Files of loose court papers are frequently out of order. If you are having difficulty understanding the case being tried, organize the papers chronologically. After that, extract every date listed in the papers and create a chronology. That may help you to understand what lead up to the case and how it played out. Organization of the papers may also suggest there are some holes in your understanding. Either way, you have made progress in your understanding of the case. For court records it also can be helpful to begin your work by looking at the initial filing of plaintiff and defendant in addition to the conclusions that were reached. All of those items (if available) will help provide a broad overview. This is also a good idea […]
I will be presenting this online session on Monday, 1 November at 1 pm eastern time (download option available for those who can’t attend at that time). More details on our announcement page.
If a tombstone provides a date of death and an age at death, a date of birth can be calculated. When a date of birth is calculated in this fashion, make certain to indicate that the tombstone was the source and that the exact date of birth was calculated. That way if better records of the date of birth are obtained that slightly differ, you will know that the “stone date” came from a date of death and an age–it is always possible that the person who determined the precise age did their math incorrectly or that the inscription was incorrect. Always cite the source.
Ok, so it’s not just a genealogy tip. Our laptop is on the fritz and my daughter wanted to use the desktop. I was forced to read some homestead case files without the internet and email as a distraction. And guess what? I noticed three things I had not noticed the first time I read through the papers. The first time I had read them while I was “waiting” on webpages or search results to load. Is multitasking your problem? Would you notice more details in a record or a file if it had your complete attention?
A cousin graciously shared with me a copy of a relative’s pension file that another cousin had shared with her. I was very glad to get it. The relative of the cousin received the file from the National Archives years ago. I wondered if the National Archives had sent her the entire file as it looked like the original copies were made in the days when mail in requests were for “selected documents.” Turns out there was at least one page the relative was not sent. In this case, the missing document was not a “huge” discovery, but sometimes it can be.
If you’ve set up Ebay searches for your genealogy research, don’t just accept the results in your email if they are not meeting your needs. Refine the search if necessary. I noticed that my results for the name “Rampley” were giving me quite a few results for a medical forceps. I did not need these results. I still wanted to search all categories of items, but I chose to have any including the word “forceps” removed from my search. While there is always the chance that something I want has that word, I decided it was worth the risk to have it removed.
Chances are the information in great-great-grandpa’s death certificate and obituary were provided by the same person. This means that the fact they agree with other does not make them any more “right.” Getting records where there were probably different informants as to the same details increases the chance you get the “right” answer. And sometimes no one knew the right answer. But relying on one source or several sources made at the same time from information probably provided by the same person may send your searches astray.
Remember that we do not live in the same times as our ancestors. If you are working on families from two hundred years ago, consider reading contempory material from that era. Transcribed diaries, newspapers and other materials are a great way to get a better “feel” for the times, in addition to reading non-fiction history covering the same time period. Reading someone else’s diary from the time, even if a complete non-relative, may give you a fresh perspective on your ancestor life and times.
We are extending our 50% off sale on any size webinar purchase through 23 October for Genealogy Tip of the Day readers. Details are on our webinar page. Does not apply to our recent FamilySearch or 1950 census webinars.
In addition to having record copies of local land records, the recorder’s office may have copies of old plats and surveys of farms and towns within the county. If your relative needed their property line surveyed, there may be a record copy of it. If the family had to have a piece of property split among the heirs and a survey was done to do that, there may be a copy of that as well. If your ancestor lived in a town or village, you may be able to see exactly where his or her lot was located.
Proofreading your transcriptions of records and your research conclusions is always advised. Don’t proofread right after you finished something. Let it sit for a day or so if possible and go back to it. You’ll be surprised how many things you’ll catch when the material is cold. And that will help you with some of those research challenges that we sometimes create ourselves.
If you are stuck trying to find a document or a record or are having difficulty in interpreting something a clerk has written in a document or in a record, remember the perspective of the clerk. The clerk may not have understood what your ancestor said, may have been poorly educated himself and cared little about the accuracy of the records he left behind. Or the clerk may have been very concerned about the accuracy and reliability of his records and your ancestor may have been vague in his answers, less than honest, or generally grumpy and unwilling to provide information.
In the early 1980s when I was in my mid-teens, I wrote identification on the back of many of the photographs my Grandmother Neill had–including this one of my Grandpa Neill. Grandma always referred to my Grandpa as “Dad,” rarely by his name of Cecil. So when she told me that the picture was “Dad and Pigs” that is what I wrote on the back of the photograph. The identification in this case really needs some explanation. The handwriting is clearly not that of my Grandma or her two sons–the only people who would have called him “Dad.” In hindsight I should have written “Cecil Neill” on the reverse of the photograph, but for some reason I did not. Just a reminder that things may not always be […]
Always identify the handwriting on old photographs, especially if multiple individuals have written on the back of the photograph. Tracking this information helps to evaluate the probable knowledge of the informant and preserves it for others who may later see your image of the photograph. It may also help someone else who has pictures from the same family that may have writing on the back. I realize not every one has photos that are identified. Not all of mine are, but when I do have ones with writing on the back, analyzing that information as best I can is important.
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