If you are having difficulty reading the handwriting on a document or record, particularly one that is entirely in longhand, consider making an “extra” copy and tracing the handwriting yourself with a pencil. Getting a “feel” for the handwriting of the person may help you to transcribe those words or phrases that are giving you difficulty. This also can work with foreign language script as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Even something obviously incorrect can be a clue. On a 1900 census enumeration my great-grandfather’s siblings indicated that their mother was born in Ohio. Every record indicated she was born in Illinois and there was no reason to doubt that. It turned out that her parents had lived for 2 or 3 years in Ohio before her birth and had been married there as well. Ohio was a clue to the family’s past, it just wasn’t where the ancestor was born. Even errors can be clues, often because people remember the name of the place, but forget just how it fits into the family’s individual chronology. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that some families kept in contact more than others for a variety of reasons. Your great-great-great-grandfather in 1850 may have had a rough idea of at least the county where his siblings were living and might have been able to at least write a letter to them with that address and have them get it. Other ancestors might have had no idea where their siblings were located or any way to contact them. It can vary from one family to another and one place to see evidence of it is in estate settlements or probate records. A Civil War pension for one ancestor indicates she knew where her scattered siblings were. Another indicates she had no real clue where her siblings were located. Of course, that may […]
Records of a private business, such as a funeral home, are private records which do not have to be made available to the public. Yes, they may have provided funeral services for your great-grandparents, but they are under no obligation to tell you who paid the bill, what biographical information was provided, or anything else. So be courteous and polite when requesting these records, or any records that are not public records. This includes church records as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
An 1870 estate settlement lists your male ancestor as an heir of their grandfather. The estate settlement enver indicates your male ancestor is a minor, so you (reasonably) conclude they are “of age.” Based upon this you conclude that your ancestor was born by about 1849. Did you list the estate settlement as the “source” of the approximate year of birth? Did you include in the notes HOW you reached this conclusion. The estate settlement doesn’t provide direct evidence of age and the indirect nature of it (which includes your reasoning) should be discussed in your notes on the specific ancestor. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
We won’t be offering our September and October topics for a while and because of hosting and other costs, the registrations for future webinars will be higher. Topics: Court records Land records Establishing migration trails Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls The schedule, registration information, and download information (if you cannot attend) is here http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If there are key terms that confuse you, consider taking a short list with you when going to a courthouse to research onsite. If you cannot remember the difference between grantor and grantee, quitclaim and warantee, executor and administrator, etc. having a list might be very helpful. It could prevent you from misinterpreting something and wasting time. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that heirs to an estate are typically prevented from performing certain roles in the settlement of an estate. Heirs usually are not allowed to appraise an estate or to witness the will of a person from whom they are inheriting. Relatives can witness a will or appraise an estate, they just cannot be heirs. And remember that relatives of a deceased person may not necessarily be their heirs. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are having difficulty getting a family member to remember things from their youth instead of getting aggravated at them, considering using names of music, music itself, names of movies, etc. as a way to get their memories started flowing. Who won the presidential election the first year they were allowed to vote? These and other things might get them started remembering. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you have modern maps of where your ancestor lived? Do you have maps contemporary to when your ancestor lived in the location? Geographic perspective is always good–keeping in mind that places in 1750 might not be named the same or of the same size as they are in 2011. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Every word in a document, record, or newspaper account needs to be kept in context. The precise meaning of a word may have been different in 1800 than it is today. A word being used in a legal document may have a meaning that is more specific than when used by a layman and may have a slightly different meaning than in common conversation. Is there a word or phrase that you could be interpreting in a 21st century way–and not the way it was meant when it was used in the document? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
While it was unusual, some women who divorced in the 1800s did revert to a previous married name. This should be stated in the divorce decree and it was not common, but it did happen. However, it is more typical for the divorced female to use the last name of her most recent husband. And divorce in the 1800s was not as common as in the twentieth century, but it did happen. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you know what until the early 20th century in the US if a native born female married an un-naturalized man that she lost her citizenship status? Wasn’t always a real big problem—until women got the right to vote. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If the wife survived when the husband dies, be certain to look through all the estate and probate records for clues about subsequent marriages by the widow. In some cases, she may be listed as “Barbara, late wife of Henry Smith, deceased.” In other cases, her new marital status may not be stated so clearly. The widow could be listed on virtually any document in the estate papers simply with a new last name, with no mention of the husband. And if the wife appears in initial papers settling her deceased husband’s estate and a man, whose not a known blood relative of the widow or deceased husband, suddenly “appears” in the records–check him out. There’s a chance he is the new husband, just with the relationship not […]
The correct link for my series of October genealogy webinars is: http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm An email contained the incorrect link. My apologies for the confusion. Topics in October are: Seeing Patterns Court Records Land Records–Federal Land States Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls Determining Your Own Migration Trail Now back to the tips! Thanks… ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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