Do not assume that an ancestor who has a surname as a middle name got it because that was his (or her) mother’s maiden name. Henry Johnson Smith might have gotten his middle name from a non-relative whose name was Johnson. And George Washington Jones’ mother probably was not a Washington. Surnames as middle names may be clues as to connections or they may be something else altogether. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When identifying people on pictures, writing about them in your research notes, or asking someone about them, try and avoid only using a relationship to describe the person. Writing “John’s Grandma” on the back of a picture is helpful, but still pretty vague. Who was John and which Grandma is it? When asking your own Grandma questions, asking her to tell you something about “Grandma” may result in her not talking about who you think she is talking about. Ask her about a specific person–referring to them by name. When I asked my Grandma questions, I was less confused if I said something like “tell me about your Grandpa–John Trautvetter” instead of asking about “Grandpa Trautvetter.” When I asked about “Grandpa Trautvetter” it took me awhile to realize […]
Even if you are certain about a transcription or an interpretation of something, it never hurts to let it “sit” and check it over again one more time. Especially when it’s had a chance to “sit” and is cold. This is a great way to catch omissions and mistakes. And reviewing “old material” is a great way to use time when you can’t think of anything else to do, but want to do something. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Deeds to seemingly small pieces of property may hold more genealogical clues than one realizes. A deed for a comparatively minuscule portion of the property may have been drawn up to clear up a property line or a title. Deeds for fraction portions of property may also have been drawn up to settle an estate. If great-grandpa owned several hundred acres, don’t ignore those deeds for a couple of acres. They may contain more clues than you think. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Based upon yesterday’s tip about US passport applications, we’ve created the following blog post on our sister site–http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2012/08/finding-us-passport-applications-1795.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Did any relative in the United States obtain an early 20th century passport? Applications for passports in this era frequently included information on where the person was born as well as where the person’s father was born and whether or not the father was a United States citizen. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When personally visiting a cemetery, make certain you read the entire stone for clues–front, back, left, right. Sometimes there may even be a symbol engraved on the top–that could be a clue as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep a running list of terms and definitions for those words you encounter in your research but cannot remember. It will save you the time of looking them up and failing to know the correct meaning of a word or a phrase can seriously hinder your research. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Blog readers, followers, and email subscribers to Genealogy Tip of the Day can get my second “Brick Walls from A to Z” webinar for free by using this link:https://getdpd.com/v2/cart/add/11078/28716/43862I’ve given four of these “Brick Walls from A To Z” presentations–this offer is for the second one. Each one has different suggestions. This is the first time we’ve offered the second presentation for free.Link expires 48 hours after this post goes live at 10:54 PM Central–15 August 2012. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If great-great-grandma “disappears” after her husband dies, search near all her children. There’s a good chance she is living with or nearby one of them. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Generally speaking, genealogists should give the most weight to the information or the evidence that comes from the source that is considered the most credible. And the credibility of sources should not be determined based upon whether or not the information they contain agrees with what the researcher “hopes” to prove. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When was the last time you visited your local library? Are they able to subscribe to any databases that could help you in your research? Do they have any genealogical materials in their collection? Are they able to obtain materials for you via interlibrary loan? Even if you have no ancestors where you currently live, your local library may be able to provide some assistance with your research. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you always carefully read every document on your ancestor for potential clues regarding alternate spellings or pronunciations of the name? The Declaration of Intent for John Schleicher lists his name as John Sliger in one location on the declaration, with “Sliger” crossed out and “Schleicher” written above it. Everywhere else on the document the spelling of Schleicher is used. If I was unaware of how German names were pronounced, the Sliger spelling would have helped me as that’s likely very close to how John actually said his name. And of course, that spelling may be used in census and other records. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Try and avoid as much as possible, interpreting your ancestor’s actions in twenty-first century terms. Remember that your ancestor lived in a different time than you and probably in a different location. Laws might have been different, commonly accepted behaviors might have been different, educational levels might have been different, religious beliefs might have been different, etc. Interpreting events in your ancestors’ lives as if you were the one living through them might be your problem. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just because something is handwritten does not always mean that it is the original. Many older courthouse records are handwritten transcriptions of the original documents-commonly referred to as the record copy. This is especially true with deeds before other reproductive techniques were developed. Some wills were copied by transcriptionists into record books as well. It is not bad that something is a handwritten copy, but bear in mind that you could be looking at a handwritten reproduction of the original document. And some handwritten documents are the original document. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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