The funeral home your ancestors used may have records that could help you in your research. However, keep in mind that funeral homes change names and owners over time and tracking down the current name and location of operations may take some time. Newspapers, websites of current funeral homes, Google searches for former home addresses, and reaching out to residents in the area (including libraries and historical/genealogical societies) are some good ways to get started trying to locate the records. Remember that funeral home records are private company records and that the business has no obligation to provide you with information. Be polite, courteous, and respectful when requesting information.
Despite having “done genealogy” for decades and knowing full well the distinctions in varying degrees of cousinship (including the “removed” part), I generally refer to a cousin of any degree as just that: a cousin. I don’t specify that someone is my first cousin once removed, my second cousin, my third cousin twice removed, etc. It important to remember that a relative may write the word “cousin” on the back of a photograph and not meant first cousin. The best bet is to transcribe the item as written, indicate (if known) who wrote it, and go from there. Aunts may not be a sister of the person’s parent. Uncles may not be biologically related or even married to an aunt. In some families the terms “aunt” and “uncle” […]
When viewing records created during the marriage process, remember that a couple is not married until the officiant declares them married in a legal ceremony. Licenses, engagement announcements, banns, etc. indicate the intention to marry is there, but until the ceremony has been legally performed, the couple is not married.
Remember that it is entirely possible that a list of grandchildren in an obituary may list grandchildren who are actually step-children of a child of the deceased who is no longer married to the spouse from whom they acquired the step-child. If the grandparents considered their child’s step-child their grandchild, that relationship and consideration may not have ended when their child’s marriage to the parent of the step-child ended. While these relationships may matter greatly to the individuals involved, DNA is only concerned about which individuals reproduced with which individuals.
Many documents and records that genealogists use contain information that is submitted or given without any attempt made to validate the information. Always ask yourself, is there a chance the informant was misinformed, guessing, lying, or in some other way giving incorrect information that would never be fact-checked by the clerk or contain information whose inaccuracy would later be discovered?
If your relatives were farmers who owned their own land in a federal land state, do you know how the sections within a township are numbered? Knowing where your relative’s property fits in relationship to others can help you know how close they really live. Not all bordering sections have adjacent numbers. The GLO Primer will give you a broad overview. In some states, particularly Ohio, there are a different systems used in different areas of the state. Check with a local county atlas or plat book to see what is used in your area of interest.
Before doing any research, read the entire document or record. Before responding to an online post, read the entire thing. Throw caution to the wind and read a record or document a second time before doing further research, drawing any conclusions, or entering information into your genealogical database.
Have you ever guessed about an answer on a form you filled out? Have you ever lied on some sort of record–particularly if the answer wasn’t really germane to the issue at hand (a wrong mother’s maiden name on a eighty-year-old mans’ death certificate is not the end of the world)? If you’ve guessed, lied, or intentionally left something blank on a record what’s the chance that an ancestor did the same thing?
If you ancestor lived relatively near the county line, is it possible that he appeared in a legal action in a neighboring county? Legal disputes can arise from a variety of situations and, depending on the other parties involved and the type of dispute, the resulting legal action may not be in the county where the ancestor lived.
A pastor whose first language was not English, but who was writing in English script, may have easily inserted a little non-English script into a record he was writing.
Does the local library in the area where your family used to live have old phone books? They can be helpful in tracking a person’s residence in an area. Some libraries may copy or send copies of limited numbers of pages if you are unable to personally visit. When using these phone books, remember that not everyone had a phone and some people who had phones chose to have their number not published in the phone book.
Genealogical writing needs to focus on being clear. Sometimes that means being technical, sometimes it means being pedantically tedious, and sometimes it means using phrases that may seem cumbersome. Occasionally it is all three at the same time. I’ve decided to avoid the debate about Grand-Aunt, Great-grand-Aunt, Grand-Uncle, by being more specific. My Mom’s Aunt Ruth Newman, my Granddad Ufkes’ sister Ruth, my Dad’s Uncle Ralph, etc. are more specific descriptions of the people to whom I am referring. In the case of Ruth, I have two grandparents who had siblings with that first name and one who also had a sister-in-law with that name–one has to be clear. To avoid the great/grand debate and cause less confusion, a little more verbiage is helpful. What’s clearer: Grand/Great Uncle […]
While state statute usually defines these terms, it is generally true that an heir of a deceased person is someone who inherits from the deceased based upon their biological relationship to the deceased. Who qualifies as an heir is defined by state statute. A legatee (or sometimes what is called a beneficiary) is typically someone whom the deceased has mentioned in their will or other papers with a directive that they are to receive certain property when the individual dies. Heirs are related. Legatees and beneficiaries may not be related biologically. Always make certain you know the definition of any term used in legal documents by your ancestor. Sometimes a layman’s definition is not the same as the legal one. Get Genealogy Tip of the Day the book!
From a while back… If your ancestor apparently picked up and moved to where he knew no one, is it possible he was responding to an advertisement? Speculators, land agents, promoted their projects and developments in a variety of ways–including newspapers. It might have been an advertisement that caused your ancestor to pick up and move to where he knew no one.
When heirs are selling property after a death, always look to see where the deed was acknowledged. The deed will have to be recorded in the county in which the property was located, but heirs may acknowledge the deed before a local official where they live. That local official will indicate the location in which he was authorized to act as a notary, justice of the peace, etc. That location can help you to determine where the person was living at the time the deed was acknowledged, even if the deed itself does provide any residential information on the grantors.
Recent Comments