Abbreviations for place names can change over time. What is used for a location today may not be what was used one hundred years ago. Sometimes old forms fall out of use or governmental or postal regulations change the “standard” abbreviation. Some census takers or other record officials make their own abbreviations when they tire of writing the same location over and over. Self-made abbreviations may be unique to the creator and are best analyzed with local geographic names in mind. Sometimes two location can have the same abbreviation. In some US census records Canada and California are both abbreviated “Ca.” Others chose to abbreviate it as “Can.” And sometimes Indiana was abbreviated as “Ia.” Today that’s the state of Iowa. But if you see it in an […]
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Throughout the entire court case he is referred to as Christopher Troutfetter. His name was actually Christian. There are numerous other records on this man where he is referred to as Christian–except this court case. When transcribing these records for my files, I transcribe his name as Christopher because that is what the documents say. I make an annotation that his name is incorrect through the document. That annotation is done separately from my transcription of the document and in a way that does not suggest I am correcting the document one hundred years later. We don’t correct errors in records when transcribing them. When something is clearly incorrect and all “whacked out,” a notation is made so that others know the error was not ours. But we […]
It can be easier to get locations confused when you’ve never been there and the places are hundreds of miles away. The place of birth for the mother on this death certificate says “Maine.” It should be “Maryland.” The family never lived in Maine and had no connection to that state. It is also possible that someone, in taking notes to complete the certificate, wrote “Md” in such a sloppy fashion that someone else later read it as “Me.” Get Genealogy Tip of the Day the book–either from us directly or from Amazon.
“Cousin” is one of those words that people sometimes use in a variety of ways. It may mean first cousin (where two individuals have parents that were siblings), it may mean a more distant cousin relationship, it may be a cousin-by-marriage, someone who is related in an unknown way, or someone who may not even be related at all. Genealogists are sometimes precise in their use of cousin relationships. Other people often are not and sometimes genealogists find it easier to use the word “cousin” instead of the precise term for the relationship. Don’t assume the precise nature of the relationship when someone is referred to as a “cousin.” Research it to try and determine what it is. And remember that there’s always the chance that the person’s […]
Census records are the most popular United States federal records used by researchers. But there are others, including: military records–service records and pension records land records–military bounty lands, homestead claims, land sales court records passports Some of these have been microfilmed and digitized. Others have not. Start with the National Archives website (https://www.archives.gov/) to learn more about these records.
Do you need to just start from scratch on a problem? Scrap what you already “think” you know. Go back to the beginning and cite each record as you find it, analyze carefully each piece of information you discover, and write down each step in your logic and reasoning. Maybe even argue with yourself slightly as you work on the problem. Question yourself. Sometimes what we need is just a fresh start.
For the first few years of my research, I worked on my very rural families who were generally of low-German or US Southern origin. I became fairly adept at researching them. Then I started work on my urban families, my New England families, and my families from the south of Germany. Rules that I thought were “always true,” weren’t. Naming patterns that I were familiar with didn’t apply any more. There were new records that I was able to utilize. There were problems that I did not encounter before. Whenever your research crosses a border, be it geographic cultural policital chronological religious social keep in mind that some of how you research may change. What works in Chicago in 1880 might not work in frontier Ohio in 1817 […]
Read all notations on case files, reverse sides of documents, etc. Sometimes what is penciled on the bottom or reverse side of a document can be significant and may explain aspects of the record that are confusing. And sometimes scribblings can simply be filing notes or doodles. This notation on this case file packet likely indicated that on 1 June 1900 the case was dismissed. That may explain why no judgement was located in the record.
Any type of record can contain errors. This 1890-era court case refers to the plaintiff as Christopher Troutfetter. Details in the file confirm that the man referenced was actually a Christian Troutfetter of Colby County, Kansas. There are few other minor errors in the file as well. Always confirm. Always check with other records. Because Any Wrecord Can be Rong
Probate records may mention funeral and burial expenses paid out of money from the estate. Sometimes these expenses may include the name of the cemetery. Sometimes they may not. Even a small annotation on a receipt for funeral expenses may be a clue as to the location of the burial. Check out GenealogyBank‘s offer for our fans, followers, and subscribers.
Depending on the handwriting, the letter groups “tt,” “ll, “tl, and “lt”can be confused, interchanged, and misinterpreted. When reading handwriting manually, it’s easy to see what the “intent” was, especially if the name is in a record where you expect it to be. Not so easy using indexes. Butter, Buller, and Butler can easily be seen in the same word–along with some other renderings as well. The same is true for Trautvetter, Trautvelter, and Trautveller. Appropriately constructed wildcard searches (usually for Bu*er or Trautve*er) will locate them all. Searches based upon the sounds in the name may not since “t” and “l” do not sound the same. Something to think about when looking for that special feller.
It can be tempting to go with that first source or reference to an ancestor. It can be even more tempting to go with that conclusion if a second source agrees. An online tree (or recent book) agrees with what you find printed in an 1895 genealogy that has been digitized. That’s two sources that agree. Oh boy. While they are “sources” since they contain information, they are derivative sources since they have been derived from something else. Derived sources are only as accurate as the information from which they were derived and the thoroughness of the person reaching the conclusion. There’s room for error there. They may not even be two sources–the online tree (or that recent book) could have been derived from the 1895 genealogy. It […]
County record books usually do not have actual signatures on deeds and other items. Their copies are record copies and most of them are transcriptions of the original records–especially in the days before photoreproduction was developed. One exception in some locations are in mortgage records. The record copy of this 1878 mortgage contains transcriptions of the mortgagors. The holder of the note, John Ufkes in this case, signed a release of the mortgage right in the spine of the book. A neat place to get a signature. And before you think John Ufkes was a banker or some type of well-to-do…he loaned money to his sister and her husband. They paid him back a year later, likely shortly before he signed the release on 29 October 1879. Upload […]
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