My German born ancestor was George Trautvetter–born in the 1790s. He had brothers Adam, Michael. and Henry. I was years into researching the family before I learned that at least two of them really had the first name of John or Johann–using that first name combined with the middle name made finding them easier. They dropped the “first name” after a while in the United States, but used it on passenger lists and records early in their settlement. Is your ancestor hiding under an “unknown” first name?
If you are fortunate enough to obtain a copy of your ancestor’s will, it may be that parts of it are difficult to read. Was there a contemporary transcription of the will made by the court that approved the probate of the will? Often the will was ordered to be “filed” for record and that transcription may be easier to read than the original. There’s always the chance that the record copy contains an error and it won’t contain the actual copy of your ancestor’s signature, but it may be easier to read than the original.
If any sibling or sibling-in-law of your ancestor received a military pension, especially a widow’s pension, consider obtaining the records. Widows needed to prove their marriage to the serviceman in addition to his service and need. Family members were frequently the ones who provided testimony, particularly to the marriage.
If your male ancestor died, is it possible that the mother married again and that her children with the first husband are listed in subsequent records with their step-father’s last name? Children could easily be enumerated in census records with the mother and actual step-father under his last name with no real indication that he was not the biological father and regardless of whether he legally adopted them or not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When you cannot find a record in the expected location, ask yourself if you are really certain the event took place in that spot. Do you have good information to cause you to believe that or are you operating under a hunch? That hunch could be wrong. Did a couple go a distance from home to elope? Did your great-grandparents live in another state for a year and that’s where one child was born? Was great-grandma living with a daughter out of state when she died? The event may not have taken place where you think it did–especially if if happened one hundred years before you were born. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
For those who are new… I currently write and maintain the following blogs: Genealogy Tip of the Day http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com/ One quick tip every day on a wide variety of topics–meant to be short, quick, and to the point. Rootdig.com http://rootdig.blogspot.com Postings on a variety of research topics–difficulties with websites, quick analysis of records or sources, some opinion, research methdology, etc. No press releases, no “news,” and no posting of offers from database providers, equipmentn sellers, etc. Genealogy Transcriber http://genealogytranscriber.blogspot.com One piece of handwriting posted everyday–can you read it? Search Tip of the Day http://genealogysearchtip.blogspot.com/ A database search tip–published irregularly–not really every day, but I don’t post something just so I can say i posted something every day. Focuses on database and web searching. Casefile Clues Blog http://blog.casefileclues.com A […]
A surety is one serves as a guarantor on bond or other obligation such as a debt. If the person signing the bond performs their obligation, the surety does not have to “do anything.” If the person pays their debt, the surety does not have to pay it. If the person signing the bond does not perform as indicated on the bond, the surety is at financial or legal risk. The the person who is supposed to pay the debt does not pay, the surety becomes obligated. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A dower is that part of a husband’s property that the law assigns to his wife. On land records, the wife may relinquish her dower rights when the real estate is sold. A dowry is usually property that the bride (or her family) brings to the marriage. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In some locations, there are places that have similar sounding names that could easily be confused. Did someone confuse Bedford and Bradford Counties in Pennsylvania? Did someone confuse Williamsfield in Illinois with Williamstown? A few letters may not “really” change the sound, but they may very well change the location by a hundred miles or more. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We’re a just under the wire in wishing readers a “Happy New Year.” Happy 2013! Hopefully you are ready to continue your family history discoveries in the new year. Fans and viewers have called our webinars one of the best genealogical bargains around. Today, to celebrate the beginning of 2013, we’re offering a coupon code through 11:45 PM 2 January 2013 that will reduce your webinar purchase price by 60%. Coupon code is yearendView the list of webinars here:http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2012/08/updated-list-of-genealogy-webinars.html This is the last webinar email you will receive from this email address–if you would like updates about webinar offerings, please email casefileclues@gmail.com to be added. Thanks for your support in 2012! It is appreciated.Michael ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
The first of the year is a good time to look at a problem (or two) that you’ve not looked at in some time, reviewing the material and reminding yourself of the key elements of the problem. Consider putting away for a while some families that have given you difficulties and work on a person or situation you have ignored for some time. Letting it sit for a while may allow you to come back with a fresh perspective. Happy 2013! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
To learn more about your ancestor’s employer as given in a city directory, search the rest of the city directory as it may include advertisements or list the employer in a list of area businesses. Consider performing a Google search for the name of the business and search local and regional histories as well, many of which have been digitized at Google Books (http://books.google.com) or Archive.org (http://www.archive.org). ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Sometimes researchers don’t get specific records because they “know what the record will say.” Sometimes the record may say exactly what you think it will. And other times it will say something completely different. While it may not always be inexpensive, if you have a “brick wall” ancestor, make certain you have not avoided getting records because “you know what they will say.” Something unexpected in those records may answer your question. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We’ve mentioned it before, but another reminder does not hurt: “Don’t rely on memory when sending emails about ancestral problems, writing blog posts, or creating entries in your genealogical database.” You may end up creating more problems by inadvertantly saying something that is incorrect and having that something get passed on, and on, and on. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Did you relative get the wrong name in their head? I wrote a complete blog post about a man named Joseph Watson, only to refer to him as James Watson almost every time I used his name. Is it possible that your ancestor simply referred to the wrong person when giving information? And proofread what you write–more than once. It’s possible that you made a mistake as well–and those accidental, “got it in my head wrong” mistakes sometimes come back to haunt you. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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