One letter makes a difference. This is one that spell check will not catch. Old-fashioned proofreading is what it takes. There is a difference between “interment” and “internment.” interment–the burial of a corpse internment–the state of being confined as a prisoner In a recent blog post, I slipped and used the wrong one. By the time I realized it, the post had permeated the internet. That little “n” matters. Check out GenealogyBank’s latest offer for our readers!
There are several quick tips from this 1863 marriage from Adams County, Illinois: don’t crop so close that you omit key details–the month and year don’t show in my image (they are at the very top of the page) don’t assume that there wasn’t a marriage after a “long-term” spouse died–I almost overlooked this reference to Antje for that reason Google that minister–a Google search for “tjaden minister adams county” directed to me where he probably was a pastor (and that was just a start in finding where he was affiliated in 1863) Antje moved around. In 1880 she was in Denver, Colorado, and she eventually died in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Modern United States certificates often have code numbers that are specific to the cause of death. In some cases they may provide additional information or be more specific than the listed cause. This 1938 death certificate’s code of 200b pretty much means the person dropped dead. The International List of Causes of Death has been revised several times and can be seen online. Make certain you are using the correct year as the codes have been modified over time.
We’ve just released this recording–break your brick walls in 2018 Order download below or email me if you registered/pre-ordered and have not received download. Content: This presentation is geared at advanced beginning and intermediate level researchers. Our focus will be on getting past those impasses in your research. We will look at some common research pitfalls, terminology that can be confusing, ways to organize your research process, the importance of looking at “everything” and more. This presentation is not geared towards one location or time period, but is more focused on methodologies that can be applied to a variety of research situations. Questions can be submitted by live attendees before the presentation and will be incorporated as much as possible and practical. Order now for immediate download.
United States military records from World War I to the present are at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) can be requested for veterans who saw active military service.The OMPF becomes archival 62 years after the veteran’s discharge and are open to the public. Non-archival files are available to the veteran, and if deceased, certain relatives of the veteran. Learn more about accessing these records on the National Personnel Records Center website.
Broadly speaking, genealogists can put sources in one of three categories: Original-the first time the document was recorded. Derivative-when the document was reproduced, whether by hand or some sort of “image reproduction” Authored Narrative-usually a written compilation of original and derivative records along with analysis, interpretation and summary This classification scheme is not perfect. No scheme is perfect. This classification scheme does not comment on the accuracy of the record. That’s the job of the researcher as some original sources are virtually worthless and some derivative sources are excellent. Thinking about what type of source you have in your possession helps you to think about how accurate it could be and the limitations that it might have. For more about record classification and analysis, consult Evidence Explained.
Sometimes after we have researched for a while, we realize that there’s something we should have done differently. Often these “do over” things, ranging from citing sources to organization, are things that we probably would not have done when we started anyway because we would not have seen the value in them or did not dream that we would become as obsessed with research as we are. Instead of doing all your research over–because it’s not going to happen–pick one thing you’d like to do over. And…when you’ve got a brick wall or stuck point on another family, spend some time on that “do over” activity. Maybe just a few minutes or a half an hour. That way it won’t feel so onerous. You will get something done and […]
Webinar: Brick Wall Tips and Tricks for 2018 Date/Time 9 January 2018 at 8 PM Central US Time Content: This presentation is geared at advanced beginning and intermediate level researchers. Our focus will be on getting past those impasses in your research. We will look at some common research pitfalls, terminology that can be confusing, ways to organize your research process, the importance of looking at “everything” and more. This presentation is not geared towards one location or time period, but is more focused on methodologies that can be applied to a variety of research situations. Questions can be submitted by live attendees before the presentation and will be incorporated as much as possible and practical. There will be discussion afterwards for those in the live session. Options: […]
Most genealogists “hear” the names of their ancestors in their head. Not in the sense of “hearing voices,” but by “hearing” that pronunciation in our head of a name that we may never have actually heard spoken aloud. My grandfather’s first name was Cecil and there was only one way it was ever said “See sull.” It was years later before I learned that the name was often pronounced as “Seh Sill.” From a research standpoint this can present problems, particularly with last names. Especially ones like Taliaferro–because it is usually said in such a way that it rhymes with “Oliver.” Try to discover how that “new name” was probably pronounced. Because how it was pronounced makes a difference in how it gets spelled.
Immigrants looking to settle in the United States were not the only ones to cross the ocean on a ship and appear on a manifest. Depending upon the time period, passengers could also be: merchants and other businessmen soldiers returning to the United States native citizens returning from a trip abroad immigrants returning to the US from a return trip to their homeland I even found a manifest entry for a cousin who was a Red Cross nurse in Europe during World War I. If a passenger list entry is recent enough (generally late 19th century or later), it may give significant details about the passenger.
Census enumerators are sometimes given a slightly incorrect detail or two to make a family situation appear different than it is. In this 1930 enumeration the husband’s “age at first marriage” is incorrect–probably to make it look like he was the father of all the children. The oldest child was the wife’s by a previous marriage. There is not really anything in this enumeration to suggest that either–the gap in ages of children could easily be explained by an infant death, miscarriage, etc. This is why looking at more than one record is imperative.
Some weekly newspapers would publish a “days beyond recall” or a similarly titled column containing items from issues that had been published decades before. Just because your relative died in 1855 does not mean he might not be mentioned 40 years later. It can happen. My relative died accidentally in 1855 and several decades later in a retrospective column his death was mentioned.
Names of immigrant passengers on a ship may put in separate areas of the manifest. Most of the time they aren’t (especially since they are travelling together), but it can very easily happened as it did with this 1869 list of arrivals into New York City. The parents are listed separately, then much later on the page are the minor children, the father’s brother, and the father’s mother. Never hurts to read the whole thing.
This World War I draft card for Malerbi Alighiero indicated he was born in 1916. It’s clearly an error on the part of the registrant. It’s easy for a clerk (or anyone else) to make an error such as this. Transcribe the document as written and use the word “sic” to indicate that there is clearly an error: The card for Alighiero indicated he was born in 1916[sic] That way someone knows you did not make a transcription error. And if you think a World War I draft registrant could have been born in 1916, a review of world history is in order.
Every record and finding aid has limitations. When using a source or a finding aid, it can be easy to get caught up in what it tells us and how it helps us. But it is to our advantage to not just focus on the pros of what we are using. We should think about the “cons” of that material as well. How can it be wrong? Could it provide biased information? Could it be incomplete? And so on. Being aware of the “cons” does not mean that we ignore the “pros.” But if we are only aware of the ways a record can be right or can help us we may get “kicked in the genealogical rear end” by the negatives we are not considering.
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