While it’s always fun to make a genealogical research trip to a courthouse and search through old records, remember that the most fragile genealogical source available is someone’s mind. If, as the saying goes “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” the courthouse will still be around in a week. Great aunt Myrtle might not. The human mind can be extremely fragile and is a repository that often can’t be replicated elsewhere. Don’t neglect it.
There is still a significant amount of genealogical material (particularly local records) that are not available online. These materials must either be accessed onsite or via microfilm. In discussing a problem with a colleague, I was told that the records most likely to help me with my problem were only available onsite or on microfilm. It was a good reminder for me as I was hoping to access “just the right database or website” and solve my problem. It is not possible to mouse click your way to every record, at least not yet. And that day may not come until many of us have ceased to exist among the living.
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The purpose of a pension application is to get the applicant the pension. For that reason, certain details of the applicant’s condition, may occasionally be exaggerated. Relationship facts and dates are usually supported by other documentation, but the physical condition of the claimant may be written in a way to make the condition seem worse than it actually is. The veteran in this case didn’t have long to live, but did not actually die for nine years. He may have made a recovery or the letter writer may have made his claim sound more dire than it actually was.
Some place names can be difficult to read in old documents. Sometimes so difficult that using online databases to search for the place name is virtually impossible. If possible, find contemporary (or reasonably contemporary) maps of the area where the person might have lived at the time of the event. It may be easier to find the location on an actual map that trying to search an online atlas. And modern atlases and finding aids may be of little help in determining the name of a location from 1860. Can
Last names are not the only thing that can get written in a way on a record that makes the person difficult to find. First names can be abbreviated or shortened to just initials. If those initials are hard to read, the “first name” may be really off from what you think it is. Sometimes it pays to search only based on last name if practical. ————————— Don’t forget about our 50000 fan celebration–50% off any sized webinar download order.
Land records are not recorded in the order in which they were executed. They are recorded in the order in which they were brought to the courthouse for recording. Your ancestor may have waited a few years to record his deed. He may have forgotten and when the heirs went to settle up they discovered that Pa had never recorded his deed. They’d have to record it before they could record any deeds of sale or transfer after his death. If your landowning ancestor lived in a county from 1830-1852, don’t stop looking for land deeds in 1852. There could be records recorded much later. It was the purchaser who recorded the deed. If your relative sold his property to an unorganized purchaser, that deed may not have […]
Unexpected first names that seem to appear out of nowhere usually don’t. There’s a reason, it’s just a matter of finding what that reason is. The family of John and Charlotte Lake of Chariton County, Missouri, contained a son Granville, born in the 1860s. The first name did not appear in earlier or even later branches of the family. Browsing 1860 census for the family gave the probable origin of the name: the neighbor was named Granville Dowell There are several reasons to browse the neighbors in a census.
One thing that creating the various pedigree charts has reminded me of is that I think I know more than I actually do. The drafts of the charts have been created from memory and there is usually at least one factual error in each rough draft. It makes me wonder, “are there other times when I’m searching that I’m operating under premises that are not true? Do I have something in my head wrong that is making it more difficult for me to find someone?” Try creating one of the charts of your own based on memory. Then check it with your records. You may be surprised at the results.
We are excited to announce our April webinars—with several new topics, including: Using Fold3.com Creating those Pedigree Charts and Sourcing Digital Images Using Ancestry.com Using American Ancestors.org Using Land Patents and Tract Books Determining Your Own Migration Trail For details and registration information, visit our announcement page.
When encountering a family tradition, take each statement suggested by the tradition and put it in one of two categories: probably generated a record most likely didn’t generate a record “Grandma sold sandwiches to support herself after her first husband accidentally drowned in the 1850s. Then she married Grandpa Haase and they moved to the farm.” Probably generated a record: The drowning may be mentioned in a local paper There may be estate or probate records related to the first husband’s death There may be a death record of the drowning–although in some US states this is too early for a death record There should be a marriage record to Grandpa Haase The place to start looking for these records is where Grandma was believed to have been living in […]
I have blanks in the pedigree of my great-grandfather, George Adolph Trautvetter born in 1869 near Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois. I’ve never really thought much about his middle name. His first name was passed around the generations for generations. A review of his siblings indicated that his sister, commonly known as “Pheenie,” was actually named Adolphena. That’s the feminine form of Adolph. Is there a family connection to someone named Adolph? The use of this name does not guarantee that George and his sister Adolphena will have an ancestor named Adolph or Aolphena. What it does mean is that if there is a potential relative named Adolphena or Adolph, that person has a slightly higher likelihood of being a relative. The name is suggestive of a connection. It […]
By popular demand, we’re bringing this course back…. (if you enrolled in a previous section and had later difficulties, email me to be put in this section of the course at no charge) With Michael John Neill (scroll down for specific schedule) Organizing information is an important part of genealogical research-perhaps more important than the actual research. This short course (only 3 sessions) is intended to provide the students with exposure to a variety of ways to organize information with an emphasis on problem-solving. The course will consist of four lectures (topics and schedule below), problem assignments, virtual follow-up discussions, group discussion board interaction, and student submission of work (optional). There is no assigned grade-you get from this what you put into it. Students will also be able to share their […]
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Being the “hired staff” of well-known individuals is one way to get listed in the paper without being named. Women could also be listed as Mrs. George Jones or simply Mrs. Jones. And men could also be referenced in a newspaper as simply “Mr. Jones.” First names may not have always been published.
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