The fact that US census records before 1850 only lists heads of household is a source of frustration to genealogists with US ancestors. It’s also why people who “should be” enumerated can’t be found. It’s not that they aren’t counted in the census, it’s that they are hiding under a tick mark in someone else’s entry. Are they enumerated in a household headed by their father (or perhaps their mother)? Are they living with an older brother or brother-in-law? Are they living in a household headed by their step-parent? Make certain you have looked at enumerations for all members of the extended family of the person of interest. Are their adults in the household besides the head of household? Could one of those adults be your missing ancestor?
Deeds are not the only record that can be recorded in an area after your ancestor left. An estate was opened for a relative in Harford County, Maryland, ten years after he died in Ohio, and fifteen years after he left Maryland. He received a settlement in a court case that had taken years to settle–long after his immediate family in Ohio had closed his estate there. Your relative may have had financial ties to an area long after he left it.
From a while back: In census records where relationships to head of household are stated, “boarders” may be boarders, but they could be related as well. This 1880 enumeration includes a boarder with the household who is actually the wife’s nephew.
One way to get past that brick wall is to analyze a document as if you know nothing about the family other than is what on the document and what you know about the document itself (why it was created, what types of information it typically contained, legal requirements to perform acts listed in document [it applicable], and the like). Forget what you know about the relationships of people listed in the document. Forget what you know about the people in the document. What does the document tell you? Then…after you done that, compare that information to what you know (or think you know) about the people involved? Is the information consistent? Are there new details?
We’re having some difficulty with the email sending out all the tips I’ve posted. I’m working on it. Thanks for your support.
Don’t the numbers fool or confuse you. Join us for this informative webinar or order a recording to view at your convenience. Date and time: 25 September 2024 at 8:00 pm central time. Why did great-great-grandma get 34/99 of her late husband’s estate—when there was no will? We will answer this question and others during this presentation. Attendance live will be via Zoom. Topics included: Calculating probate fractions, dates and ages, Wolframalpha for genealogists, land measurements, money, and more. The math will be low-key, but ignoring the numbers can cause you to miss ancestral clues. Michael was a community college math instructor (teaching from basic arithmetic to calculus) in another life and brings that experience to the presentation. There is no math prerequisite for this class, but you […]
Full-text searching of local records at FamilySearch Labs is great, but there’s no guarantee it will catch everything and one still needs to engage with the records located and be aware that there could be more. Recent full-text searches at FamilySearch labs located two deeds for an ancestor in Ontario–one where he purchased land and one where he sold it. One parcel (the purchased one) is for twenty-one acres and the other (the one where he sells it) is for twenty-seven acres. I need to compare the legal descriptions of the properties as well, but a six acre difference on a piece of property this size is significant and it begs the question: is there something else? Because of the difference a manual search of grantor and grantee […]
When a family has apparent gaps in their family–ranges of time when no children appear to be born–keep in mind not to jump to conclusions. The couple could have been separated for a time. There could have been temporary fertility or other medical issues. The couple may have been married before and the earlier children are by their previous spouses. Children could have been born during the gap only to die later. The mother may have had a series of miscarriages. The key is not to assume.
Ever wondered if the census taker came around right after your 5th great-grandpa got back from the local tavern or having a some moonshine? In all seriousness, it is always good to keep in mind that we don’t know who provided information to the census taker, what the informant really knew about the other people in the household, or whether they occasionally intentionally lied. Occasionally when a family has a large number of children and the entire enumeration appears to be correct, I have wondered if the informant referred to the family Bible to determine the correct ages. That’s not always the case. In additional all seriousness, most errors were likely unintentional or simply oversights–occasionally the informant might have even been told to (shockingly) guess. And when asked […]
“I need to prove James was the father of Enoch.” You may hope James was the father of Enoch. You may want James to be the father of Enoch (for one of a variety of reasons). But what you need to do as a genealogist is determine who were James’ children and who was Enoch’s father. It may be that Enoch falls into that list of James’ children. It may be that Enoch’s father is James. As a genealogist, you want to gather all the materials that may provide evidence related to the issue at hand (who are James’ children? who is Enoch’s father?). You don’t want to only look for materials that will provide evidence of a conclusion you’ve already reached before the research has been conducted. […]
It can be frustrating when a census or other record is missing or has been knowingly destroyed. It can be tempting to find some record to “substitute” in its place. But one needs to think about the record being used in lieu of the absent record and ask what the purpose of the original record was and what the purpose of the replacement was. Using a tax record to substitute for a census record is problematic. That’s not because tax records are bad, but because they have a different purpose from a census record. Property taxes only include people who own property. Census records may have as their goal listing every head of household, listing every resident of a certain area, listing a specific subset of the population, […]
I discovered two boxes of the first Genealogy Tip of the Day book in my garage while cleaning. We’re offering them for $20–shipping included–while supplies last. US addresses only. Order here. Learn more about the book here (that page does not have the lower price link)
Genealogists often put events in an ancestor’s life in a chronology so that things can be noticed, gaps can be seen, and research opportunities can present themselves. It’s also helpful to put maps in chronology as well or to create a chronology of maps for an area where your ancestor lived. It’s important to include maps of the area after your family died or left the area–including down to the present day. This can show you changes in the area over time more slowly than simply using a contemporary map and one map when your ancestor lived in the area. Having a series of maps can make it easier to see where on a contemporary map that ancestral residence was–especially in some areas where changes are more difficult […]
When you see a record set that names people in alphabetical order (such as a tax list or an early census record), remember that people do not live in alphabetical order. That ordering was done to facilitate finding names later, making certain someone was not overlooked, or because the clerk liked things in order <grin>. The thing to keep in mind is that such lists were usually copied from earlier ones that were not in alphabetical order. That copying, to put in alphabetical order, could have resulted in an error of transcription. This is not the same as counties or jurisdictions that put marriage licenses or probate records in alphabetical order. There hopefully information is not being recopied when packets or files are re-ordered.
We’ve posted details of my 2025 research trip to the Library of Virginia. Join me 31 March-5 April.
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