The Bureau of Land Management website allows users to search their patent database of individuals who obtained federal land. The database contains an image of the actual patent and should describe the federal act under which the individual obtained the land. The BLM site does not contain any of supporting documentation used to obtain that land. Those files are in the National Archives in Washington, DC. Generally speaking federal land could be obtained via: cash purchase military warrant (issued based upon military service in specific wars) homestead pre-emption and various other claims The amount of paperwork in the application file varies dependent upon the type of acquisition process. Learn more about searching the Bureau of Land Management website and the unindexed BLM Tract books in Michael’s webinar.
The 1860 US Census asks if the enumeree was married within the year. That can be a clue–not as good as a marriage record, but better than nothing.
While it can be infinitely fun for a genealogist to pore over a list of names or a series of transcriptions of genealogical records, sometimes it’s good to broaden one’s horizons and learn some social history of your ancestral family. Discovering something about the common practices, beliefs, and mores of your ancestors can help you to better put them in perspective and to interpret the records they left behind in a way that reflects them as accurately as possible. Probably one of my favorite social histories is a study of farming practices in Illinois in the mid-19th and very early 20th centuries. Like most books of this type, what’s best for us is reflective of our ethnic and geographic past. The book studies farming practices of several immigrant […]
In a brief post on Rootdig, we posed the question “When You Are Gone?” What are some ways you are preserving your data for future generations? Feel free to post a comment, question, or suggestion.
While it may seem like our postings here are random, they are not and they are all written by one person. To find out a little more about Genealogy Tip of the Day, visit: our goals the guy behind Genealogy Tip of the Day And, as always, thanks for your support.
Depending upon which record one views, my aunt was either named Sophia Adolphena Trautvetter or Adolphena Sophia Trautvetter. In some families for a variety of reasons, first and middle names can be interchanged. Sometimes it is because one of the names is a baptismal name that is never really used. Sometimes it is because the person simply does not really care for one of their names and, when they can, use the name that they prefer. Or in the case of Aunt Adolphena, they simply use a diminutive. She was usually called Pheenie/Pheeny.
We had to raise our DNA webinar prices, but until 10 February (at 11:59 pm central US time) we are offering a 25% off sale on any DNA webinar order. Don’t wait. Our current DNA webinar offerings are: Preparing for Your Results AncestryDNA Beginnings Sifting Through Your AncestryDNA Matches More Sifting Through Your AncestryDNA Matches FamilyTreeDNA GedMatch 1 GedMatch 2 Coupon code at checkout is TWENTY5%. The discount will show as 25% at checkout.
The Family History Library (via their website http://www.familysearch.org) and their library system give genealogists access to a wealth of genealogical information. Just remember that they do not have a copy of every record ever made. There are still items in courthouses, public and private archives, libraries, etc. that have not been microfilmed or digitized and exist only in their original format. Even if the Family History Library has “a lot” for your county/town of interest, never conclude that they have “everything.”
There are several steps a piece of information takes to go from your ancestor’s mouth to the record or index entry at which you are looking. Intentional errors, misinterpretations, and honest mistakes can work independently or together to make what looks like a “wrong” name. Keep this process is mind: It is what turns a Butler into a Putter. Check out Michael’s genealogy webinars–download immediate.
Don’t assume an individual has all their family from the same area. Once in a while someone will marry outside the ethnic group for one reason or another. The individual in the illustration was born into an ethnic German immigrant community in Illinois in 1907. Seven of his great-grandparents were German natives. One was not and was an Ohio native with no German ancestry whose family had been in the United States for several generations. Once in a while something will surprise you.
This hour-long presentation will present a brief overview of what autosomal DNA results are and are not. These are the tests that are done at AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and 23andMe. Effective use of your results is easiest to do if pre-planning is done beforehand. This presentation will also help those who have not really delved into their results or feel they need to regroup their analytical process. Discussion will include determining what problems your results can potentially answer, goal-setting, preparing for sifting through your results, generalized sifting strategies, locating as many ancestral descendants as possible, reasons why you have to work on the people who aren’t your problem people, and more as time allows. Order now for immediate download.
Any reference to a relationship between two people may not be as specific as you would like. A letter may indicate two women are sisters, but are they biological sisters sharing two parents or are they: half-sisters–sharing one biological parent? step-sisters–sharing no biological parent? sisters-in-law? sisters in the church? Always keep yourself open to the possibility that a stated relationship may not be quite as precise as you would like. Usually a “sister” is a full sister, sharing both parents-but there are times it is not. This is why it is always recommended to obtain as many records as possible that may state the relationship between two people as just one record may not quite shed full light on the connection.
My daughter’s dog is named Riley. My great-great-grandfather is as well. Just because the name is the same does not mean they are identical. While there are many things that can be used to distinguish one person from another, key elements are: age place of birth occupation social class spouse children residence etc. Try and glean all the clues from each record to see what elements about this record suggest other identifying pieces of information about the people it mentions.
Church records are usually private records. When they are private records, the general public does not have a right to view them. It does not matter how long your relative attended the church, how devout they were, etc. Private records are not subject to public access laws. Many churches do allow individuals to view their records or will graciously allow them to be looked at, transcribed, etc. But they do not have to.
There is still time to join us for our webinar on “Preparing for Your DNA Test Results” on 4 February. Details are on our site.
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