[Genealogy] Self-Made Maps, Rabbit HOles, Webinrs, and Consultations

[Michael John Neill]

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** Mapping Out Grandma’s Farm…and the Memories
** Research Trips
** Rabbit Holes
** Consultations

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Mapping Out Grandma’s Farm…and the Memories
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“Made Your Own Map?” appeared recently as a tip of *Genealogy Tip of the
Day* with the map accompanying this post as the illustration
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2024/01/23/made-your-own-map/>.

The map is a rough sketch, but drawing it was a really good exercise for
me. As soon as I finished it, I realized the scale was slightly off, the
position of several buildings was skew, and I had left a few things out.
But drawing it really got me to remembering things I had long since
forgotten.

There is an aerial photograph of my Grandparents’ farm
<https://rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com/?p=10210> that was taken in the
mid-1950s. That’s approximately twenty years before my memory starts. I did
not allow myself to look at the aerial photograph until I had drawn my own
map. When I looked at the photograph, it became clear to me I had the
relative position of some of the buildings incorrect. There was at least
one building standing in the 1950s that had been torn down before my memory
starts. The garage cannot be seen in the 1950s photograph (because of the
trees).

The drawing of the photograph made me think of things besides the
buildings. Things about my Grandma, things about the time I spent there,
and things about the farm. The physical act of creating the map apparently
triggered memories that have long been dormant.

So that relative who cannot remember things? Have them draw a map of the
farm, the position of rooms in a family home, or something else from their
childhood. You might be surprised at what they remember.
[image: image.png]



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Join me on a Research Trip
----------------------------

   - Midwest Genealogy Center-Independence, Missouri, May 2026
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/mid-continent-genealogy-library-october-2025-research-trip/>
   - FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, 12-19 August 2026–details
   just announced
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2022-family-history-library-salt-lake-city-trip/>
   - Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, September 2026
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/acpl2022/>


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Rabbit Hole Genealogy
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[image: image.png]

There’s a practical limit to how far into the network of the
non-biologically connected people to an ancestor a researcher should delve.
At least there is in my research world. I know there are some who believe
that researching the step-father of your third cousin’s blacksmith is a
valid research approach, but I’m not one of them. There’s a limit to how
much time and money one can spend.

I will admit that curiosity got the better of me briefly when I saw the
name of the notary on the 1946 mortgage signed by my grandparents for their
farm near Carthage, Illinois. I was curious because I did not recognize it.
The mortgage was likely signed at the nearby small bank that held the
mortgage. It was the same bank where the family banked until the bank
closed.

But I knew that the connection my grandparents had to the notary was
fleeting and that the chance of garnering any real genealogical knowledge
was essentially nil. The likely scenario was that the notary was an
employee of the bank who served as notary on bank documents when needed. My
quick search for information on her did not mention her bank employment,
but did indicate that her sister was later my high school English teacher.
The failure to locate an obituary or other reference to the employment was
not surprising as many women during era had a short-term job that they
terminated before or upon their marriage.

Was I surprised that I had a tenuous, peripheral connection to this person?
Not really. This was nothing more than one in a long-standing series of
connections that one discovers when one is from a small town where your
family has lived for some time. The bigger surprise would have been if
there had not been some connection of this type.

This search was not a “what connection did the notary have to my
Grandparents?” search. It was a “who is this person search?” There’s a
difference.

If this had been a notary on an 1848 document for a set of ancestors about
whom I knew very little, I would have had a different reason for the search
for more information on the notary. But even in this case, I need to ask
myself “what connection did my relative likely have to this person,” “was
this connection a ‘one-off’ meeting in a clerk’s office,” “did my relative
interact with this person on other documents,” etc. But I also have to ask
“does knowing more about this person tell me more about my ancestor even if
they have no other connection than the one on this document?” It’s always
possible that if I know little about my ancestor that information on a
notary public will help me determine when and where my ancestor was in a
certain place. That can be helpful.

There are times to go down the rabbit hole. Just think before you dig. And
know when to stop.

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Genealogy Research Consultation Sale

--------------------------------------------------
Need some guidance with your research, but don't need a class, don't need
to hire a researcher for $1000 or more?

Just need someone to look at what you have and give you ideas on what to do
next?

That's exactly what a genealogy consultation is for and we're having a sale
on ours.

Save $40! We are offering a limited number of consultations at this reduced
price--normal price is $140.

More details about our consultations are available at:
https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/consultations-with-michael/

Space at this reduced rate is limited!

Email me if you need to schedule a consultation you have signed up for and
you have not heard from me.

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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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