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. AncestryDNA is on sale for $59 through “Cyber Monday (sale ends the 27th of November)–some thoughts before you buy.
Did the census taker reverse the first and last names? It can happen with anyone, but the possibility increases if the individual’s name is in a foreign language and they are a recently arrived immigrant. This man’s name was Focke Meyer, but he was listed as last name Focke and first name Myer. AncestryDNA is on sale for $59 through “Cyber Monday (sale ends the 27th of November).
Are you aware of the local geography where your ancestor lived? Having access to maps is a great help, but having a certain amount of information “in your head” can save time. For your city ancestors do you know the “name of the neighborhood” (if there was one)? Do you know names of nearby neighborhoods and towns? How close did your family live to the line that divided one city from another? For rural ancestors the same thing applies? What were the names of adjacent townships? How close were they to the county line? Did they live in a part of the county that had a nickname (perhaps based upon where most residents were originally from)? Failing to know some local geography may cause you to look in […]
AncestryDNA is on sale for $59 through “Cyber Monday” (27 November). Just a few quick reminders about DNA testing: siblings do not share all their DNA–they will have different matches, especially as the matches are more distant DNA won’t solve all your genealogical problems DNA may reveal surprises that are totally unexpected you may have close matches that are “out of the blue” DNA supplements research in paper records–it does not replace it Organize your information and work on extending your research while you wait for the test to arrive–including tracking down cousins. It will help you make better use of your results.
The Fall 2017 issue of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Register contains an article on the English origins of my Puffer family. When was the last time you searched genealogical journals for information on your family? My Puffer connection is shown on my ahnentafel. Check out our list of books on Michael’s shelf.
The cat didn’t mean to, but he was the “thought prompt” for today’s tip–which is reprinted from 2014. Are you breaking your research down into smaller tasks? Achieving your goal in one step may simply not be possible. And if researching a family seems like a project which you will never finish, consider focusing on one person or one problem at a time and not be concerned with getting “it all done” right away. Ask yourself what one little thing can I do today to help me solve my genealogy problem? After all, Sammie got on the kitchen counter one step at a time. And your ancestor migrated from one place to another one step at a time as well. What was the most logical route to travel, […]
If a will or estate settlement refers to some individuals as legatees and to others as devisees, there is a difference. Generally speaking legatees take legacies (personal or chattel property) from the estate and devisees take devises (real property) from the estate. The are bequeathed the property in the individual’s will. They are different from heirs. Heirs are individuals who have the right to inherit from an individual based upon their biological relationship to the deceased and contemporary statute. Legatees and devisees can be heirs, but they do not have to be. A testator can bequeath property in their will so that heirs receive nothing.
The holidays can be a time to bore your relatives with family stories. Try and avoid this. Another holiday genealogical activity is to put out unidentified photographs at family gatherings and see if anyone can remember: who is in the picture when it was taken where it was taken what was going on when it was taken etc. It may take a village to identify the photograph. One relative may remember one detail, another may remember something else, discussion may trigger memories, etc. Don’t try and insist that someone remember everything–and even an “irrelevant” clue may end up being significant. And it’s allowable if you can’t identify everything in the picture. I still don’t remember the name of the stuffed animal shown in the illustration to this post.
If you’re giving someone (including yourself) a present of a genealogical nature this holiday season, consider using one of our links to make your purchase. Using these links helps Genealogy Tip of the Day keep the lights on. Thanks! Books on Michael’s shelf–only books I’ve purchased and actually use. AncestryDNA GenealogyBank Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Check out their latest offer for our fans and readers.
To learn more about your ancestor’s employer as given in a city directory, search the rest of the city directory as it may include advertisements or list the employer in a list of area businesses. Consider performing a Google search for the name of the business and search local and regional histories as well, many of which have been digitized at Google Books (http://books.google.com) or Archive.org (http://www.archive.org). Old newspapers may also provide more information on the business in question. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Check out their latest offer for our fans and readers.
Every database, index, record, or compilation has limitations. Do you know at least one limitation for each finding aid or actual record you use? Transcriptions may include errors. Search engines may not work the way you think they do–or the way another site does. Informants on death certificates don’t have to prove every statement they make. Census takers may guess at information or ask uninformed neighbors. Probate records generally will not list relatives who died without descendants. Land records do not include those who rent their land. Indexes are not always full-name indexes. Affidavits in pension claims can contain lies or exaggerations. And so it goes. For every source you use, every database you query, every book you read–ask yourself what limitations there may be. Knowing the limitations doesn’t […]
Jumping to conclusions can cause you to waste research time and money. Always take a second look at a document, the statements it makes, and the conclusions you’ve drawn. do you have the same person? is it transcribed correctly? is there another way to interpret the document? do I know what all the terms really mean–or did I guess?
Residential or business directories may contain sub-directories of specific occupations after the “main directory.” These directories may contain additional clues about your ancestor. Don’t just find your ancestor once and quit. There may be smaller directories in the back. The illustration shows a list of Silver-Laced Wyan-Dotte chicken breeders in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1918. Look in the back. Don’t be chicken <grin>.
There are a variety of ways that one can use the internet to help transcribe a document that has a difficult to read term or phrase: Google–-search the internet for what the word or item “looks like” and see if someone else has encountered it or something similar. Google does find reasonably close spellings. Search engines will not always help though–particularly if your document is extremely difficult to read. Online gazetteers for the area of interest–the United States Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System for areas in the United States. Other locations have similar finding aids. Some place names are colloquial, so abstract, or so old that they will not be located in an index or finding aid. Online groups--Facebook and other sites have genealogical groups where others may […]
When referring to family members in your writing, on pictures, etc. make certain you refer to them by name, not just by their relationship to you. Aunt Helen on the back of a picture could refer to more than one person. Uncle John in some families could refer to a multitude of people. And “Mom,” while a term of endearment for many, is about as vague as it gets. Use the person’s complete name at least once so that it is clear. In the same piece of writing they can later be referred to as “Aunt,” “Uncle,” “Dad,” etc. but the first reference should make it clear that you are talking about Fannie (Rampley) Neill, not just Aunt Fannie. And a range of their life span might also […]
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