man and then sent word back home that he had settled and was ready to marry. Story was my great-great-grandparents met “on the boat,” having been from different villages. They were born in different villages, but there’s more to it than that. The future bride’s family had moved to the small village where the groom was living about ten years before the couple married. They knew of each other before they ever crossed the pond.
When reviewing any record, document, or family story think about the pieces of information that item contains and the events it mentions. Does that information suggest another record or source that may contain more detail? Would the events mentioned in the family story have caused the creation of other records? Many events in a person’s life cause the creation of some sort of “paper record.” Try and get beyond birth, marriage, and death. A good way to begin analyzing a family tradition or story is to break it into the pieces that may have generated some sort of record or evidence and the pieces that probably did not. Then focus on locating those records.
17th and 18th century documents are full of dating that may appear to be “off.” This document was dated Stow, Mass., 23 January 1746: 7. It’s 1747 in our modern style where the “new year” started on January 1. It’s 1746 in the old style where the new year started in in March. It’s not some other parenthetical notation, an abbreviation, or a stray mark or error. There’s more on the calendar change on this page from the Connecticut State Libray http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/colonialresearch/calendar. Learn more about research, methods, and sources in Casefile Clues.
If your male ancestor died and his wife survived him, have you fully traced what happened to his widow after his death? Was she willed property that would pass to his heirs after his death? There might be a record of that land transfer after she died. Did she remarry? There may be mention of a previous husband when she does. She may have died under another name and left records under that name–perhaps one that mention her children by her first marriage. Did she pay property taxes after her husband’s death? Those records might help you to estimate when she died if there are no death records and she left no probate. There’s also the chance that there is no record of her after her husband’s death. […]
Occasionally I use one of the online trees to give me a little boost or nudge when working on a family–especially when I need some general direction. Sometimes they are helpful and sometimes not. Recently when working on a family in Stow, Massachusetts, in the 18th century, I took a look at the FamilySearch tree on the family. What I found had significant differences from what was in the will of the father of the family. At that point, I decided to focus on the wills and probate records of the families under study, transcribe those, interpret those and go from there. Sometimes it is best to just start from scratch and work from the original records. Learn more about research, methods, and sources in Casefile Clues.
An earlier post mentioned that the use of the word “farmer” to describe an ancestral occupation can be somewhat generic. It’s not a bad term. It’s just that it can be somewhat vague and that knowing a little more specifics about your ancestor’s farming status can be helpful for research. For those with ancestors who appear in European church records, those records may list the ancestral occupation with a word that is more specific than “farmer.” Make certain you have the occupation translated accurately–it may indicate farm laborer, farm owner, tenant farmer, etc. Estate or probate records may provide clues as to your ancestor’s farming status. Ownership of agricultural equipment is suggestive of occupation. An estate inventory or a will that includes real property would indicate that the […]
As you make copies of records, either on paper or in digital form, track the source. If you don’t do it as you go, the chance you do it goes down……
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When an item in a file or set of records has no date, indicate that in any images you make from the document–whether for your own personal use, posting to the web, sharing with colleagues, etc. Saying something is “undated” makes it clear to you later that there was no date on the item. Otherwise you may be wondering if there was a date and you simply forgot to include it. That’s a waste of time. Learn more about research, methods, and sources in Casefile Clues.
The adjacent (and not so adjacent) names on a manifest could be relatives. Families with children may bring along an unmarried aunt or uncle. Single immigrants may arrive with a sibling, cousin, or family friend. Search for all names in indexes and finding aids as it may be easier to find one person over another, depending up the handwriting and the indexing. The manifest does not often give the relationship. This is particularly true in pre-20th century manifests and often the case in later ones as well.
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A record may indicate your relative is a farmer, but is there a little more detail that the word “farmer?” Is he a: farm laborer–working from one job to another whenever he can (a day laborer)? farm renter? farmer who owns his own property? a farm owner who rents out his property and lives off the rental income? a hired man who regularly works for the same family? a farmer who also worked an off-farm job? etc. These distinctions are important in understanding your relative’s records and life. Some renters move from farm to farm–others stay on the same property for decades. Some owner/operators move regularly as well. One word may not really describe your relative’s occupation. Learn more about research, methods, and sources in Casefile Clues.
A witness is just that: a witness. Sometimes witnesses are individuals who have known for years the person for whom they are witnessing a document. Sometimes witnesses are relatives of the person for whom they are witnessing the document. And sometimes they are warm bodies of legal age who know the identity of the person, that the person appears to be of legal age themselves, and that the person appears to be of sound mind. That’s the essential legal requirement. Don’t assume witnesses are relatives. They could be. But they don’t have to be. Research them to find out who they are, but don’t force a deeper connection where none may exist.
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