Going to that local courthouse to do some family history research? Know what you are looking for and look presentable. Staff will take you more seriously if you act like you know what you are doing and are dressed reasonably well. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Don’t look for just births, marriages, and deaths in newspapers. Were your ancestors married fifty years or more? Did one live to be hundred? Were there other events that might have warranted mention in the newspaper? Search for these events as well. One-day those newspapers may be digitally scanned and full text searchable, but until then this approach might work. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you are looking for that female relative in a death record, Social Security Death Index, probate record, etc. remember that you need to have her last name on the day she died. If she married shortly before her death, that might be a problem. Make certain you really know the name under which she might be listed in those records created after her death. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Look at every age of your ancestor in every available record? How consistent are they? Compare each and every one of them, creating a range of years in which your ancestor could have been born. Making a chart could be helpful in analyzing what appears to be inconsistent years of birth. Such a chart was helpful in working on a person of interest in this week’s issue of Casefile Clues. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Are there old pictures you have not “gotten around” to identifying? Are there people you haven’t asked that might know who is in those old pictures. Ask now, before it’s too late. Other information will be around in a week. Aunt Myrtle might not. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
I was helping a high school classmate with her son’s 5 generation genealogy project. In one communication with her, I asked her if her Dad’s family lived in or near Tennessee. After I hit send, I realized I should have clarified which Tennessee I was talking about. There is Tennessee the state and Tennessee the little town in the adjacent county. Are you being precise in your use of locations? ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A notice to our new followers and fans on Facebook—“Genealogy tip of the Day” is sponsored by Casefile Clues, my weekly genealogy how-to newsletter. Every week we analyze a document, record, or “problem” focusing on method and procedure. Several brick walls are updated on a regular basis, letting readers see how the research progresses. More information is on the Casefile Clues website. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Whether or not there are “stupid questions” is debatable. However, if there is something about a record, a resource, or an ancestor you do not understand, consider asking someone. They may be able to point out some nuance that you overlooked that even seasoned researchers don’t always see. And if it turns out you are missing something obvious, you probably won’t die of embarrassment. And if you do, well then you can ask your ancestors those questions personally….. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Is there a one-day genealogy seminar or workshop near you? Consider going. Even if the topics do not necessarily seem like they will interest you, you might learn something. Workshops are often a good way to network with others before the lectures, during lunch, etc. And you can always volunteer to help with future workshops and maybe help choose the speaker, topics, etc. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If you can’t find an ancestor in a specific record, go back and review his entries in other records or consider searching in different materials altogether. It may be that in working in those other materials that you find the clue that explains why the ancestor is “missing” in the record that had you stymied. That’s how I found an ancestor in the 1840 census, by looking in non-census records I got my answer. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember that the date a document is signed is the date of execution. The date a document is recorded at the appropriate office is the date of recording. There is a difference. Not every document was recorded promptly. Wills are usually recorded after someone’s death. Deeds may not be recorded for years, but most are. Sometimes deeds will finally be recorded when the purchaser wants to sell the property and realizes the deed of purchase was never recorded. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Remember–census relationships are always given with respect to the head of household. In some cases, the wife may not be the mother of all the children. And “children” of the head of household may actually be step-children. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Just remember that in pre-1850 United States census records the oldest person might not necessarily be the head of the household. If a grandparent or parent is living with someone, they might be the oldest person enumerated while the person named as the head of the household is actually someone younger. I think that’s the case with a family in Ohio that I’m working on for an issue of Casefile Clues. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
One of the biggest hangups for genealogists just getting started is working before the 1850 census. Try taking those pre-1850 enumerations and “practicing” on a family where you have already discovered the children’s names and ages with other records. See if the enumerations “fit.” Then expand your work to individuals where you don’t have as much information on the children. It helps to practice first. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
For those new to research, it is imperative to remember that last names are rarely spelled the same from someone’s birth until their death. Sometimes the variants are obvious and sometimes they are not, but I’d never find the Demar family if I didn’t look under Demarrah and Desmarais. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
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