Remember the purpose of the record when analyzing the information it contains. A birth certificate really is about the birth and minor errors in where the mother was born (if the certificate even contains that information) might not have been considered material. A probate judge was concerned that a person was dead and that probate proceedings should start, but might not be overly worried about the person’s precise date of death. A census was to count people and provide other certain statistical information for the government. The enumerator might not have been overly concerned if occasionally he confused a few children with step-children. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
You won’t remember that fact, where you found it, where you put it, or who is in that picture. Write it down, type in your genealogical database, identify the picture, etc. You will not remember and the only thing you will remember is that you wished you had written it down. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A great place to start that search for that “old” place name is the USGS GNIS http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If Aunt Margaret tells you someone is her “cousin,” what does she really mean? First cousin, second cousin, etc.? To the genealogist it makes a difference because first cousins (who share grandparents) are different from second cousins (who share great-grandparents). First cousins once removed are of different generations from the common ancestor–the grandparent of one was the great-grandparent of another. It’s not necessary to confuse Aunt Margaret. Instead of getting her to tell you the precise word, have her explain the way they were related, generation by generation, or ask her about how they were related. You can figure out the precise word later. And asking those questions may elicit more information anyway! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Genealogy software programs can help genealogists cite their source. Whole books, such as Evidence Explained, have been written providing guidelines for tracking where information was located. Remember that if nothing else, a citation should provide enough detail to get you back to the page in a book or piece of paper that provided you some information. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not adqeuate. A relative said, “a newspaper in 1909 mentioned” a certain relative. At the very least, the name of the paper, date of publication, and whether it was the print, microfilm, or digital version would have been helpful. It’s not always necessary to be 100% in the form of your citation, but it should allow someone else to re-find what you found–even if that “someone else” is you. […]
We are currently running a sale on the first 68 issues of my weekly how-to newsletter, Casefile Clues, which sponsors Genealogy Tip of the Day. Click here for more information. We’ll be back with a new tip tomorrow, ready to start off 2012! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I have been reading First Generations: Women in Colonial America for the past several days. It has given me some insight into the Colonial experience of women and cause to think about a few things in ways I never have. Is there a history text or sociological study that might expand your knowledge even if it doesn’t directly expand your family tree? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Think about your genealogy resolutions for 2011. Pick one small one that you can reasonably obtain. Write it down on a post-it note and put it on your computer. If it won’t fit on a post-it note, it’s probably too long! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When locating records and putting them in your files, make certain that just because the “name’s the same,” that you actually have the same person. Make certain age, location, implied social status and other information “match.” Sometimes records that you think are on the same person, are actually referring to two separate people with the same or similar names. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t forget that Genealogy Tip of the Day is sponsored by my newsletter Casefile Clues. Casefile Clues discusses genealogy sources, methods, and practices, and cites it sources. There is more information on our blog http://blog.casefileclues.com/ or our website http://www.casefileclues.com/. Casefile Clues is not your typical how-to newsletter. Samples are free by sending an email to samples@casefileclues.com. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that the children may not know their mother’s maiden name and what they do know is not first-hand information. They may think their mother’s step-father was her actual father. They may never have met her father and may have a totally “mixed” up version of the name in their head as a result. Or they may be entirely correct about their mother’s maiden name. It depends upon a lot of factors, but keep in mind that information children provide about their mother’s maiden name is not first hand information. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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!
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