We are excited to bring our genealogy webinars back at the end of summer. New offerings include: Researching in the US before 1850 Charts, Charts, and More Charts Genealogy Terminology Preserving Past You More details are on our webinar page.
FamilySearch has a number of indexes to census, vital, and other records. These may come up when a search is performed. But…. There are records on FamilySearch that are not indexed. In some cases, FamilySearch has essentially “put rolls of microfilmed records” online. These records are often unindexed, although some may be alphabetical in nature, having indexes in each volume or an index created by the original record holder that was also microfilmed. But if you are only using on FamilySearch what you find by a name search, then you are missing out.
When manually searching newspapers, always make certain to search before the death as well as after. There may be a mention of a final illness with details not included in the obituary or death certificate.
Formatting transcriptions can be difficult when one wants to follow the original as closely as possible. That’s especially true with tombstones. One standard indication of the end of a line on a tombstone transcription is to use a slash ( / ). The stone in this post would be transcribed as: / T / John M. Trautvetter / June 22, 1839-Dec. 13, 1917/ [line] /Franciska His Wife / July 25, 1851-Jan. 15, 1888 / at rest / Of course additional information should include the location of the tombstone, nearby tombstones, relative position of the stone within the cemetery, etc.
When trying to learn a new script, practice writing it. Reading “easy” words and “perfect” script is a good way to improve your skills, but for some actually writing the script yourself is the best way to “get it in your head.”
When obtaining a vital record from a record agency, try and get a reproduction of the original record on file. A “certification” may not include all the details on the record and that partial transcription may be incorrect. A “certification” that a birth was recorded may only list the name of person born along with the date and the location. Genealogists want the entire record–preferably an image copy and not a transcription if possible.
We are still adding missing old tips that didn’t migrate correctly to our new site. Hopefully those will get completed over the next day or two. Thanks for your patience. Those who receive tips via email may see a bulk of tips continue to come through.
If your ancestor gives someone a “life estate” to property in his or her will, that means the recipient can use the real estate during his or her lifetime, but cannot sell, mortgage, or encumber the title. They can use the property for the duration of their life.
The provenance of an item can be thought of as its genealogy–how the item came to be, who created the item, and how it ended up in its current location.
Every week (usually on Sunday), I send a summary of my blog posts during the week to: Genealogy Tip of the Day Genealogy Search Tip Rootdig There are a few additional items in the update that are not posted to the blogs, including: citation of the week picture the week letter of the week This update is separate from the blogs and was created for those who didn’t want to get the blogs daily in their email. The email update is separate from the daily updates that go out. The most recent update can be seen here. There are no advertisements in the update. Subscription is nominal which covers our email service used to send the weekly blog update out.
If you are having difficulty locating “associates” of your ancestor, determine if his probate records include an inventory of any amounts owed to him or her at their demise. Those names were probably people with whom your ancestor associated. They may be relatives. Or maybe not–that would depend upon how much your deceased ancestor trusted his relatives to pay him back.
I am hesitant to abbreviate anything in my genealogical records. Just because I know what I mean by “Twp,” “Rev.” or “Sch.” doesn’t mean that everyone else does. And “Rev.” could always stand for reverend or revolution.
Our Casefile Clues sale (20% off) is still going on through the end of today (there’s still time if you missed it). If you ordered and have not heard from me, please email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. More information is here.
Not all immigrants to the United States naturalized, especially before the early twentieth century. It is possible your ancestor never bothered to naturalize. If your ancestor had no interest in voting, he may have never seen a need to naturalize as that’s a key element of citizenship. In some locations and in some time periods, aliens (generally non-naturalized immigrants) were not able to own land. State statute would indicate when that changed. During the time period when only citizens could own land, that was for many a key reason to naturalize.
We’ve had unexpected response to our offer, so we are running it again this weekend. From now through 11:59 p.m. 3 August 2015, a subscription to 52 issues of Casefile Clues is only $17. Your subscription can be processed here. Easy to understand, well-written, and genealogically sound, see records discussed and “next steps” planned out. We have updated our list of back issue topics here.
Recent Comments