Is it possible that your immigrant ancestor’s last name was translated before being written in a document or a census record? While I doubt if my Aunt Wilhelmina Senf is enumerated as Wilhelmina Mustard (I’ve looked), other last names may have been translated into the local language. Your Schneider ancestor may have been enumerated as a Tailor/Taylor. Your Blanc ancestor may have been enumerated with the last name White. And your Verde ancestor may have been listed as a Green. So it may be perfectly normal for me to be sitting at the computer looking for Mustard instead of going into the kitchen cabinet <grin>.
Sometimes it can be tempting to focus on the spouse of an ancestor from whom we descend or only those spouses with whom an ancestor had children. That can be a mistake. Don’t ignore “short term” spouses or spouses with whom the ancestor had no children. There may be some clue that spouse’s life that helps you on the actual ancestor. That “short term” spouse may have had a connection with the ancestor than spans back years and may help you to learn more about your ancestor’s life as well.
Researching the entire family is advised, but we don’t always do it. I was trying to pin down information on an aunt, Wilhelmina (Trautvetter) Senf Kraft–particularly when she managed to settle in Illinois. It was not until I obtained the christening record of each of her grandchildren that I was able to do that. There as one of the sponsors for one of her grandchildren was Wilhelmina. It helped me to pinpoint when she had arrived in Illinois.
Immigrants may “translate” their first names after they settle in the United States–or any country where the language is different. Names may be officially changed when naturalizing or unofficially after settling in a new area. In some cases names that were different in the old country (Jann and Johann in the case of the couple in the illustration both used John) may no longer be different.
There are several quick (if someone basic) genealogical reminders from this trunk: Abbreviations can change (Ills. for Illinois is not used much today) Town names can change (Keokuk Junction is known as Golden) First names may get spelled in many ways (this is the only reference to Altje where her first name is spelled “Ahltie”) You never know when someone may contact you with a family heirloom that they’ve discovered (an antique dealer came across this and Googled the name on the trunk). Altje Goldenstein immigrated around 1870 and settled in Adams County, Illinois. She was married in Adams County, Illinois, to Hinrich Schuster and they both died in Hancock County, Illinois.
Sometimes making a chart of conflicting information can help in analyzing it, noticing trends, and in reaching a conclusion. It may cause you to notice sources that have been overlooked and, at the very least, gives you a summary of what you know to share with others. This chart is for the place and year of birth for William Ira (or Ira William) Sargent. Check out “our Organizing Genealogy Information” class this March–starting later in the month.Additional details are contained in our blog post.
We are again offering my popular “Organizing Genealogy Information” class this March–starting later in the month.Additional details are contained in our blog post.
Using Google’s “advanced search” can allow you to refine your searches more effectively than just using the usual box.
If a relative was “locally famous” or involved in a notorious event, they may appear in numerous newspaper items. Many of these contain repetitive information and may be more than you can reasonably look through. Consider filtering out search results that contain items related to the event or the activity the person was involved in. My relative’s late 1890 era activities generated newspaper accounts across the nation. I decided to filter out results that also contained his alias and/or the name of his associate. There are drawbacks to filtering out results, but sometimes it is necessary. What filter works best will depend on your specific situation, but remember to keep track of your filter so that you know what you removed from your search results. That will allow you to […]
We still have room on my group trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The library is not terribly busy during our trip and it’s easier to use the facilities, access information, and make your way around. We’d love to have you join us. Registration deadline is 15 March! The dates of the trip are 30 May through 6 June. More details are on our announcement page.
When contacting individuals, archives, and others who may not speak your language, give a second thought before using Google translate or a dictionary to “translate” your communication. You want (and need) to be clear when making requests and asking questions of someone who does not speak your language. Jim Beidler in his Trace Your German Roots Online makes a point that is worth remembering: Be realistic about your foreign-language writing skills: Good English beats bad German in communicating by e-mail or letter. That’s good advice. This quote appears on page 152 of Beidler’s Trace Your German Roots Online published by Family Tree Books.
An announcement about digital images of German baptismal certificates at the Newberry Library in Chicago flew across my screen and I immediately decided to search them. Looking at the catalog entry first is advised–the vast majority of these items are apparently from Pennsylvania–according to their catalog entry. Always know what you are searching–don’t assume the collection contains material that it does not. Just because this collection is housed in Chicago, Illinois, does not mean that it contains only Illinois materials–or any Illinois materials.
For years I did not realize a relative who died in her early twenties had married. The only reference I had to her was in her grandfather’s estate settlement where she’s mentioned as having predeceased him. She did marry and was married at her grandfather’s death. She had married a man whose last name was the same as her maiden name–so her last name never changed and the “name change” clue one would expect to have was not there.
Custom create your own maps to help you visualize how close (or not) your ancestral villages are. This one was helpful for me in analyzing my DNA results. Each name is an ancestor with ancestry from the village listed before their name. Having all the places on the same map made visualization easier. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it. If you’d like to get our genealogy tip daily in your email for free, add your address here.
I maintain the following genealogy blogs: Rootdig.com—Michael’s thoughts, research problems, suggestions, and whatever else crosses his desk Genealogy Tip of the Day—one genealogy research tip every day–short and to the point Genealogy Search Tip—websites I’ve discovered and the occasional online research tip–short and to the point? Subscription/Unsubscription links are on the top of each page. Unsubscription links are also in each email sent. Thanks to our sponsor, GenealogyBank. for their continued support.
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