[Genealogy] Across the Road, What I Know, New Notebook for Genealogy Session
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Wed Aug 19 11:07:38 CDT 2026
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** Across the Road
** What I Know I Know
** Notebook for Genealogy--new day time offering
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Across the Road
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The photograph of my Mother pushing a doll in a stroller was taken in the
1940s. That I’m sure of. What I am less certain of is the location. Given
where Mom and her grandparents lived, I’m reasonably certain the photograph
was taken in Hancock County, Illinois. But where within the county I am not
so certain.
The road isn’t a huge clue. The picture is somewhat blurry, and I can’t be
quite certain if the road is dirt or gravel, although I think the chance it
is paved is fairly slim.
I don’t think the picture was taken in Mom’s paternal grandparents yard as,
based on the property they owned across the road and how long they had
owned it, I doubt there would have been a fence line running perpendicular
to the road right there (the barns were on the same side of the road as my
mother would be and livestock were pastured on pasture they owned that was
not across the road). The farm ground behind the road gives (to me) the
impression that it was owned by two different individuals at the time the
picture was taken or at least reasonably close to when the picture was
taken. That’s not the case with the property across the road from her
paternal grandparents’ home/front yard.
It could be in her maternal grandparents’ yard, but it would have to have
been the side yard and not the front yard–there was a state highway, paved
since the 1930s (road maps verify this–not just my second/third hand
knowledge). The road does not appear to have been a state highway. I think
the road on the side yard road was gravel and need to look at a county map
in the 1940s to be certain. But upon further reflection it could not have
been in their side yard either because of the fence in the background. My
great-grandfather’s brother’s home would have been in the background if the
photo had been taken in the side yard.
I’m left with concluding that the picture was likely taken where her
parents lived in the 1940s.
Background in pictures can be helpful in determining where a photograph
might have been taken. If you think you know where a picture was taken, see
if the background matches (at least reasonably closely) what should have
been there at the time. In this case, county plat books or atlases could
have been helpful. Road maps would also have been useful in determining
what type of road was in use at the time.
Also do not jump to conclusions and give yourself some time to analyze
something. Upon first analysis, I forgot that my maternal
great-grandfather’s brother’s was to the east of his and, given its
location across the road, should have appeared in a picture taken in their
side yard.
--------------------------------
What I Know I Know
--------------------------------
This was a little thought exercise I undertook partially for my own
entertainment and partially to remind me of what people could
know–particularly information in county histories and other published
materials written before they were born. My knowledge of any years of birth
in this discussion are, by the very nature of time and the fact I am
discussing my grandparents, secondary.
What is not secondary is the fact that I know that these individuals acted
as if they were siblings, were accepted as siblings, and were acknowledged
by others in the communities. Their births all took place between
forty-four and seventy years before my own birth and nearly
one-hundred-and-twenty-five years before the time this post is written.
That’s something to think about when I see a county history published in
1880 that references relationships of individuals born at the end of the
1700s and the beginning of the 1800s. That does not mean that those
relationships are correct or that the person’s memory was infallible.
It just gives me perspective.
This exercise required me to try and put aside what I know from having been
involved in genealogy research. That was, to be honest, difficult. I tried
to think of times I met these people and things I knew or heard before I
became involved in genealogy. The years my grandparents were always known
to me–my family was never one to hide *anyone’s *age.
I tried as best I could to concentrate on what I knew because it was
repeatedly told to me or repeatedly implied by the actions of others. This
includes family gatherings, numerous funerals, various celebrations, random
family visits, discussions about who was not speaking to whom,
conversations where family members gossiped about their siblings (let’s be
honest), and other stories I was told.
I know who all my paternal grandfather’s siblings were. I know my Grandpa
was born in 1903–that was something I heard repeated numerous times. I know
he was the oldest in his family and that he had two younger brothers and a
younger sister. I know that his brother Herschel was the youngest of the
entire family and that his sister, Nellie, was born before the youngest
brother. That leaves his brother Ralph to have been the second oldest
child. My grandfather died when I was six months old–I have no firsthand
memory of him. I knew all three of his siblings having met them numerous
times and always heard them refer to each other as siblings and to my
grandfather as their oldest sibling. Even without genealogy, I knew the
first names of each of my uncle’s wives and the first and last name of my
grandfather’s sister’s husband.
