Are you spending much time looking for a specific record that might not really even help your research all that much? There’s a couple for whom I cannot find their mid-1800 passenger list entry. After some thought, I’m not really certain how much more time I should spend looking for it. I have a good idea of where the family is from in Europe as I know where the husband’s brother was born. I know what children the couple had and where they settled. The mid-1800 passenger list probably isn’t going to tell me where they were from. And after having spent nearly ten hours trying to find them, it may be best to work on locating other records. Sometimes it is necessary to realize that it may […]
If your family lived in one small area for centuries, you may discover that you have “repeat” ancestors, people from whom you descend more than once. Of course for this to happen, cousins have to marry. But husband and wife couples who are related to each other may have had no idea of their relationship, particularly if it was distant. Charting out these relationships may be helpful to see the connection, but most genealogical software packages don’t easily allow such relationships to be diagrammed easily–paper and pencil is my personal favorite for drafting these charts as can be seen in our longer blog post.
Those with relatives in the United States may find the historical maps on the United States Geological Survey helpful in their research. Generally from the 20th century, these maps contain place names including schools and cemeteries. A map created fifty years after your ancestor left an area could still provide a detail significant to your research problem. View the map site or our post on accessing them.
When your ancestor got married: What was the legal age to get married? At what age could someone get married with permission? What was the waiting period between getting the license and actually getting married? How long was the license valid? Were any blood tests required?
Do you have photographs that you have not yet digitized? This is your periodic reminder.
If your relative’s “place of birth” is incorrect in a document, consider if anyone in the record creation process (either your relative or the clerk) confused: where born; where from; and where living. It’s possible that your relative giving the information confused some of these pieces of information. It is possible the clerk got confused with the information your relative provided. Always transcribe a document exactly as written, but if things don’t make sense or are inconsistent, consider that inadvertent confusion could have taken place. And…that information that’s wrong, could be a clue as the incorrect location could have significance in your ancestor’s life, even if it is “wrong” for the question it answered.
When a genealogical DNA site uses your DNA to project a relationship based upon shared DNA, do you look to see how much DNA you actually share? If a “known cousin” does a test, do you see if the amount of DNA you share is typical for the relationship? It’s a good idea to do so for at least two reasons: It familiarizes you with the elements of the DNA cousin prediction process It allows you to see if the amount of shared DNA is typical (or not) for the biological relationship you think you have with that relative. The data summaries from Blaine Bettinger’s “Shared CM Project” indicate the typical ranges of shared DNA for specific relationships based upon submissions to his study. We also analyzed some […]
It’s always advised to determine what the record is actually saying–without inferring statements that are not supported directly by what is in the document, consistent record-keeping practices, state or federal law, etc. Don’t put statements in records that are not there and ask yourself “does the document really say” that or am I just wanting it to? Pre-1880 US Census records don’t provide proof (at least not by themselves) of parent-child relationships, heirs to an estate are not necessarily children, paying property taxes in a location does not imply residence there, etc. Be dogged in your approach to understanding what records say–as Riley suggests. While he never says he wants a treat, that’s usually a safe bet. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it.
This is a picture of the tombstone of John H. Ufkes from Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery near Basco, Hancock County, Illinois. Discerning readers may notice that the inscription on this stone is pretty “crisp.” There is a reason for that. The inscription on the stone has partially been “redone.” It is a little easier to see in this photo of John’s wife, Noentje. The picture of her stone shows the “original” inscription a little better. I don’t doubt the accuracy of the inscriptions, but I should make a note in my records that the inscription on this stone (at least the name and dates) appears to have been “redone.” In this case, I don’t know when the inscription was remade. What I do remember is one of Johann and […]
We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Instead of checking every thirty seconds to see if the results of that DNA test have been posted, consider doing the following while waiting for your DNA test results: check for “weak links” in your family tree–can any be fixed with paper records? work on documenting additional descendants of your ancestors through your third and fourth great-grandparents–descendants of earlier ancestors may easily connect in your DNA results as well, but that’s probably enough work for anyone during your DNA results wait. That will help you in analyzing your results when they do come back. study up on the basics of DNA analysis; remember that sorting your “known families you didn’t really test to learn about” will help you on your […]
A DNA test is not a pair of socks. A DNA test is not some coffee table book that will sit unopened gathering dust until your children clean out your house and donate it or throw it away. Once taken and submitted for analysis, a DNA test has the potential to unlock some details about your family’s past and start a lifelong trek of wonderful discovery. For those with little interest, it may be a fifteen minute diversion. Then there are other situations. A DNA test also has the potential to create extreme family distress and discord if it turns out that “close” family members are not “family” after all or that there are some “close” family members that no one ever knew about. DNA test results can […]
Church records can consist of more than vital events. Anything that mentions a person’s name and point in time can be helpful–depending upon your situation. Of course, not all these records (such as the donations shown in this image) are extant or even preserved. But if they are and you’re stuck, they may provide an additional clue. Another reminder–don’t crop the image too closely. The year got cut off in this list of donations on 20 September 1908 that includes my great-great-grandpa Trautvetter.
I always read the obituaries on the website of the only funeral home in the town where I grew up. A recent posting contained names I recognized as being a relative, but a few things didn’t jive with my memory. It wasn’t just my memory that was wrong–the obituary was as well. And the obituary, like my memory, left a few details out. And, for me, the days of calling my Mother for potential clarification (although she wasn’t always an “original” source) are long gone. The maiden name of the mother was incorrect. His grandmother’s maiden name (or possibly the grandmother’s middle name) was used instead–at this point I’m not certain as my connection to the deceased was on the other side of the family. Other recent online […]
Avoid assuming that everything has a “meaning” or a “secret” behind it. For years I tried to figure out “why” my grandparents went to the town they did to elope. When asked decades ago, Grandma just said “your grandpa just got it in his head” to go there. The town was eighty miles from where my grandparents lived and would have been a long trip on Illinois “highways” in December of 1935. There were no family members who lived there (I’ve looked). It likely was someplace they could get married quickly and was far enough away from that the license’s appearance in the local newspapers would not be seen by relatives. Sometimes there’s not a “real secret to be discovered,” just the fact that an ancestor tried to […]
It’s difficult to really start your genealogy research over. A researcher cannot erase the memory of what they have done or of what they have discovered. Instead of starting over, it’s best to re-evaluate: how did I get these facts that I think are true? how accurate are these sources I used? did I use multiple sources where possible? are there things I could improve about my research process? how did others solve similar problems? where could I have made a mistake? do I have the best copy of the original record? Making corrections, increasing your knowledge level, re-evaluating what you have done are all great ways to improve the research you’ve done. Maybe you just need a remodel and not a complete tear down. Genealogy Tip of the […]
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