There are times when documents are not standard from one area of the country to another. This 1941 birth certificate from Lee County, Iowa, asks how long the mother had been in the hospital and in the community before the child was born. In this case, the answer to both those questions were three hours and it’s suggestive of the mother going to the hospital for the explicit purpose of delivery. The residence of the mother 15 miles away would also be a a clue. While I’m not certain why the questions were asked, the hospital in question did draw a number of out of town residents. It’s likely someone in the vital records office was interested in knowing that information and the only to know that is […]
A correspondent indicated that a database on a certain website had multiple dates of marriage for several of his ancestors. My correspondent wanted to know what the different dates meant. It was difficult for me to say without knowing the time period, the location, and the type of record from which the dates were pulled. Like many events in life, marriage is a process that usually takes place over time. A couple meets, courts/dates, gets engaged, decides when to get married, decides where to get married, gets permission or license to get married, gets married. Those events may happen in very close proximity or they may be extended over a long period of time. Some of those events generate records with dates on them, particularly the permission to […]
Sometimes memories take a while to come back. One way to help jog a person’s memories is to show them pictures. But shuffling through a hundred family photos in a two hour interview is not possible. One option may be to create a picture book for the interviewee to write in at their leisure or for them to view before you actually interview them. Digitize photographs you want to use to help the interviewee remember family members or long-forgotten stories. Put them in some sort of book format, leaving plenty of room for the person to write on the page next to the picture. There are numerous websites that allow you to publish such books of photographs or you could even simply put them in your favorite word […]
When interviewing a family member, it’s important to think about how hard you will question a person on topics that you know they are sensitive about. How much you will press for details really depends on your relationship with the person being interviewed, the mental health of the person being interviewed, and the nature of the sensitive topic. There’s not one answer to how far a certain topic should be pressed for an answer and the interviewer should always keep in mind how likely it was that the interviewee was personally involved and impacted by the events in question. It’s also worth remembering that while there may be sensitive topics of which you are already aware, there may be others of which you have no previous inkling. Pay […]
When viewing digital scans of ledgers or books that contain left and right hand pages on the same image, make certain the pages are lined up. The register shown in the illustration has a right page that is a “line up” from the left page. It’s noticeable on the top of of the page. But this ledger contains the names of individuals on the far left hand side. The person of interest was in the middle of the image. Initially when I found the entry, I slide over to the right hand page to read the rest of the entry–without realizing that the images of the right and left hand side were not aligned. Always look at the whole image. It will make it easier to determine if […]
If your relative was in a state prison–as opposed to a local or county jail–see if there are records of his or her incarceration. Chances are, the prison’s earlier records have been transferred to a state archives or other statewide facility charged with maintaining the records. If they do not have the records, they may be able to point you in the direction of other agencies or facilities that may be able to help you. Prison registers may provide physical information or biographical information on your ancestor not located in court records. This page on the National Archives website contains a list of state archives throughout the United States. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it and get your own copy. If you’d like to get […]
From a while back… Every event in your ancestor’s life takes place in context. If your ancestor does something on a specific date, there may be other people doing that same thing on that same date: other couples marrying on the same date as your ancestor may be relatives or close friends other individuals naturalizing on the same day as your ancestor may be relatives, friends, or associates men who deserted the army on the same date as your ancestor may have had a connection to him people who died on the same date as your ancestor may have had the same contagious illness and so on. The commonality of the date may mean nothing. It may also be significant. Just don’t ignore it. Looking for “same day people” […]
It’s not a stray mark. It is an intentional dot and it is not the only one on the page. As of this writing, in Ancestry.com‘s interpretation of 6th name on this image is “Fred” sans dot. Before I looked at the actual record, I thought it odd that the pastor used the Anglicized diminutive Fred for my great-grandfather while using the low-German name of Trientje for my great-grandmother. The pastor didn’t use Fred as the name for my great-grandfather. It was an abbreviation. Looking at other names on the same page made it clear that abbreviating names was a common practice in the baptismal register. I have transcribed it as “Fred.”–with the period–in my records. Numerous other sources indicate that his actual name was Frederick/Frederich. The reminders: […]
My maternal grandfather was born 106 years ago today. I never called him anything other than Granddad, but that name is obviously not listed for him on any actual record. His baptismal record indicated his name was Johann Heinrich Frederick Ufkes and that he was born on 27 January 1917 to Fred.[sic] and Trientje (Janssen) Ufkes. His birth certificate gives his name as John Henry Ufkes and indicates the same date of birth. The only other item showing two middle names is his tombstone which only includes them as initials. Seemingly ironic that the two records providing both names (or references to them) are ones created at the beginning and ending of his life. Which name should I call Granddad by in my software and other records? I […]
It is not possible to preserve every piece of paper we have. Sometimes it not even possible to preserve or pass on every piece of paper we have from our parents or grandparents. The piles and files may be overwhelming and those that come after us may have no interest in documenting every receipt that Grandpa kept during his life time. Consider scanning the paper items and letting the originals go in some cases. Do you need to keep every physical check your Grandfather wrote? Do you need ever receipt Grandma kept for craft supplies or having the television repaired? It might not even be worth your time to scan or digitize these items. Or it might be. That’s really your decision. But consider whether those who come […]
I’ve seen the picture numerous times. The print is blurry and faded and the image I made from the negative using my scanner is blurry as well, but the colors are better than in the print. I never really looked closely at what I was holding. I was more concerned about trying to figure out who the woman on the right is (spoiler alert: I still am not certain). But upon closer inspection, I realized that I am holding my Dad’s brownie camera with the big flash. Don’t forget to take one more look at a record, an image, or a file to see if there is something you have failed to notice. Sometimes we get so focused on one aspect of something that we miss other clues. […]
The genealogist should always think about what other records could be generated by a process or set of records they have located. A probate case generates its own set of items, but there also may be: Newspaper legal notices of the impending probate. Newspaper mentions of various court actions to settle the estate. Newspaper advertisements for an estate auction. Land deeds to settle title to real estate. Guardianship records for minor heirs (which may be filed separately from the probate records). Always ask yourself: what additional records or references could this set of records generate? Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it and get your own copy. If you’d like to get our genealogy tip daily in your email for free, add your address here.
Remember–no site has every record, every file, and every index. Don’t do all your research via one website, one repository, or one library. You wouldn’t just use the census only for your research would you?Expand your research horizons and your family tree–use a resource or a facility today that you’ve not used in a while. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. Fee-based websites may tell you they have everything–they don’t. Even some non-profit websites may suggest they have everything–they don’t. And remember when you are done with the websites…look offline. Everything is not on the internet. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it and get your own copy. If you’d like to get our genealogy tip daily in your email for free, add […]
If accessing a court case is a part of your genealogical research, make certain you have accessed any records of summons or “appearance in court” requests that were issued. These items, typically addressed to a local sheriff, may help indicate when and where someone was living in a specific location. In the case of the illustration, the summons indicated that several of the defendants were not living in the state of Virginia in early 1830 when the summons was issued. Genealogy Tip of the Day book is here. Learn more about it and get your own copy. If you’d like to get our genealogy tip daily in your email for free, add your address here.
I’ve been searching a database of deaths in Illinois in the mid-20th century. While searching this database, I have to constantly remind myself of where people in “my county” were likely to die if they did not die in “my county.” The two most likely places were nearby hospitals and state institutions. In my case, most out of county hospital deaths took place in one of three nearby cities. Those cities were located in different counties. A significant number of deaths took place in a state institution eighty miles a way which was located in a county that was not adjacent to the county of interest. In addition to institutions it is always possible that your relative died in the hospital, nursing home, or institution that was near […]
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