Look at that location you just entered into your database. Do you have it spelled correctly? Do you have it in the right jurisdictions? It is known by any other names? Has it been a part of more than one country or region? What languages are spoken in that place? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When your ancestor answered questions for that marriage application, birth certificate, census, social security application, etc, remember that they might not have realized that in one or two hundred years a descendant would be analyzing that one response in great detail. They might never have realized that giving a wrong answer would create so much frustration later on and the records clerk might not have thought that sloppy handwriting decades later would be an issue. All individuals involved might have thought the record would be filed away and never looked at again. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A guardian ad litem is typically a guardian that is appointed for a person for a very specific purpose. In many cases, this type of guardian is appointed with the minor is being sued for some reason, typically because they are an heir to some property that is a part of the lawsuit. If there’s a title dispute to real owned by a deceased person, there may be minor heirs of that person who technically are part of the suit. They may never have had guardians appointed. The judge may appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor to make certain the minor’s interests are represented. The guardian’s only function usually involves the specific court case and the appointment is usually temporary. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for […]
Recently I’ve been using 1890 era city directories to fill in some gaps during that time period in my research. Directories can augment what is found in census records. While directories do not mention every person living in the household, they can list widows (and who their deceased husbands were) and may indicate adult children living in the household and where they work. Directories may also give more specific information regarding place of employment than the census. Census records frequent just list the type of work–a directory may name the employer specifically. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Your relative gave a records clerk the name of the village in Europe where he or she was born. The records clerk did not know how to spell the name of the village. Your ancestor might not even have been certain how to spell the name of the village. The records clerk was unfamiliar with where your ancestor was from. The clerk simply spelled the word your ancestor gave him as best the clerk could spell it. So your German ancestor’s village of birth got spelled the way an English speaker thought it should be spelled. If you are having trouble finding a village, you need to think about the way the word that was written was said. Then try and discover how that would have been spelled […]
Is it possible that your ancestor spent some time at the county poor farm, almshouse, or workhouse? If so, those records may shed some light on your ancestor. And if they died at the poor farm, they might have been buried there–frequently in an unmarked grave. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Sometimes records do not make the family structure obvious. Sometimes it is difficult to figure out which mother is the mother of what children when the father has had more than one wife. Sometimes it is not immediately known who are the children of which father. In cases such as these, before putting the relationships in your database, sketch them out on paper in an attempt to get things straight. Or, write up the information in a word processing document. There are families where putting the family structure in your database may simply have to wait. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind that the census taker just wrote down what he was told. The person did not have to prove anything they were saying. The person providing the information could have been an older child or a neighbor who happened to be home when the residents at the specific dwelling were not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you have a family heirloom or keepsake, try and determine who in the family first owned the item, how they obtained it, who made it, and how it has been passed down to the present day owner. Recording the history now is an excellent idea and searching for information about the heirloom may provide you with more genealogical information on your family. The item can be as commonplace as grandpa’s horse collar (I have one) or as unique as a fancy piece of jewelry. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I’m paraphrasing this from a message list post regarding suggestions for getting pictures of far away places: I contacted a university in Boston (a photography class) and asked if someone would take pictures of old homes for me. I would send them a disposable camera along with a stamped envelope for sending the camera back. I got great reception from someone. They sent the camera back. I had the pictures developed and sent the person a check for $25 for doing this. In Lake County, IN, a realtor was called and asked if she would take a picture of a specific home and attach it to an email. She said she would for $25. —————————–Any other thoughts or ideas can be posted as responses here or on the […]
Digital versions of books are great, but remember that there may still be actual hard copies in libraries. If you have the opportunity to visit one that has a genealogical collection, consider looking at books for which you have a PDF version. The actual one may have an inscription, clippings stuck in it, etc. that could be helpful. I ran across one a while back myself. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
In honor of the holiday, we’re offering a July4th Special on Casefile Clues–$17.76 for a year and twenty issues from Year 2 (issues 20-40).That’s essentially 20 free issues. Jump start your research for less than one tank of gas. Offer good through midnight 5 July for those who were actually celebrating the holiday and not on the internet. Topics here: Volume 2-Number 20–Just One Wife Who Shaves Her Age. Records hinted that a man might have had more than one wife. Despite age discrepancies and first name variations, we’ve likely proven that there was just one wife. Volume 2-Number 21–1930 Census: Primary, Secondary, Original, Derivative, Direct and Indirect. You’ll never look at a census entry the same way again-also shows how in this case, New York became Kentucky […]
Never assume your ancestors won’t appear in church records. Just because your grandparents were irregular church-goers, doesn’t mean that your great-grandparents weren’t regular attendees. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When using local or even published materials, make certain you indicate if the book is one standalone volume or a volume in a series. “County Court Orders 1790-1802” is probably a volume and title and page will work.“Deed Book” is probably not sufficient as that “deed book” likely is one of a series for the locality. Make certain your title, particularly of unpublished materials, is accurate and complete enough to get you to the same book again, if necessary. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Communication was more difficult in the 18th and 19th century than it is today. It is possible that your ancestor had brothers and sisters who moved away from home and were never heard from again. Or it is possible that they did keep in some sort of contact. It varies from one family to another. I’ve seen Civil War pension files from the US where the person had no idea where their siblings were living and I’ve seen others where they knew where everyone was. Some families kept in better contact than others. All of which makes some people more difficult to find–but don’t be surprised if great-great-grandma doesn’t know what happened to most of her siblings. It really is possible. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip […]
Recent Comments