I know who my paternal grandmother’s siblings were, but my knowledge there
is not the same as it is with my grandfather. I know names of Grandma’s
siblings: John, Luella, Babe (might have remembered his name was really
Carl, but maybe not), Elmer, Lillie, and Pete (probably would have
remembered his real name was Cecil). I only remember meeting Luella,
Lillie, and Pete (all of whom I met numerous times). I would have known
John was the oldest and that he died during the Depression in a car crash.
Aunt Luella’s year of birth I would have remembered, but only because she
was born in 1900 and her age “went with the years” as Grandma (and my Dad)
would say. The youngest three children were (in order) Lillie, my Grandma,
and Pete. Lillie was older than Grandma by a bit, and Pete was the baby of
the family. The two older brothers birth order eludes me. They always
acknowledged each other as siblings and were known as siblings.
I knew all my maternal grandfather’s siblings. I always knew my Grandfather
was the oldest (born in 1917), that his sister Ruth was the youngest, and
that their brother Herb was born before Ruth. There were two other brothers
LeRoy and Alvin, but to be honest I always get mixed up which one of them
was oldest. I met all of them numerous times as they all were alive when I
was born as were their spouses. Their mother was actually alive until I was
in my late teens. This is probably the family where I have the most first
hand knowledge of everyone in the immediate family.
My maternal grandmother was the youngest of seven children born in 1924. If
asked only to rely on memory, I would know all their first names (although
it might take me a minute to get all of them, but I can always remember
there were a total of seven): Margaret, Greta, Ruth, Anna, John, Edward,
and Dorothy (my grandmother). Uncle Ed was closest in age to Grandma and I
think Anna and Margaret were the two oldest children. I’d be reasonably
certain of the names of the spouses of most of the ones who lived near
where I grew up (Ruth, John, and Edward). Margaret lived in the town where
I grew up, but her husband passed well before I was born.
Of course, thanks to genealogy research I have filled in the blanks in
these families. This little exercise was just to help remind me that what I
know is similar to what someone else may not. I also have to be aware that
my experience may be unique and that not everyone may know as much about
their grandparents’ siblings as do I. My knowledge is a factor of many
things and I need to remember that as well.
Something for me to think about when I analyze something written in an 1880
biography. It doesn’t mean what aspects of it are true and what ones are
not–but that I need to think about what the informant might have reasonably
known.
My knowledge of the years of my grandparents’ birth is only as reliable as
their knowledge.
What do you know and how do you know it?
-------------------------------------
Notebook for Genealogy--a Four Week Class
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Notebook for Genealogy–A Four Session Pick Your Own Problem Course
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Our focus is on being practical, exhibiting sound genealogy methodology,
and demonstrating responsible use of Notebook (Google’s suite of AI tools)
in genealogy research. This course is for those who would like guidance and
suggestions in how to use Notebook and have a place to get feedback and
additional direction.
*What is Notebook?*
NotebookLM (often simply Notebook) is Google’s suite of AI-driven tools to
analyze data from files and information you provide it. .
Notebook uses sources of your choosing, not what it found online. You
upload your own materials—including PDF files, text files, Google Docs,
slides, or web links—and the AI creates a private workspace built
exclusively around that data. You can upload any genealogy information to
it tht you wish , but it is recommended that only deceased people be
included and that you not upload DNA information on living people.
Capabilities
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Answers with Citations: When you ask questions or search your uploaded
files, every response includes citations to your uploaded documents,
allowing you to double-check sources.
-
Synthesis & Content Creation: Notebook automatically generates concise
summaries, outlines main themes, and identifies connections or conflicts
across dozens of sources at once. You do need to validate its summaries and
conclusions.
-
Audio-visual Outputs: Beyond text answers, Notebook can create study
guides, briefing documents, timeline charts, slide decks, podcast
interviews, and videos based on your content. Even if you never share the
created materials, just viewing them and interacting with them may give you
some insight into your genealogical problem.
Course Prerequisites & Required Materials You should have digital records
for one ancestor or a father-mother-children family, including every extant
record available.
-
Format: PDF or JPG for images; PDF, Word, or raw text for transcriptions.
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Preparation: Be familiar with the specific ancestral research problem
you plan to work on to get the most from Notebook LM and AI concepts.
Gather all materials between registration and the start of class.
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Weekly Assignments: One assignment per week focused on Notebook's media
outputs using your own research problem.
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Scope: The course focuses on mastering the tools and capabilities of
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accessible to participants working on problems from any region.
Community Discussion & Communication
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Private Google Group: Used for asynchronous discussion, peer
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Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17, Henderson, IL 61439
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