Effective 8 June 2011, we’ll be ending the $7.50 6 month rate for Casefile Clues Beginners. To facilitate bookkeeping, we’ll be accepting year-long subscriptions for $17.00. If you’d like to try Casefile Clues Beginners, subscribe before the change goes into effect. Thanks! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Make certain the county or record agency does not also have copies of delayed certificates. Sometimes if a certificate was not filed when the event took place, one will be filed later. This is is most commonly done with birth certificates and generally when the person “needed” their birth certificate and realized that they did not have one. There may be copies of affidavits or statements as a part of the delayed record and these records may be filed separately from the originals. These are usually filed where the birth took place, but there are always exceptions. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There is still time and room to join me on my annual research trip to the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. We have a great time and work on problem-solving and research while the library is open. For more information visit our original blog post at http://blog.casefileclues.com/2010/06/ft-wayne-library-research-trip-11-15.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Even if an entry in a death certificate or other record appears to be incorrect, keep in mind that, on the surface, it can be hard to determine what’s right and what’s not. A relative’s death certificate listed her “mother’s maiden name” as “Mrs. Little.” Confusing–and I originally thought that maybe the “mother” had married after the father’s death and that “Mrs. Little” was her name at death instead of her maiden name. Turns out Liddell WAS her maiden name. And the “Mrs.” reference? Who knows. It easily could just have been an error. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t forget that there was a special 1890 US census enumeration that included Civil War veterans and Civil War veteran’s widows. Unfortunately returns for states whose name begins with the letters A-K were mostly destroyed. These have been microfilmed by the National Archives, NARA microfilm M123 and are online at Family Search. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember when reading those widow’s pensions, that it was in the widow’s interest to make herself, “poor, destitute, and without support.” Statements should always be interpreted with the thought that the claimant might have “shaded” comments to make things go in their favor. Same thing applies to statements made in divorce records. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A deed may have the date it was signed, the date it was acknowledged, and the date it was recorded. Make certain you indicate which is which. They can be clues in some cases. A husband and wife executed a deed in 1814 in Kentucky and by the time it was acknowledged a month later, the wife is listed as a widow. This allowed me to approximate the date of death for the husband. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If a family sold a deceased parent’s land after the parent died, not all of the children might have lived near where the property was located. They might have been sent copies of deed, told to acknowledge it in front of a local official, and mail back the information. That acknowledgement would have been recorded with the actual deed. That’s how a deed for my ancestor’s White County, Indiana, farm in the 1860s told me the counties in Iowa, Illinois, and Louisiana where his children were living. Don’t neglect to read the acknowledgements on a deed–they may hold clues as to where heirs are living. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My aunt was the third wife of her fifth husband. In her Civil War pension application, she mentions having his family bible which included death dates of his wife and others. I’m wondering what happened to the Bible upon her death. It’s very possible it actually went to her family and left her husband’s family altogether. Could this have happened to one of your family items? It might be worth contacting descendants of an ancestor’s step-child to see if they have any knowledge of materials of this type. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Use abbreviations sparingly. Does “w/o James Rampley” mean “wife of James Rampley” or “without James Rampley?” Of course on a cemetery transcription site, what it means is obvious. But remember, what is one person’s “obvious” is someone else’s “huh?” Abbreviations can easily confuse–use them with care. Avoid them if at all possible. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If visiting a cemetery where your ancestor lived, consider leaving your name and address on an index card at the stone you’ve been to visit. Put the card in a plastic baggie and use something (such as a rock, etc.) to keep it from blowing away. Don’t harm the stone in the process, but perhaps someone visiting the cemetery another day will find your baggie and contact you. Not everyone with genealogy information goes trolling the internet, but they may go cemetery visiting. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Over the Memorial Day Holiday, you can take advantage of our Casefile Clues subscription offer–$25.50 for the first 35 issues of Year 2—plus another year of issues. A list of topics from year 2 can be viewed here. Orders can be processed here with a credit card (PayPal account not necessary although PayPal processes our payments). Subscribe now before you forget–this post will be pulled when the offer is over. You can request samples by emailing samples@casefileclues.com. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Think about who is listed on a document and who that document implies is alive at the time the document is written. A will mentioning children usually means that the children are alive at the time the will is written. There’s no guarantee the children are still alive when the will is admitted to probate. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind some counties may have ledgers with birth records and separate birth certificates. I looked in the birth certificates for two of my grandparents and did not find them. But when I looked in the birth register–there they were. It pays to make certain you have searched everything. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In locations and time periods where women had few property and legal rights, there are not often estate settlements if the wife dies first. However, if the wife dies last always look for an estate settlement, quit claim, or some type of settlement deed to tidy up the estate. People assume that because women who die first don’t often have estate or probate records that they won’t when they die last either. That’s not necessarily true. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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