No one can do it all. There will be genealogical work “left undone” when you are no longer able to actively be involved in genealogical research. Try and prioritize: preserve and share things you have access to that no one else does–pictures, family memorabilia, etc. identify any photographs you’ve not already share and preserve any compilations you’ve already made write up and share any discoveries you’ve made research those records most at risk for being lost forever realize that you can’t do it all
After a hiatus, Casefile Clues is back! We’ve put out four issues since resuming publication. Casefile Clues focuses on being readable, understandable, and practical. Articles exhibit sound research methods and analysis–but are not tedious or difficult to follow. Sample issues can be downloaded on our website. Learn more about Casefile Clues. If you’ve not been getting your issues and you are a subscriber, email me at mjnroodig@gmail.com. And if you’re not a subscriber, consider subscribing today! Casefile Clues content is separate from our blog content.
Those using the World War II draft registrations should remember that these registrations included in databases on FamilySearch, Fold3.com, and Ancestry.com ( published as “U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947”) include registrations through 1947–after the war was over and include men who reached 18 through that point in time. The registrant in the illustration reached 18 in January of 1947.
Deed books in some locations contain items besides land transactions. There may be marriage contracts regarding property (sometimes just personal property), slave manumissions, wills, records of apprenticeships, or other items. Just because your ancestor never owned real estate does not mean that they won’t appear in a deed book. Today a county’s deed books usually only contain land transfers between private individuals, but that was not true in some locations in the earlier days of settlement.
FamilySearch has posted 1940-1947 US draft cards on their site. As of this writing, they are posted “as is.” The cards available are there, but: they have not been “checked” by FamilySearch they are out of order there may be transcription errors in the “guide cards.” Be patient when using the cards. They are in alphabetical order by name of registrant, but the rolls of cards are not currently in alphabetical order on the FamilySearch catalog. You will need to find the appropriate set of cards that contains the name of interest. The “guide cards” were created by manually transcribing the cards. There may be errors. In the illustration, it appeared that the cards went from a roll the ended with Earl Trarer to one that began with Ernest Traver. That left […]
A few things to remember: back up your data files duplicate any pictures you’ve not duplicated work on identifying any pictures you’ve not identified are there any relatives you’ve not contacted or asked questions of? organize any images you’ve recently downloaded
Happy 4th of July from Genealogy Tip of the Day! Celebrate the day whether your ancestor was a Revolutionary Patriot, gave material aid during the war, or an 19th century immigrant.
Online sources are not all bad. Online materials take several forms: digital images of actual records digital images of published books online indexes and finding aids online compilations Ideally one finds as many “actual records” as possible–it doesn’t matter whether they are accessed digitally or not. Published books (whether accessed on paper or electronically) are also good to reference. Online indexes and finding aids should lead you to the records that were used to create them. Online compilations (including the “trees”) should be used with care and validated where possible The reason to try and utilize offline materials is that not everything created is available online. Online materials are those that either someone has decided has enough market value to put online or someone has taken an interest in. Some […]
Pallbearers are pallbearers. They may be relatives or they may not be relatives. In most of my own families, pallbearers were generally relatives–with an occasional neighbor or two thrown in the mix. Pallbearers were frequently nephews or cousins (or the spouse of a niece or cousin) with the occasional neighbor thrown in the mix. Choosing them was usually a negotiation in keeping various extended family members from feeling left out. Other families have different practices and when your research takes you to a different geographic area, time period, ethnic group, social class, etc. then the practice may be different than what your own immediate family did. Do not assume everyone operates the way your family of origin did. That’s good advice across the genealogy board.
Don’t neglect searching denominational publications when searching for your ancestor. There may be details in these materials that are not in secular newspapers.
While it can be frustrating when someone is not listed in a census record, it is possible that the occasional person was enumerated more than once. A move during a census year, time spent at a “summer home,” living away from home during the week, separating from a spouse but not divorcing, are all reasons why someone may appear in a census enumeration more than once.
Periodically review those conclusions and statements that were made in the early days of your research. It is easy when your research is just starting to copy something down without really evaluating it or to make an assumption that wasn’t as true as we thought it was. Is your researching hinging on a date, event, or place that you took as a “fact” early in your research that might not be as true as you thought it was?
Sometimes it is easy to interpret something quickly based upon our personal experiences and history. And sometimes that causes us to jump to conclusions. The last name in this list is Ida Joseph Cawiezell. For a fleeting moment, I thought it said “Ida Josephine, Quincy, Il.” Don’t jump to conclusions. Your past experiences may be leading you down the incorrect path.
For your “brick wall” ancestor, do you know (or have any idea) how far they lived from: the county seat? the nearest church of their denomination? the nearest place they could get supplies or transact necessary business? their nearest neighbor? the cemetery? The list here is not exclusive. If you’ve got no idea of the answers to these questions, determining those answers may help you solve your problem.
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.
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