There are many reasons to organize your genealogical data, including: noticing clues you did not notice before; finding gaps in your research; making it easier for you to share your research; reducing the number of times you locate something you already have; making it easier for you to publish your information (if that’s your goal); making it easier for someone to preserve your information after your death; making it easier for someone looking at your information to help you; and saving money if you hire a professional–they will have to organize it for you before they can help.
When one encounters the phrase “late of Tuckertown” in a legal document, it typically means that the person used to live in Tuckertown. The same thing is true of “formerly of Tuckertown.” Sometimes the phrase “late widow of John Jones” may be used to refer to a woman. Usually in those cases it means that the female to whom it is referring has married again after the death of John Jones. Deceased—that usually means dead.
I finally found a used copy of Fields, Fens and Felonies: Crime and Justice in Eighteenth-Century East Anglia at a lower than usual price at Amazon.com and decided to purchase it. My own ancestor was a convict from East Anglia who was transported to Maryland in 1764. Learning some history is never a bad thing. I discovered this book when doing a Google search for an ancestor. When did you last read some history related to your ancestor? Michael’s genealogy bookshelf can be viewed on my Rootdig website.
Putting a clause in your will that “my genealogical papers are to go to the BlahBlah Library” without some advance planning could have unintended consequences. Some thoughts on preserving your “files” and papers by donating to a library or archives: libraries may not want or be able to maintain random copies of public records that are available elsewhere libraries may not want or be able to maintain random copies made from published books unorganized materials are difficult for libraries to inventory and manage and they are difficult for patrons to use photographs, personal certificates, and other “unique” items are more likely to be preserved and collected, but it can be difficult for some facilities to afford to maintain these collections–consider leaving some financial legacy (if possible) to assist […]
Have you thought about what will happen to your genealogy materials when you are no longer able to maintain them? Think about it now and plan before it’s too late.
We are offering two new webinars on 6 July: Before You Cross that 19th Century Pond Beginning German Research Additional details are on our announcement page.
When records on an ancestor fail to provide information as to his origin, look closely at those records in which he appears shortly after his arrival in the area. Who else is mentioned in those records? When an ancestor is still “new to the area,” he’s the most likely to interact with people he might have known before he moved or with whom he had a connection before he settled in that new area. Research those people he interacted with during his early years in the location. The longer an ancestor lives in an area the more likely he is to know and interact with people he did not know “back home.” It’s those people from back home who could help you find your ancestor’s origins.
I maintain the following blogs. Each has a separate mailing list. Each has subscribe/unsubscribe links on the top of each page: Genealogy Tip of the Day—short daily research tips Rootdig—longer research and methodology discussions Genealogy Search Tip of the Day—websites of genealogy use
Whether a record is helpful depends upon what is known about the family. This World War II draft card (taken from Ancestry.com’s “U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947”), but available from the National Archives, provides evidence of the father’s name and residence as of the time of the registration. It also provides evidence that the father was alive at the time of the registration. In some cases that could be a really big clue.
The Allen County Public Library is one of the largest genealogical libraries in the United States. This August, I’ll be leading a group trip there for three days of research and learning. The days of our trip are 6-9 August. The first Sunday we have an evening meeting/introductory session–research starts on 7 August when the library opens. Trip attendees get help with questions, research suggestions and guidance, along with morning lectures. Our group atmosphere is relaxed–we do not herd you like cattle along throughout the day and activities are entirely optional. For more information or to register, visit our webpage.
Deeds are not the only record that can be recorded in an area after your ancestor left. An estate was opened for a relative in Harford County, Maryland, ten years after he died in Ohio, and fifteen years after he left Maryland. He received a settlement in a court case that had taken years to settle–long after his immediate family in Ohio had closed his estate there. Your relative may have had financial ties to an area long after he left it.
Veterans returning home from the war (particularly World War II and after) were encouraged to take their discharge papers to the local recorder’s office to have a record copy made. That record copy (sometimes filed in “Records of Soldier’s Discharge” or something similarly titled) was the legal equivalent and could serve as a replacement if the soldier lost the original. These records can be a great way to get military information on that relative whose complete military record is difficult to get.
Several years ago, this was part of a tip that I wrote: Don’t demand greater accuracy from records than you are capable of yourself. It’s still true and I forgot I had written it until it appeared in Tips & Quips for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills. It’s easy to get frustrated with incorrect information in records. It’s understandable. But remember that your ancestors were just as human as you are and were inclined to make the occasional mistake as well.
Genealogy Tip of the Day is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Check our their June offer for “Tip of the Day” fans–offer ends 30 June.
My relative purchased a farm in the late 1860s. It still owned by a descendant today. The last deed to the property recorded in the local recorder’s office is that deed of purchase in the 1860s. There are no other deeds. That’s because every transfer after that time has been through a bequest in a will when the current owner died–in 1877, 1939, and 1969. The wills served to transfer title. There’s no missing deeds, it’s just that at the time the will served as the “deed” because it transferred title. (This tip is partially due to a reader’s comment on an earlier tip. Thanks!).
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