Just because your ancestor uses the phrase “my now wife” in his will, it does not mean he had to have been married twice. A man might use the phrase to make it clear to whom a bequest was being made. If his will said “to my now wife I leave my farm for her life and at her demise it to go to my children” that meant his wife at the time he wrote his will. He might have been concerned that if he remarried and his “then wife” married again that his real property might fall out of his family’s hands. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A relative claimed he was born in Fort Huron. The actual location was Port Huron. One letter makes a difference, even more noticeable at the beginning of a word. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It is important somewhere to keep track of your research logic as you progress. Otherwise you might not remember “why” you are researching a certain person. While at the Allen County Public Library last August, I focused on a certain Benjamin Butler in 1850 as being “mine.” Using that enumeration as the starting point, I searched other records and made research progress. A stack of papers and records. One problem–I didn’t track WHY I thought this 1850 census entry was for the correct person. It took me hours to reconstruct my reason. Time wasted when I started writing up the 1850 Benjamin for an issue of Casefile Clues. When I decided the 1850 guy was “mine,” I should have written down my reasons. That would have saved time. […]
The man’s name was Mel Verslius. His World War 2 draft card accidentally listed him as Melver Sluis before they made the correction. Any chance your ancestor’s name “got split” in the wrong place? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Season’s Greetings from Genealogy Tip of the Day. Enjoy your time with the living relatives this holiday season. Your ancestors will still be waiting….(grin!). ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If your ancestor’s last name has a “t” in it, did the “cross” on the “t” over another letter and “change” the name? My Butlers became Butters for that very reason. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Offer expired! Thanks. You can subscribe at our regular annual rate of $17.00 at http://www.casefileclues.com/subscribe.html ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Always make certain you know what you are searching. I recently wasted nearly fifteen minutes searching for someone in the 1900 census before I realized the database I was actually querying was the 1930 census. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Most of us use chronologies in our ancestral research–consider making a resume for your ancestor. List what years he worked what jobs. Census and city directories are great ways to start getting this information, but death certifiates, obituaries, estate inventories, etc. all may give occupational clues. Don’t pad your ancestral resume like you might your own. Stick to documentable facts (grin!). ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t forget today is the last day to vote for “Genealogy Tip of the Day” as one of the top 40 genealogy blogs. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ft40-2011voting They are encouraging multiple voting–I think someone on staff is a Chicago native. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Some database search interfaces allow users to search on other fields besides names. If the site you are using allows this, consider searching on ages, places of birth, father’s place of birth, etc. I’ve made some interesting discoveries without entering in any nanes on a set of search boxes. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Before you spend hours searching an online database, determine how complete the database is. Some sets of data include all records in a specific series. Others may be in progress, only including part of the time span the title covers. The webpage title may say the materials are from 1850 to 1950, with 1850-1855, 1870-1880, and 1940-1950 being included. Always read the details. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Take a look at a perpetual calendar and see what day of the week your ancestor was married, died, etc. People might have avoided getting married on a certain day of the week or having a funeral on a certain day, but being born and dying are different. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
While state statute usually defines these terms, it is generally true that an heir of a deceased person is someone who inherits from the deceased based upon their biological relationship to the deceased. A legatee is typically someone whom the deceased has mentioned in their will. Heirs are related. Legatees may be related. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t forget if you have found that will in the packet of probate papers for your ancestor that there might be a “will record” contained with the probate records as well. Not all jurisdictions kept these records, but many did. Perhaps if the will has a difficult to read portion, is partially missing, or open to interpretation, the transcription in the “will record,” done at the time the will was proved, will answer your questions. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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