An earlier tip referenced women lying about their marital status in census records. Men also gave incorrect marital status accounts to avoid mentioning their divorce. In 1900, Conrad Haase in Hancock County, Illinois’ Appanoose Township, indicated he was widowed. He wasn’t. He was divorced. Always take those marital status entries with a grain of salt.
Before heading to a cemetery to take pictures, there are several things to keep in mind, including: having the permission of the landowner, if appropriate knowing how to get to the cemetery having adequate materials to clean the stone without harming it having some way to take notes to augment your photographs knowing how to use your digital camera or phone dressing appropriately–old clothes are best being prepared to take pictures in the shadows arriving while there is still plenty of light having a cemetery travel buddy may be a good idea as well This list is not comprehensive, but is suggestive.
Many divorced women in the 19th and early 20th century found it easier to say they were widowed instead of saying they were divorced. This individual’s 1900 census enumeration indicated she was a widow when in fact she was divorced and her ex-husband was very much alive. Sometimes divorcees would refer to themselves as “grass widows,” but that term was not approved by the census department.
If your ancestor was a local businessman, an advertisement in a newspaper or other publication can confirm where the business was located, dates on which the business was operated, business partners, etc. Advertisements may even include biographical information on the business owners (check out the comments on this Rootdig post to see a reference to an advertisement in Kansas that generated quite a bit of information).
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There are a variety of ways one can interest “non-genealogists” in family history. I recently posted this image from an 1889 estate settlement that mentions cash received from the return of a “beer box.” I shared it with a few of my second cousins on Facebook who got a kick out of it. We even had a brief discussion about the purchase/storage of beer in the late 19th century. Sometimes sharing something “non-genealogical” can help to either generate interest in the past or spur a discussion of it. Is there something outside of the births, marriages, deaths, and “begats” that you could share?
After something of a hiatus, my how-to newsletter, Casefile Clues, is back. I’ve moved the blog to a new domain (our old site is having server issues). There’s not much there yet, but there are details about the newsletter, how to get free sample issues, a list of past issues, our philosophy and more. Check it out.
Whenever I locate a record, I look at adjacent records to see if there are other records that may be on the same family or may mention ancestral associates. It’s not just one type of record where this may help as: families may record several deeds at the courthouse on the same day causing the records to appear page after page; the census may include other relatives on the same pages or on pages in close proximity to the desired entry; tax records may include other family members living nearby on an adjacent page; siblings may marry on the same day and appear consecutively in the marriage records; family members may die a few days apart (either due to illness or a mother and child who do not […]
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If a man dies leaving behind a wife and children, don’t assume that there won’t be a guardianship because one parent is still living. While a mother typically has physical custody of the children if the father dies, for much of US history someone would have been appointed guardian to oversee their interest in their father’s estate. That guardian may not have been the mother. This “financial” guardian would not typically have gotten custody of the child–that would remain with the mother. These guardianship records can provide more details about the father and the children, depending upon the time period. In the United States guardianship records are typically local court records.
Today (20 January 2015) is the last day of our old webinar prices. Prices are now hover around $8 a presentation, but will be raised to $20 each after the 20th. Visit our webinar page to order your download or for more information. Downloads don’t expire–there is no expiration. Orders must be placed by the end of 20 January. Thanks!
Some genealogical software packages and some online tree sites encourage users to enter relationships between individuals as soon as possible. That can be a mistake. Unless you’ve got a fairly good idea that the relationship is solid, refrain from immediately entering it in your database. Not every child in the census is the child of both parents. The widow listed in the will may not be the mother of all the children Ask yourself how certain you are of each relationship before you put it in your database. You can “always change it later,” but many times later never comes.
When you find a probate case file for a relative, look closely at the people to whom he owed money and the people who owed him money. There’s a reasonable chance that some of them are relatives. The relationships won’t be stated in the record (as that’s not their purpose). But those names could be clues as to potential relatives. You may even find that the court determined if was doubtful your ancestor’s brother-in-law would pay him the $25 he owed him in 1889, like I discovered.
I’ve kept my webinar prices low since their inception several years ago, but various fees associated with hosting and distributing the presentations have forced me to raise the prices. Effective 20 January 2016 at noon central, the price of individual webinars will be $20 each at a minimum. Prices for most presentations now are mostly in the $8 range. Orders are processed immediately–downloads are immediate. Once downloaded, you “have” the presentation to view whenever it is convenient. It’s just the order that has to take place before 8 am. on 20 January 2016. There are more details on our webinar page.
Never be satisfied with just one or two obituaries for a person of interest. Obtain as many as you can. There’s always a chance that that “extra” one you find contains a detail not given in the others. This 1912 obituary for Samuel Neill of West Point, Hancock County, Illinois, provided a county of birth for his wife. It may not be correct, but at least it is a clue.
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