[Genealogy] Unstated Reason for Exhaustive Searches, The Only Signature
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Thu Sep 3 05:20:02 CDT 2026
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Genealogy Update 3 Sept 2026
** An Unstated Reason for Exhaustive Searches
** 5-Week Class on Using FamilySearch's Full-Text Search--Don't Miss It!
** The Only Signature
** Downloadable Webinars
** Upcoming Trips
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An Unstated Reason for Exhaustive Searches
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Sound genealogical research requires an “exhaustive search” of the records
available on the ancestor or family in question. Generally speaking, it
means searching all materials that could reasonably answer the question.
I’ve long been a fan of searching everything possible–especially in
families pre-1900 in the United States and in other families where the
costs of doing so are not prohibitive.
What qualifies as an exhaustive search is often contextual. How much
research needs to be done and what types of records need to be analyzed
depend on the time period, the location, the specific people people being
researched, and how confusing the family structure is. And even when a
researcher searches most materials and information is completely
consistent, there is always the chance that one more record throws all
those conclusions into question.
That is why a researcher should always completely cite everything that
they’ve used so that another researcher can decide if, in their eyes,
“exhaustive” has been met. They should also indicate the records they’ve
searched where nothing has been located.
But this post really isn’t about that and it certainly is not about
citation.
There’s another reason why an exhaustive search is important, especially
for beginning and intermediate level researchers. That reason is simple:
*education*.
My maternal families are fairly well documented during their time in the
United States from the 1850s and on. Church records, vital records, census
records, all are pretty much in agreement. Rarely do I locate “new” family
members or relationships in land, court, or probate records–at least in
these families. And yet I always searched all the courthouse records on
these families–even when I didn’t think it would tell me anything.
Why?
Well–I’m nosy, and I know that I never know what I’ll find in a record
until I look and I have made some interesting discoveries about their
personal lives in these records. But another benefit is that I learned a
great deal about land, court, probate and other records searching for
families when I “knew” everything about the families ( at least the
genealogical basics of birth, death, marriage, and parent/child
relationships) . The “unexplained” things in the documents, the unstated
relationships that sometimes made things more clear, were things I already
knew. Researching land, court, and probate records on families where I knew
quite a bit about the family helped me learn about the records. I could
focus on the records and what they said–not trying use the records to
determine the unstated relationships. Time in these records on families I
had “figured out” helped me a great deal in learning about those records.
Once in a while a realized a date or relationship was not quite what I had
discovered in other records, but most of the time my work in the court,
probate, land and other records on these families allowed me to really
learn about the records.
And that’s helped me greatly when I’ve researched land, court, and probate
records on other families where I did NOT have church records, vital
records, census records, and other materials to explain things about the
family. I had seen similar records before. I had seen terms before and I
knew what they meant.
Exhaustive searches are necessary to make certain some vital clue has not
been overlooked. But they also help the genealogist to learn about the
records being used when the family is already “documented.” And learning is
never a bad thing.
-------------------------------
5-Week Class on Using Full-Text Search--Don't Miss It!
-------------------------------
*5-week class on Using FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search*
With Michael John Neill
Are you getting the most from FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search? Our five
session class on FamilySearch’s full-text search will help you to get the
very most from this truly paradigm-shift way of searching. Presentation and
discussion is practical and down-to-earth. Students will receive practical
and easy-to-implement search strategies and will be encouraged to share
successes and failures with other class members via an online group and
discussion sessions.
Week 1
Overview of FamilySearch full-text search.
This session will provide an overview of full-text search methodology,
discuss how full-text search is different from typical searches, discuss
workarounds for transcription errors, searching specific sets of images,
and search organization.
Week 2
Sourcing and Determining what has been found with FamilySearch full-text
search.
This session will discuss determining what has actually been located,
downloading all information and images for a complete source citation, and
creating a completion citation.
Week 3
Common Name Searching at FamilySearch full-text search.
This session will discuss some specific strategies for searching for common
names in full-text search.
Week 4
Problem-Solving with FamilySearch full-text search.
This session will discuss search formulation, tracking, and problem-solving
when specific items have not been located.
Week 5
Wrap up
Structure
Lectures will be available for downloading the week before the discussion
session. Students will view presentation and do optional homework the week
before the discussion. Each week’s discussion will review the lecture,
discuss homework assignment, and have time for student questions and group
discussion. Homework is optional, but will help students to understand
concepts and get more from discussion sessions.
Discussion sessions will be held:
15, 22, 29 September and 6 and 13 October at 7:30 pm central time.
Class meetings will be via Zoom. Class communication will be via a Google
group. Registration for class is $70
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BKU7EFP9P55C4>.
Purchasers of one of Michael’s previous FamilySearch’s full-text webinars
can order class for $20 less–contact Michael to request special discount
registration link.
Registration is limited and can be processed here
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BKU7EFP9P55C4>.
Confirmation of registration will be made within 24 hours of receipt.
Contact Michael at mjnrootdig at gmail.com <mjnrootdig at gmail.comm> with
questions.
------------------------------
The Only Signature
------------------------------
This is the only signature we have of Andrew Trask, born ca. 1814 Mass.
died in Mercer County, Illinois in the 1880s. It comes from his land
purchase in Clinton County, Illinois, in 1845. Cash land sale files
(available from the National Archives in Washington, DC) typically contain
little in the way of identifying information. Usually these files contain
only receipts for payments that were made on the property. Credit sales may
have more receipts, but outright cash purchases usually contain little
genealogical information.
Although sometimes, depending upon the precise genealogical problem, the
signature can be helpful. It wasn’t really helpful in this case, but it is
the only image I have of Andrew’s signature.
Now if we could just get his picture.
Ready-to-Go Webinars–download immediate:
-
Creating Children’s Stories from Genealogy Events
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-childrens-stories-from-genealogy-information/>
-
Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-families-from-pre-1850-census-records/>
-
DeedMapper webinars
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/deedmapper-intro-and-more-deedmapper-webinars/>
-
Farming Ancestor webinars–landowner and non-landowner versions
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/rooting-around-for-farmers-and-tenants-and-laborers/>
-----------------------------------------
Upcoming Trips
-----------------------------------------
- Midwest Genealogy Center–October 2026.
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/mid-continent-genealogy-library-october-2025-research-trip/>
- Library of Virginia–March 2027
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025-library-of-virginia-research-trip-richmond-virginia/>
- Allen County Public Library–June 2027
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/allen-county-library-2027-research-trip/>
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
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