Remember that if someone truly died at the age of 30 in 1900, they could have been born in 1869 or 1870 depending upon when their date of birth was in relationship to the date they died. If they were born in 4 March 1869, they would be 30 on any document in 1900 dated before 4 March and 31 on any document dated on 4 March or after. So if a tombstone says the person died in 1900 at the age of 30, they could have been born in 1869 or 1870, if only the years are given on the stone. Whether or not the age is correct in the first place is another matter. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember when reading any foreign language material that is handwritten, that not only are the words in a different language–the script may not be what you are used to either. What appears to be an English “L” could be a different letter entirely. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind that information contained in court records is only as accurate as the individuals providing the information. This can be true in any type of court action. A deceased individual had two daughters who had children with the same man. Instead of listing the children separately in the estate settlement (as was done with children of others), the children were all listed together as if they had the same mother and father. No mention was made of the one sister. Another estate settlement from the 1980s completely ignored a half-sibling who should have been listed in the intestate settlement. Court records are usually accurate. But, if information they contain seems to conflict with other information, obtained independently from other sources, consider the possibility that the court […]
Keep in mind that the spelling of last names was not standard for a long time. The main concern when trying to determine if a last name could be the same is whether the two spellings would likely be pronounced in the same way. It is worth remembering that concern about spelling consistency of names is a fairly recent one. Your ancestor, even if he was literate, might not have worried if the record spelled his last name with one “l” or two. He still knew he owned the land, his neighbors did as well, and the tax collector knew he had paid taxes on it for the past thirty years–that was what likely mattered. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Local court cases usually only index the name of one defendant and one plaintiff, regardless of how many people are involved in the case as defendants and plaintiffs. Witnesses and others who may be mentioned in testimony and other court cases will not appear in indexes either. For this reason it is important to search for names of relatives of your direct line ancestor in defendants’ and plaintiffs’ index to court cases. Otherwise you may easily overlook something involving your ancestor, especially if he and his siblings were sued and the name of his sibling is the one under which the case is indexed. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A derivative citizenship is one that is derived from the citizenship of the parent, usually the father. In the easiest of cases, foreign born children under the age of majority when their father naturalized would be considered naturalized themselves and would not have to go through the process themselves. If your ancestor immigrated as a child, indicates he is naturalized but you cannot find any papers in his name, then consider the possibility that he had derivative citizenship through a father’s naturalization. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that just because your ancestor appears on a 1830 real property tax list for Coshocton County, Ohio, it doesn’t mean he lived there. A person could have owned property in a place without living there. People on personal property tax lists are more likely to have lived in the location. But as for the real property lists, your ancestor might have speculated on property, inherited it, acquired it through military service, etc. and never lived on it. Most property owners lived on or near the property, but don’t use your ancestor’s name on a real property tax list as your sole proof that he lived there. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
That family story may clearly be incorrect or greatly exaggerated. Before you throw the story out completely, think about what sources or records might have been created if it were true. Consider breaking the story into the parts you could prove and the parts you could not prove. And then go from there. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You may have several different records on your ancestor, various census enumerations, city directory references, an obituary, a mention in a county history, a marriage register entry, a death certificate, a mention as a witness on a document, etc.? How certain are you that each of these references are to the same person? Could there have been two people with the same or similar names? Have you possibly confused two first cousins, a father and a son, or two unrelated people. It is always possible and something to keep in mind. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Some smaller libraries will search specific items for specific people for a nominal charge or just the cost of copies. It can be a good way to get access to material you may not be able to access otherwise. Many genealogical publications (especially out of print books that are still in copyright) can be difficult to get online or via interlibrary loan. If you find that a library has a copy of that unusual book, see if they will search it, copy the index, etc. It is worth a try. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you cannot locate relatives who are interested in your ancestor, have you at least tried and contacted other genealogists who are researching in the same location? While they might not be related, they might have ideas for sources or repositories where you should conduct your research. Others might know what records have been microfilmed or digitized, etc. Don’t just limit yourself to trying to find relatives–others with similar areas of research may be able to help you even more. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In some cases the latest transcription of something might not be the best. If you’ve seen a published book of tombstone inscriptions from the 1990s, you still might want to look at that book of transcriptions done in the 1940s. Stones might have been more legible in 1940, some might not have been readable at all in 1990. That book of transcribed marriage records in the 1930s might contain handwriting interpretations with different renderings of certain words. The ink might not have been as faded in 1930 as it was when a later transcription was done. And the transcriptionist from 1930 might have been more familiar with local names than was the 1980 era transcriptionist. Do not always assume the latest publication is the best. Sometimes it is […]
I will be one of two featured speakers at the annual National Societies of Palatines to America conference in Indianapolis from 14-16 June 2012. I’m looking forward to making my presentations there and hope blog readers will join me if they live in the area and have an interest. You don’t have to be a society member to attend the conference.My topics are: Crossing the Pond Online Search Techniques Germanic Research with Ancestry.com German Genealogy Websites Creating Your Own Blog What’s New for German Researchers on FamilySearch Determining Your Own Migration Chain Warren Bittner will also be presenting additional German topics. Mark your calendar now. I’m looking forward to meeting attendees and blog readers as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Way back in 2003, I thought I had “figured out” an 1860 census entry with a few irregular entries. I even had a list of reasons why my conclusion was correct. Flash forward to 2012. In attempting to “redo” the research, I reached a different conclusion about the 1860 census entry–one that meant I had more work to do. Genealogical conclusions are always subject to new information, new procedures, and the potential that a misinterpretation was made along the way. Don’t be afraid to revise. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Are there tombstones you have not seen, photographed, or tried to get photographs of? Tombstones are one of the most fragile genealogical sources around. While not as fragile aunt Myrtle’s mind or the paper in the family bible, stones are subject to deterioration, decay, and the ravages of time. And sometimes vandals. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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