This chart containing ancestral residences was mentioned in an earlier post. The chart itself could use some revision and modification. The pedigree chart layout–I’m on the far left, then my parents to the right of me, then my grandparents to the right of them, etc. In hindsight, because a time line along the bottom might be helpful, I think I would flip the chart horizontally as shown in the draft image (note the locations are also flipped). This would make the timeline along the horizontal easier to make and understand. Boxes would be shorter or longer based on individual lifespans which has not been done in the image. I’d also make the colors similar for areas that areas that are geographically close to each other. It might be […]
From a while back… One thing that creating the various pedigree charts has reminded me of is that I think I know more than I actually do. The drafts of the charts have been created from memory and there is usually at least one factual error in each rough draft. It makes me wonder, “are there other times when I’m searching that I’m operating under premises that are not true? Do I have something in my head wrong that is making it more difficult for me to find someone?” Try creating one of the charts of your own based on memory. Then check it with your records. You may be surprised at the results
A genealogy record provides a date of birth. Despite what some may say, there’s no guaranteed way to know the conclusion you have reached about that date of birth is accurate. But here are some things to think about: Who was the likely informant for that date of birth? How likely was the likely informant to have first hand knowledge of the date of birth? Was the likely informant providing information when their memory was still fresh and reliable? Any chance the informant was heard wrong or the clerk made some sort of error? How possible was it that the informant guessed? Am I using a reliable copy of that record or could there be an issue with the digital copy or transcription that I am using? And […]
Years ago, when I was very new to genealogy, I was “certain” that a certain ancestor was born in 1820. I put that year of birth on all my pedigree charts and family groups charts. I put that year of birth in queries that I had published in print genealogy query magazines. That’s not the year he was born. I had no source for that year. Now it’s all over the internet. It is virtually impossible to get a wrong date of birth for someone out of all the genealogy sites. This is not to fault individuals who make honest mistakes. This is not to say don’t publish or share any information. This is a warning to be careful and make certain you have some evidence for a […]
Pick an ancestor at random–preferably one you know a little bit about. Ask yourself what are three things researching this ancestor told you about research? Thinking about what you had to learn to research that ancestor or what you learned by osmosis while researching that ancestor may give you a bit of insight into your current problems. Or it may remind you that there was a time when you did not know as much as you do now. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of that. I wrote an extended series of posts of this type for my Rootdig blog several years ago.
Some say you have to have at least three sources before you know a fact or statement is true. Like many “rules” in genealogy research, the suggestion is well-intentioned. The reality is more nuanced. Sources can be wrong or they can be correct. It’s the perceived reliability of a source about a certain piece of information that is key. Three different sources can agree even if they are incorrect–particularly if they actually have the same informant, either directly or indirectly. If Grandpa was wrong about where he was born and told that to his children, any record on which they were informants would be incorrect. The key would be to try and get sources that had independent informants with first hand knowledge of the event. For Grandpa’s birth, […]
In current genealogy parlance sources (record books, vital records, marriage records, etc.) are said to be original or derivative. Original records are ones that are in their “first form.” Derivative records are ones that are created from original records–transcriptions, abstracts, summaries, compilations, and the like. Technically, according to some, scans and photographic reproductions are derivative copies as well but they certainly are more reliable than hand written copies. Information is considered to be primary or secondary. Generally speaking, a piece of information reported or stated by someone who had first hand knowledge of the event is considered primary. The statement needs also to have been made when the person’s memory was fresh and reliable. Other statements are usually said to be secondary. This classification system is not meant, […]
If you’ve found a mortgage for an ancestor, try and determine if there was a record made of the mortgage being paid off. In some locations these “pay-offs” are filed separately in the same office where the mortgages are recorded. They may be referred to as “releases” or some other word suggesting that the title to the real property is no longer subject to the mortgage payment. It may also be that the original record of the mortgage has a notation signed by an official or the original noteholder. If there’s no indication the mortgage was paid off, consider searching for court records where the property was foreclosed upon. If that fails, search through land records for the property in question.
A deed of trust is slightly different from a mortgage. Our discussion is from a laymen’s perspective as we are not lawyers. A mortgage generally has two parties: the borrower and the lender. The borrower puts up in their interest in a piece of property to secure the repayment of the debt that the borrower has borrowed from the lender. A deed of trust has three parties: the borrower, the lender, and a trustee. The borrower assigns their interest in the property to the trustee during the repayment term. The trustee can sell the property if the borrower defaults on the loan. The trustee’s interest in the property exists while the loan is being repaid. After repayment, the borrower again has title to the property.
If a relative has several mortgages over time on a piece of property, it can be tempting to gloss over them as not really being as genealogically relevant as other documents. That can be a mistake. Sometimes the lenders or the holders of the note are not a financial institution or an individual who makes their living loaning money. Sometimes they are relatives. Always give a little time to see from whom your ancestor borrowed money. This illustration is from an 1879 trust deed where the husband and wife borrowing money against their farm are borrowing it from the wife’s mother and step-father. Those relationships are not stated in the record and usually are not stated in the record. The legal agreement is about who owes money to […]
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A child being born in location A means the mother was in location A at the time of the birth. It does not necessarily mean that the father was in location A at that same time as well. One cannot assume that the father was present at the birth, nearby at the time, or even in the same town. One also cannot assume the father was even alive at the time of the birth. I recently wrote about a piece of information that was on my father’s birth certificate and almost stated that my grandparents (plural) were at the hospital when he was born. My grandmother was. While I’m reasonably certain my grandpa was there as well, I do not know that Grandpa was at the hospital because […]
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 […]
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