When records on an ancestor fail to provide information as to his origin, look closely at those records in which he appears shortly after his arrival in the area. Who else is mentioned in those records? When an ancestor is still “new to the area,” he’s the most likely to interact with people he might have known before he moved or with whom he had a connection before he settled in that new area. Research those people he interacted with during his early years in the location. The longer an ancestor lives in an area the more likely he is to know and interact with people he did not know “back home.” It’s those people from back home who could help you find your ancestor’s origins.
Records contain many statements and each of those statements can either be true or false. Analyze each statement separately, thinking about who likely gave the information, how likely they were to actually know the information, and the circumstances under which they were giving the information. It’s also helpful to think about whether the person might have any motivation to give incorrect information and whether there would have been any penalties for giving false information. It’s also worth considering if more than one person could have been involved in giving the information and how publicly that information was given. An old blog post on Rootdig discusses some of these concepts in regards to a 1907 court case.
From a while back It is not possible to preserve every piece of paper we have. Sometimes it is not even possible to preserve or pass on every piece of paper we have from our parents or grandparents. The piles and files may be overwhelming and those that come after us may have no interest in documenting every receipt that Grandpa kept during his life time. Consider scanning the paper items and letting the originals go in some cases. Do you need to keep every physical check your Grandfather wrote? Do you need ever receipt Grandma kept for craft supplies or having the television repaired? It might not even be worth your time to scan or digitize these items. Or it might be. That’s really your decision. But […]
Remember that not all associates of your ancestor are the same. Some may have been more connected to your ancestor than others. I’m doing a little research on a man who was an associate of two of my unrelated ancestors. Based on what I have found, the man they had in common was more closely connected to one than to the other. He and one ancestor lived as neighbors in Germany and in two different counties in the US and he testified about my ancestor’s farm operation after my ancestor died. The other ancestor appears in an estate settlement for a woman for whom the associate was an executor. Neither man was related to the woman (I’ve looked into that) and, based on what I have discovered, their […]
It’s possible that your relative got married in a church other than the one they attended or were a practicing member of. Couples who “run away to get married,” may get married in a church of the same denomination miles from home. They may also get married by a preacher of a denomination whose practices are close to their own–close enough that the differences are not considered different. Even couples who don’t leave home to get married may choose an officiant of denomination other than their own. Many times, particularly on the frontier, available clergy may be scarce and a couple may need to choose an officiant outside of their preferred denomination. Keep in mind that “wrong” church may have been a church attended by a family member […]
Got a word that you think is really unusual in a document? Not certain you’ve ever seen it before? Having trouble transcribing it? Of course you could (should…) Google it. Just make certain that any source you use for information is one that is credible. If you had Google “help” you transcribe a difficult-to-read word, just make certain that it’s suggested word is what is actually in the document. Google does not know everything. But…you could also type that word in the full-text search at FamilySearch as well and see where else it appears or get an idea of how uncommon it really is. You can search the full-text search at FamilySearch here. You can order our webinar on using it here.
Sometimes children are named for their baptismal sponsor and sometimes they are not. Of course if your ancestor was not baptized or was not baptized as a child, then it does not matter. The best way to know what was going on at the time and place of interest to your research is to read the baptismal entries for 3 pages before and 3 pages after your person of interest. How many entries were there? How many were named for their sponsors? How many were not? Now you know what was going on in the time and place where your person was baptized and you are not repeating something you don’t know is true.
If your relative’s 1850 or 1860 US census enumeration indicates a value of real estate owned, have you determined how they came to own this real estate and how the property left their possession? Those records could provide clues about your ancestor’s financial status, potential connections in the area, clues as to where they lived before or after those enumerations, and more. There’s no guarantee records of property acquisition will tell you anything other than the basic details of the land transaction, but you never know until you look. And always make certain you account for all acreages in utilizing land records. The number of acres being obtained should equal the number of acres going out–other than potential minor differences due to surveying errors.
The essentially missing 1890 US census creates a significant record gap for researchers. One way to potentially bridge that gap is to take a deep dive into newspaper records during the 1880-1900 time period for the ancestor in question. While newspapers are not a true substitute for the census (both records have different goals), newspapers can shed light on some family mysteries during this time period. Newspapers can document moves, relationships, vital events and more in your ancestor’s life. They do not provide that one-moment-in-time snapshot of your ancestor’s life, but they can shed some light on your person. Newspapers also may not reference everyone who ever lived in an area–as the census is intended to do–but they do (particularly in rural areas) mention a high proportion of […]
The recorded copy of a document may have several different dates on it. Make certain you understand the purpose of each date and don’t draw incorrect conclusions. Dates may include: Not all documents will have all these dates. Deeds are one document that are often acknowledged in front of an official in addition to being signed by the person executing the deed. The dates may not be the same. Wills often have to be “proved” by witnesses.
For that missing (or not missing) ancestor, do you know where the nearest three of these buildings, geographic features, organizations, social groups, etc. were when your ancestor lived in the area. It could help you through those research road blocks. Things to think about include the nearest three: There are others besides these. In some cases. three may not be enough. In some cases it may be more than you need for effective research. Get your copy of Genealogy Tip of the Day–the book.
Not all homestead applications in the United States were successful. Part of the process of completing the homestead application was to post a public notice that the claim was nearing completion–and often that notice was published in the newspaper. Homestead claims that were completed generated a land patent which transferred title to the claimant. Those patents are indexed on the Bureau of Land Management website (https://glorecords.blm.gov/ ). Claims that were not completed did not generate a patent and consequently do not appear in that website. Incomplete claims are generally not indexed–however they are referenced in the Bureau of Land Management Tract books. The incomplete claim application files are at the National Archives and can contain significant information on your ancestor. One needs the location of where the property was […]
There is my Benjamin Butler and then there are the other ones. Mine was born about 1819 in New York State and is known to have lived in Michigan, Ontario, Iowa, and Missouri (and possibly a few other locations as well). There are other men of that same name who were of about the same age. I’m always encountering them when I’m looking through records on my Benjamin. So I made a list of these other Benjamin Butlers and what I have about them–focusing on those who lived reasonably close to my Benjamin and were of about the same age. I also made a note that there was a Benjamin Butler born in 1818 in New Hampshire who was eventually a governor of Massachusetts. His name comes up […]
Do you have family history items that a distant relative may want? Instead of trying to find someone to take your whole collection of materials, see if there area bits and pieces that a more distant relative may be interested in. I found a third cousin (our second great-grandfathers were siblings) who was interested in some family history pictures I have. Did she want my entire collection of materials? No. But she wanted some of them. And that’s a start.
Internet and digital newspaper searches for individuals with common names can be difficult. John Smiths and Mary Jones are everywhere. Searches for individuals whose last name has another meaning, such as Lake, King, Noble, etc. can be just as challenging–if not more. Elizabeth Lake, William King, and John Noble create their own search problems. For some searches, location keywords based on your ancestor’s life can facilitate finding the person of interest, such as: place of birth (town, county, etc.), place of death, other residences, etc. Names of states or territories may be too common and not effectively narrow your search. Or they might perfect–if just depends. For other individuals, searches that include a specific part of a residence (particularly a street name for urban relatives), an occupation, or […]
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