Keep in mind that there are a variety of records that might mention your ancestor and that are not everyname indexed. Court records, estate records, and other records usually are not FULL name indexed, unless they have been abstracted and published. It may be necessary to get away from indexed records in order to solve your problem. The difficulty is that unindexed records take longer to search. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Some information lends itself to making charts–some doesn’t. Regardless there may be some way to organize information in table format. Doing so may help you to notice trends that have someone passed you by or catch omissions in your research. Either is a good thing. We use a fair amount of charts in Casefile Clues–because it helps organize information for readers and is good for the researcher as well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are stuck on an ancestor, are you using the “same old sources” you always use? Are there records you avoid because you don’t understand, they are “difficult” to access, etc? Some individuals avoid land records, court records, and other records for these reasons. Are there un-utilized sources that might have the answer to your problem? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If the last name is MacDonald, look for Donald. If the last name is DeMoss, look for Moss. If the last name starts with an “O,” drop it. Try looking for Wall instead of Van de Wall. And on the reverse side, if the last name is Neill, you might want to try O’ Neill or McNeill. Just in case. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A wife’s dower is that portion of a man’s estate or possessions that the law assigns to his wife. Typically a third, it was determined by state statute. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Historically a woman who was authorized by law to manage her own affairs. She might have been single, a widow, an abandoned wife, or in very unusual circumstances, a married woman. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A femme covert is a married woman whose rights are incorporated into those of her husband. She doesn’t have legal rights of her own. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Of the things to do when visiting that distant courthouse-remember that the purpose of the office is to do the daily business, which often is not to assist you with your research. Be polite, be patient, know what you are looking for and don’t come across as the “tourist genealogist” who thinks they “know everything.” Your goal is to get records–remember you most likely don’t know anyone there, aren’t a local taxpayer, aren’t a local voter, etc. You’ll have more luck with a softshoe approach than a brash one. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is it possible that two individuals who were first cousins were actually cousins on another side of the family as well? It happens. Keep in mind that individuals may be related in more than one way. Or that individuals who are related by blood may have additional relationships too, either by marriage, employment, etc. Sometimes the connections are not entirely crystal clear and may be multi-layered. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you really know how your ancestors said their last name? I always thought I knew how my grandmother’s maiden name was said, until I saw it in an 1870 census with a “new” spelling. I asked on an German research list how the last name was likely said by a low-German speaker and was given a pronunciation slightly different from what I had always used. Then the alternate spelling made perfect sense. Do you know your ancestor’s name was said? It can make all the difference. Subscribe to Casefile Clues and see how it helped with the family I was researching for issue 42. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
When a record is located, try and compare it to other records of the same type or in the same series. How is the record for your relative different from other records? How is it similar? Some differences, such as name, date, etc. identify the record as being for your ancestor as opposed to someone else. But make certain the “boilerplate” of the document is the same as others in the series. Differences, such as a phrase or word that does not appear in other documents may indicate a clue. Analyzing a record in comparison to others is especially helpful when looking at church records which often are kept in loose paragraph format before standard forms were used. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day […]
If you enjoy “Genealogy Tip of the Day” please let others know about it. Tip of the Day is free and suggestions are welcomed. “Genealogy Tip of the Day” is sponsored by Casefile Clues and we’d love to have fans subscribe, but that is not necessary. Suggestions for additional tips are always welcomed at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. Our URL is http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Did any of your ancestor’s siblings receive or apply for a military pension? If so, there’s a chance your ancestor provided testimony as to service, marriage, or other information. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Filing quickly is good–things get misplaced. However rushing to do you data entry may not be a good idea. Some records do not clearly indicate relationships precisely. Most genealogical database programs require specific type of relationship–you can’t just say “related.” Analyze what you find. Draw conclusions and determine the family structure. Then put the relationships in your database. You can enter individuals in a database program without indicating the relationship. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Do you want to use a tip or two from “Genealogy Tip of the Day” in your newsletter or publication? Doing so is easy, just be certain to credit us. You can copy and paste the tip(s) and include the following: (c) Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, TIPDATE. We would love to have you use the tips, just please credit them. Credit helps us to keep generating more tips. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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