[Genealogy] The Littlest Clues, DNA Username Clues, and more

Tue Sep 29 16:15:13 CDT 2026

Genealogy Update 28 Sept 2026

** The Littlest Clue
** BLM, Newspapers, and Females
** DNA Usernames Can Contain Clues
** More Land Platting with AI and Getting the Most From the Census
** Recorded Webinars

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The Littlest Clue
----------------------------

I wrote about these checks from my Grandpa Neill in *Genealogy Tip of the
Day* but realized that there’s another very small clue in these two
checks–one that reminds us of the importance of looking at everything and
every detail.

The checks were written in 1941 when my grandparents and their two children
were living on a farm a few miles north of Carthage, Hancock County,
Illinois. They had lived there since the very late 1930s when they
purchased the farm and are enumerated there in the 1940 census.

But why was Grandpa writing checks on a bank in Augusta, Illinois? While
located in Hancock County, it’s a significant distanced from where they
lived (approximately 25 miles). Carthage was the county seat. There were
banks in Carthage. Ferris, Illinois, was not far away either and also had a
bank where Grandpa banked for some time. But in 1941 my grandparents had
not lived on the farm north of Carthage very long.

After their marriage in 1935, my grandparents “took to housekeeping and
renting a farm” from my Grandpa’s uncle near Plymouth, Illinois. They were
living there when the oldest son was born in 1937 and until they moved to
the farm near Carthage in the very late 1930s. The likely scenario is that
Grandpa still maintained his banking relationship with the bank in Augusta.

At the very least the location of the bank would have been a clue that they
had lived in the area if I had not already known that.

Announcement

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tract Books and the 2026 BLM Land Patent
Search site update

This presentation will discuss what the BLM tract books are (they keep
track of complete and incomplete federal land transactions), how to search
them on FamilySearch–there are multiple ways (focusing on manual searches
for when the indexed do not work), what clues can be gathered from these
records, accessing additional records suggested in the tract books,
documenting your searches of these books. Also included will be a
discussion of the current iteration of the Bureau of Land Management
Federal Land Patent search site.

Presentation to be released on 18 October–$17.99
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UQKGYQSX63Z3Y>

Researching Female Ancestors

This presentation discusses approaches and techniques for determining an
ancestor’s maiden name and locating “missing” females. Geared towards the
advanced beginner or intermediate researcher, it focuses on American
records and sources before World War I. The content is not specific to any
one time period and many of the approaches can be refined for different
locations or types of records. Concepts discussed will include:

   -

   overview of women’s legal rights;
   -

   property ownership;
   -

   inheritance;
   -

   citizenship;
   -

   and strategies for making the most from what you can find.

If you are stymied on your female ancestors–and half your ancestors are
female–this presentation may give you the insight you need.

   -

   Order for immediate download. $19.99
   <https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=32846&method_id=32794>--after
   29 Sept price is $24.

Researching US Newspapers

This presentation will discuss finding copies of newspapers (digital and
microfilm), searching newspapers (digital and manual searches), saving
images, organizing images and your search process, and creating citations.

   -

   Order for immediate download–$18
   <https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=243621&method_id=266115>--after
   29 Sept price is $22.

Michael John Neill has over forty years of genealogical research experience
and has utilized records in a variety of states in the Midwest, New
England, and the Southern United States.

-----------------------------------------------------------

DNA Usernames Can Contain Clues

--------------------------------------

I wrote about these checks from my Grandpa Neill in *Genealogy Tip of the
Day* but realized that there’s another very small clue in these two
checks–one that reminds us of the importance of looking at everything and
every detail.

The checks were written in 1941 when my grandparents and their two children
were living on a farm a few miles north of Carthage, Hancock County,
Illinois. They had lived there since the very late 1930s when they
purchased the farm and are enumerated there in the 1940 census.

But why was Grandpa writing checks on a bank in Augusta, Illinois? While
located in Hancock County, it’s a significant distanced from where they
lived (approximately 25 miles). Carthage was the county seat. There were
banks in Carthage. Ferris, Illinois, was not far away either and also had a
bank where Grandpa banked for some time. But in 1941 my grandparents had
not lived on the farm north of Carthage very long.

After their marriage in 1935, my grandparents “took to housekeeping and
renting a farm” from my Grandpa’s uncle near Plymouth, Illinois. They were
living there when the oldest son was born in 1937 and until they moved to
the farm near Carthage in the very late 1930s. The likely scenario is that
Grandpa still maintained his banking relationship with the bank in Augusta.

At the very least the location of the bank would have been a clue that they
had lived in the area if I had not already known that.

--------------------------------------

------------------------------------

More Land Platting with AI

-----------------------------------

This session will expand on the “Metes and Bounds with AI” presentation. It
will include  additional and more convoluted examples of metes and bounds
properties, discuss platting out properties in federal land states
involving sections and townships, and include an example of a metes and
bounds description in a federal land state. This session presupposes that
the listener has a basic understanding of land record terminology and knows
how to locate land deed records as those topics are not a part of this
presentation.

Release date: 15 October 2025.

Early order price: $18.99
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=C4JG43VE263BW>

Order includes audiovisual file and handout.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Getting the Most from US Census Records

----------------------------------------------------------

This session will help you to get the most from United States census
records–covering from 1790 through 1950. We will start with what you should
do when you find any census enumeration–which is not to transcribe it. We
will highlight the questions asked, talk about using enumerator
instructions, see how to get as much from a census enumeration as possible,
determine when a census suggests other records be searched, and more.

We will cover typical errors and how those arose, concerns about
reliability of the informant (did they just guess at information?), reasons
why people lie, and more.

We will talk about research strategies for people who are difficult to
find, ways names get written and transcribed and how to formulate a census
search plan those individuals who are difficult to locate.

The presentation will last approximately ninety minutes. Purchase includes
media file and handout.

Pre-release order price is $15.99.
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H4MQXGKGGXM9U>

Release date: 16 October 2026.

--------------------
Webinars
--------------------

Ready-to-Go Webinars from Michael–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/>
   -

   FamilySearch Catalog
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/02/19/using-the-familysearch-catalog-webinar/>
   -

   Farming Ancestor webinars–landowner and non-landowner versions
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/rooting-around-for-farmers-and-tenants-and-laborers/>
   -

   Full-Text Search at FamilySearch
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/08/05/updated-familysearch-full-text-search-webinar/>
   -

   Full-Text Search at FamilySearch with Common Names
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/11/04/common-names-at-familysearch-full-text-webinar/>
   -

   How Errors Get in Records
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/how-errors-get-in-records-webinar/>
   -

   Illinois Genealogy Research
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/03/10/genealogy-research-in-illinois-webinar/>
   -

   Metes and Bounds With AI–platting and analysis
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/using-ai-for-metes-and-bounds-deed-analysis/>
   -

   Unburying Funeral Home Records
   <https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/unburying-funeral-home-records/>

----------------------------------------
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17

Henderson, IL 61439
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