If you don’t know what it means, look it up. Misinterpreted terms can create even bigger brick walls for yourself and other researchers. And make certain you know key dates in local history for the locations where you are researching. When were counties formed, when were streets renumbered, when did the courthouse burn, etc.? Don’t guess. Once in a while our lack of knowledge can aggravate the problem. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Your female ancestor marries for the first time in her late teens or early twenties. The marriage takes place apparently several states away from where she was born? Have you looked very carefully in the area where she married for relatives of hers? Keep in mind her relatives might not be listed under her maiden name if her natural father died and her mother married again. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Keep in mind if your foreign-born ancestor proved a homestead claim in the United States, he had to prove citizenship. What this means is that there should be a copy of his naturalization papers in his homestead file. Where that naturalization took place could be a clue if the place is different from where the homestead was located. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My ancestor’s second wife disappeared after his death in the 1880s. Apparently dropped off the face of the earth. Turns out, she married after my ancestor died, thus changing her last name. If a woman “disappears,” remember that she could be right where she always was, just living with a new husband and a new last name. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
There are things that researchers will not be able to pinpoint precisely. No record might exist that provides great-grandfather’s exact date of birth–and March of 1874 may be as specific as you are going to get. Keep perspective though. Bigger concerns are that you have this ancestor tied to the right parents, sibling, spouse, children, etc. A date of birth that is not specific is not always the end of the genealogy world. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I’ve seen quite a few deeds in my genealogy research. Recently I located one where the wife was listed first, instead of the husband. What it likely means is that the money to buy the house in Chicago was hers, in this case likely an inheritance from her father. It is rare to see a woman listed first in a legal record when she and her husband are listed. If she is listed first, see if you can determine why. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
More material than ever is available in digital format, either free or on a fee-based site. Remember that a significant amount of material exists only in paper form, in the original location where it was recorded. You are missing out if you only access digital images and microfilm. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Planning a trip to a remote courthouse or archives this summer? Do not assume they will be open just because you are coming. Offices have temporary shutdowns for a variety of reasons. Find out before you go–not when you are at the office door. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You’ve found your ancestors in the 1850 census, but there appear to be gaps in the ages of the children. It is possible that some died and it’s possible that some are living with neighbors or other family members, perhaps helping out with children, farm work, etc. It is also possible that great-great-great-grandma didn’t have any children between Henry in 1832 and Sarah in 1840, but there might have been ones in between that are either deceased or just are not in the household. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just because someone is left out of an ancestor’s will does not mean they were not the ancestor’s child. They might have received property earlier or might have had a falling out with the parent and been left out of the will for that reason. Sometimes a will will mention the child and give them a dollar or a mere pittance so that they cannot say were left out, but that doesn’t always happen. The 1850 era will of Thomas Chaney in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, only mentions a handful of his ten known children. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is it possible that the census taker got off a line while writing up the actual census that we are using? It is possible that he got the ages off and didn’t even notice it. This image from 1870 in Nebraska shows a census entry where it was realized that a mistake was made–but it’s always possible the enumerator didn’t realize or care that he made a mistake. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember when transcribing any document items should be copied as is. If you see an obvious error, you may wish to insert [sic] after it to indicate that the mistake was not yours. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Think about all that you know about your “brick wall” ancestor. Now, cross one of those “facts” as being not true–even if you really think it is. How would your research approach change? What would you do differently? Where else would you look? Now, is it possible that one or more “facts” aren’t true? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When finding anyone in a census record, remember to read the entire page. There may be notations in the margin and at the very least those columns on the “edge” sometimes do mean something. Remember that some early census records are spread over two pages. There may be clues lurking off to the side. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Did any of your aunts receive a Civil War pension, Revolutionary War pension, etc.? Don’t think it couldn’t help you in your research. If the aunt tried to qualify for a pension, she would have had to have proven her marriage–that place alone could be a clue because if your ancestor’s sister was living there, other family members could have been too. And if the aunt couldn’t find paper proof of her marriage, she might have had relatives provide affidavits testifying to the date and place of marriage and perhaps your ancestor made out one of those. Neat way to get information and an even neater way to get a signature. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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