[Genealogy] Stranded Widows

[Michael John Neill]

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Genealogy Update for 22 March 2026

** Stranded Widows

** Webinars

This 1766 request was made by Mary Brown for her “third” in the estate of
her late husband, Amos Brown. Amos had left his wife several legacies in
his 1766 will, but the amount was less than her right of dower or
one-third. Apparently sick in 1766, Amos Brown of Stow, Massachusetts,
wrote his will and a codicil in May of 1766 and was deceased by September
30 of that same year.

This post really isn’t about Amos Brown. It’s about Mary.

Mary is one of several ancestors who I “lose” after their husband dies.
That may partially be because my research on her is incomplete. It’s also
partially because I have not had much time to devote to Mary thus far and
the commonality of her name makes her somewhat more difficult to adequately
distinguish from other women of the same name.

It can be easy to “lose” female ancestors after their husbands simply
because there are fewer records on women. Sometimes we lose females because
they marry again after the death of a husband and we never bother to check
marriage records because we incorrectly assume they would not have
remarried. Often we lose these women because we fail to completely research
the entire family. There may be clues in later records of her children that
suggest a time frame in which she died.

Amos Brown was actually Mary’s second husband. Her first husband, Ephraim
Puffer, died at a relatively young age in Middlesex County, Massachusetts,
leaving Mary with several children. She is styled as Mary Brown in the will
of her father, Joseph Daby, who died in 1767 in Middlesex County. Daby also
mentions his Puffer grandchildren in his will and refers to their deceased
father by name. In this case, the will was my initial indication that
Joseph’s daughter Mary had married again.

Remarriage can be a reason why we fail to locate a tombstone for a female
ancestor if they are buried with a subsequent husband that is unknown to us.

One should never assume that a surviving spouse does not remarry.
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Genealogy Research in Illinois--new Webinar

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 Genealogy Research in Illinois

This presentation will cover an overview of research in Illinois,
including: state resources, local resources and records (including an
overview of typical courthouse records created in Illinois—land, court,
probate, and vital), and records access. Additionally statewide research
facilities and an overview of their collections and materials will be
discussed.

Also included will be a brief discussion of searching the FamilySearch
catalog and accessing and using various websites of state agencies and
organizations. A general methodology for accessing records in Illinois will
also be included.

The presentation will be approximately 90 minutes in length. Handout with
links to various websites discussed will be included.

Michael John Neill is an Illinois native and the eighth generation in one
family line to have lived in Illinois. He has actively researched his
Illinois ancestors since the early 1980s and is an experienced courthouse
and archives researcher. His presentations are informative yet engaging and
practical.



Pre-order for $22
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EJVPZWN5HUW2N>.
Delivery date 25 March 2026. Price after delivery will be $28. There will
be no extension of the introductory price.

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FamilySearch Full-Text Problem-Solving

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This presentation will be example-based only and it will be assumed you
have a working knowledge of how to use the full-text search at FamilySearch
(order that presentation for $30
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>—download
immediate).

We will look at five examples (ones not discussed in the original
presentation) and follow a consistent process and methodology to maximize
the chance that we find what’s available for the individuals in question.
It’s important to leverage all you know about an ancestor combined with the
power of full-text search—we will focus on: family members, migrations, and
known events and relationships. Our approach is systematic—we avoid the
rabbit hole approach that can make full-text searches inefficient.

Release date: 25 March.

Pre-order at $21
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KTZSEB9A2NNUE>.
Regular price $28.


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NotebookLM for Genealogy Problem-Solving

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Take your use of NotebookLM beyond the basics. In this session, we will
look at ten examples of using NotebookLM for genealogy research. This
presentation assumes you’ve got a working knowledge of NotebookLM either
through experience or our presentation (order that for immediate download
here
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=248457&method_id=271366>
for
$25).

We emphasize the responsible use of AI in genealogy and being reasonably
critical of AI-created content. Our approach is to use NotebookLM to assist
in the refinement of ideas and research process not to have AI create
content and call it our own. NotebookLM can be the research assistant you
always wish you had—although an imperfect one.



Release date: 25 March.

Pre-order at $21
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NX3QCCNRYLTSN>.
Regular price $28.
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17, Henderson, IL 61439
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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