There will always be some inconsistency in the records on any individual. Ages from all records may not match exactly. But the years of birth they suggest should be relatively close. The spelling of names will not always match, but sound similar. Keep in mind that records should paint a relatively consistent portrait of your ancestor. There may be a little fuzz around the edges. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
Always read the back of everything. There may be clues there–sometimes ones that are difficult to discern. The back flap of this service record envelope for John Ehmen (CO. I 119th Illinois Infantry, US Civil War) indicated a headstone had been issued. on 9 July 1937. The QMG stands for Quarter Master General. The OMH? Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
Many genealogy pay-for sites offer free trials. Here are a few pieces of advice: Get the free trial when you will actually have time to use it Keep track of the credit card used to “hold” the free trial They will bill you if you do not contact them and have them cancel Mark your calendar for 2 days before it expires. That is the day you decide. If the expire date falls on a Sunday or Saturday, always plan to call on at least the Friday before that date, preferably on Thursday. Of course, if you aren’t going to cancel, then it is not a problem. Some current free trials: Revolutionary War materials are currently available on a free trial (through 15 July 2017) on Fold3.com Ancestry.com
All indexes are not created equally. There can be differences. It is up to the user of an online database to determine what sort of index they are using. It could be: a complete everyname index–most online census indexes are compiled this way. it could be just an index to the “main person” on the record–some indexes to probate records are compiled this way, only containing the name of the deceased. it could be an index to selected names on the record–death certificate indexes that only index decedent and parents’ names (if given). Doctors, informants, undertakers (if mentioned) not always indexed selected pieces of data–sometimes they just extract whatever they want etc. Manually created indexes by record clerks may be different as well. Find out. Informed users are […]
Browsing takes time, but can lead to discoveries. Try and avoid just reading the specific item of interest. Indexes are wonderful, but sometimes being taken “right to the record” causes us to miss other potential items of interest. In handwritten court documents many names may not be indexed. Benjamin Hawkins witnessed a will recorded on the same page as his wife’s step-father’s estate inventory. It is a coincidence, but knowing additional associates of Benjamin is helpful, no matter how they were discovered. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
To celebrate the 4th of July as the 241st year of American independence, we are running a special discount. Through 11:59 PM Central Time on 4 July, we’re offering a 24.1% discount on any of our recorded webinars. Obviously a 241% discount wasn’t an option. The coupon code is: JULY42017 The code is not on the webinar page–don’t lose it. Enjoy! And have a happy 4th!
Your ancestor had relationships that did not generate records. It’s obvious when one thinks about it, but often something that we forget. A relative of mine had a short-term boyfriend in the state of Iowa in the late 1870s that resulted in a pregnancy. She never married the father of the child. I only know his name because her subsequent marriage to Civil War veteran resulted in her applying for a widow’s pension where she mentioned the previous relationship. Another relative was “married” in the 1850s for less than a few months to a man who was temporarily guardian for her minor children. I suspect she was married to him (or acted like she was) because she signs his last name to some documents involving her first husband’s estate. […]
I am having to re-record the following presentations, so we are offering new live sessions of these presentations: Using Fold3.com Local Land Records Citation Basics Details are on our website.
Local indexes to property, court, and other records can be set up differently from one location to another. Take some time to study any index when working in a new area. The index may be just by first initial of last name–with first names not sorted. The index may be by first initial and last initial. it may be by first two letters of last name. Or something slightly different. Failing to learn how the index is created may cause you to fail to locate the desired entry in the records. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
Many researchers make alterations and modifications to digital images. If you do make such modifications, consider including a comment about the modification on the image. That way someone seeing it later will know. There’s nothing to stop someone from removing your note if they copy and paste the image, but at least your image included the information. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
For those who find the daily updates too much, a weekly blog update is available. An electronic copy is available here–along with subscription instructions.
You might not be aware of all the places where a relative’s obituary could be published–be careful restricting your searches too closely. Also consider searching for names of survivors in obituaries. After all, obituaries do not just mention the dead. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
I know genealogists who swear by Google. They seemingly use it to tell them when to breathe. It’s important to remember that Google (just like any website, library, courthouse, etc.) does not have everything. The successful researcher will utilize a variety of sites and sources for information and will carefully evaluate those sites and sources. Google Maps gets close to the house where I grew up, but apparently once the road turns to gravel the Google car turns around. It did the exact same thing when approaching the house from the north. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Try their “GenealogyBank Search” and see what discoveries you make.
I made something of a last minute trip to a courthouse about 100 miles from where I live so that I could obtain a copy of a marriage record. The website for the office indicated they had the records for the time I needed and what the fees were. When I arrived, they told me that all requests for genealogical records were handled by volunteers who answered them by mail. I could not get the record that day. I filled out the form. I paid the fee and I left. Always call and find out research policies before you make a trip. That’s true whether the trip if 10 miles, 100 miles, or 1,000. It’s especially true if it is 1,000. Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored […]
When viewing your DNA “matches” take some care before you assume what the connection is or that there is only one connection. It is possible that: one person has a “error” in their tree; there was an adoption early in the lineage that was completely undocumented; the father (or mother) shown in an online tree really is not the father (or mother); one of the “parents” was married more than once and the “parent” is actually the step-parent; you may be related to the person in more than one distant way. Don’t jump to a conclusion about “where in the tree” the match has to be. A recent match for me indicated a distant relationship to an individual. It turned out that we were distantly related on two families–one […]
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