Remember that in census records, relationships are given in regards to the head of the household–typically the husband. His children may not all be children of his wife. And individuals listed as children may actually be step-children. So relationships in one census may be tenuous and not entirely clear. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Years ago, I had a researcher search for the marriage of William Newman and Rebecca Tinsley in Rush County, Indiana. The couple married there in the 1830s. The researcher sent me the marriage record of Thomas Newman and Polly Tinsley who also married there in the 1830s, telling me that often times people used nicknames and that since the last names matched it was the same couple. Being young and inexperienced (I was probably 14 at the time), I believed her. Later I found out that Thomas and Polly were a separate couple, but the researcher was close. Thomas was William’s brother and Polly was Rebecca’s sister. Remember in genealogy sometimes “close” isn’t close enough. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just a reminder to doublecheck any information you find on the Internet. Anyone can post anything. Same thing goes for “free” advice, articles, etc. Sometimes it may be on the mark and other times it may be woefully incorrect. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is there a family bible or other heirloom you’d like to at least see from your family’s past? Keep in mind that any of your great-great-great-grandmother’s descendants could have it? Things didn’t just pass to your immediate family. So get out and get looking. There may be thousands of people who may have what you are looking for. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
The American Revolution caused some residents of the United States to move to Canada. While not all of us have Loyalist ancestors, it is important to remember that historical events of all types might have caused our ancestors to move. And our ancestors didn’t have to be politically inclined for historical events to cause them to move. All kinds of things might have brought about your ancestor’s migration. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you know where the lines are? The county line, the property line, the village line? If you aren’t aware of where the various lines are located, are you certain you are looking in the right place? And remember that the lines can change, especially in frontier days in the early days of settlement. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Legally an infant is someone under the age of majority. That frequently is 18 for females and 21 for males. So a legal document refers to a male as an “infant,” he could easily be 21 years old. We’ve used this tip before, but it bears repeating and remember—in legal documents words are used in their LEGAL context (and based upon specific legal definitions), not necessarily the way we use them in everyday conversation. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Rarely are two separate documents 100% consistent. While it does happen, the more likely situation is that documents are fairly consistent, with minor differences. It is up to the thorough researcher to determine if the inconsistencies are inconsequential and to find reasonable, plausible explanations for them. Usually violations of the laws of biology and physics are not necessary to explain things ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Never hurts and never hurts to do it every so often. I “googled” the name (including maiden name) of a first cousin of my great-grandfather. The first cousin had to have died at least forty years ago. However, the searched turned up an obituary for a daughter who died in 2007! ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Why would an ancestor give a child $1 (or another token amount) in a will? Basically to show that they had not been left out. The child could have had a falling out with their parent, or perhaps the parent had already given them their inheritance, perhaps when they got married, started some type of business, bought their first farm ground, etc. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
So you interviewed your relative twenty years ago when you first started genealogy. Have you thought about interviewing them again? Maybe they remember something now they didn’t remember before or are willing to discuss something they didn’t want to discuss twenty years ago. It is worth a shot. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Many states took censuses in “off-census” years. These records can be a great way to track people in between federal census enumerations. Many have been microfilmed and Ancestry.com includes some in their databases. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It is an oft-repeated suggestion, but we’ve not used it before here. When visiting that cemetery, consider putting a waterproof calling card on the stone or near to it. A business card in a plastic bag, or a laminated one will work just fine. Use a stone, rock, or some other object to secure it in place, without harming the stone. You never know when another relative, who doesn’t use the internet at all, might stop by that same cemetery and find your card with contact information. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that tax lists are not just for those who had real property. In some areas during some time periods, certain items of personal property were also taxed. So your non-landowner relatives might be listed. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
It can be difficult when you only have one census enumeration to tell you anything about an ancestor. I was working on a Benjamin Butler who was enumerated in Iowa in 1870. The problem was that his place of birth in 1870 (Canada) was shown as New York in the 1880 census where I eventually found him. And his 1880 enumeration had him listed as William. Fortunately the wife and all the other details matched. When using just one enumeration to search for others, considering that any one piece of information could easily be incorrect. My search for Benjamin will be mentioned in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues. Subscribe now and get in on the fun. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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