Whenever there is an index that I am uncertain how to use, I perform a backwards search. I manually search the records and pick a couple of records or items at random. I note where they are in the records, who they mention, etc. Then I go back to the index and see if I can find the index entry for that record. If I can, then I’m likely using the index correctly and I understand how it works. If I cannot, then there is something I need to figure out before I use the index further.
Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch July 2026 Update our most popular presentation–informal, thorough, & easy to understand and follow Michael brings thirty years of actual teaching experience to the presentation We’re excited to offer this revised presentation on the full-text searching at FamilySearch–reflecting changes made to the site since our last recording in January of 2026. We’ve redesigned our presentation as this functionality continues to change. And…we have an extensive handout complete with forms to help you find more people. If you have purchased an earlier version of this presentation–email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com for the code to order this revision for $10. Fully Utilizing Full-Text Search: Revised Your purchase includes: We’ll be including and discussing: Determining what is in Full-Text Search—what you can access at home and what you will have to be in a FamilySearch facility or […]
That reunion listing in the newspaper may contain more than blood relatives. This 1932 reunion was for descendants of James and Elizabeth (Chaney) Rampley who died in Hancock County, Illinois, in the 1880s. Most of the individuals listed are descendants of that couple or are spouses of descendants. There are a few non-Rampleys in the mix, including a girlfriend of a descendant, the sister of James and Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law (who was the aunt of over half the attendees), another girlfriend of a descendant who is listed as “Mrs.” when she should be “Miss,” and a handful of people I can’t quite figure out, but who are not descendants or their spouses. Reunions might not contain only “blood” relatives. Don’t assume everyone in the listing is related to the […]
From a while back… Avoid setting your search at any site to “match exactly.” Names get spelled incorrectly, places of birth are incorrect, ages are off, etc. There There are times where exact matches will get you what you want, but many times it can limit your search to the point where the desired item is not returned. This is especially true for any name that is in a foreign language or the informant does not speak the local language.
If I could just find that one document, I would be set. It’s not always that easy. Sometimes locating one record that specifically states a fact is difficult. Occasionally it is impossible and we are left putting together a case from bits and pieces of indirect information. If we do find that document that explicitly states that which we want to know, we have to ask: Finding information is like shopping for shoes in a large store. From a distance you cannot tell if the size is right or the style is really the one you want. It needs to be seen up close to determine the size, style, and color. You’ve got to put your foot in to see if it fits. But fitting is not enough. […]
Records of military draft registrations are not the same as military service records. Draft registration requirements have varied over time and usually required males of a certain age to register. There may also have been citizenship requirements (or not) and the upper end of the registration age may not be what a person expects. Draft registrations serve as a quasi-census of those who were required to register. The appearance of a name on a registration does not imply that the person actually saw military service. They should be searched whenever a “person of interest” fit the registration qualifications.
Genealogists are well aware of using the FAN (Friend, Associate, and Neighbor) network in their research. However, it’s important to remember that members of this network are not static. Your relative’s FANs can change over time, particularly as your relative moves from one place to another, their FANs move, and people die. Other reasons for members of the FAN network to change are changing financial situations, change in religious practices, changes in occupation, and personal arguments or squabbles. The FAN network is important to be aware of in our genealogical research. But it’s also important to remember that members of this network can change over time.
It took me forever to locate this 1852 marriage bond from Kentucky. Recorded in book form, I almost missed the fact that there were notations on the reverse side of nearly every entry–many with significant details. The notation on the reverse was the only place where the bride was listed as a widow. This was also the bond–made out before the marriage–and not the actual marriage record. That still needs to be located. The bond indicated that a marriage was impending, but….things happen. The marriage record will give the date of the marriage, the name of the officiant, and maybe more. Look at the reverse side. Know how the materials are organized. Know how the record you’ve found fits in the “process.” And make certain you have everything […]
Never change the order of any names in a document. Children could (but not necessarily) be listed in order of age in a will. If an older child is listed last in a census enumeration it may mean that they weren’t really living there or had moved back home (or it could just be an “error” on the part of the census taker). Heirs may be listed in order of age on a quit claim deed (or they may not). The order may be a clue, but try and use other documentation to back up any conclusions you make about the order. And remember that order, sometimes like life, may be completely random and meaningless.
I was reading a guidebook that indicated that in deeds one witness was from the husband’s family and one was from the wife’s family. That is not necessarily true. While the names of witnesses can be clues to potential associates of your ancestor (particularly if they appear on more than one record your ancestor signed), the only rules about witnesses are ones set in law. Those rules are usually that the witness actually sees the person sign their name and that the witness is of legal age. If an ancestor had concerns about the content of the document, was unable to read, did not know the language, etc. then the witness may have been a trusted person who read it for them–but that’s not a requirement. Of course, […]
I took this picture to promote my trip to the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri but then realized that it could serve a research purpose as well. It’s great to browse the stacks, but a picture is worth 1,000 words. This quick photo captured the spines of the books in the Hancock County, Illinois, section of the published books section. The picture can be a quick way to re-browse the stacks later, but browsing the stacks does have limitations. What is on the spine may be incomplete or misleading. There may be books containing significant amounts of Hancock County (or whatever my county of interest is), but that are shelved in a different section of the library because the book covers multiple counties, is too large for […]
Are you looking in other records besides census records for occupational clues on your ancestor? Estate inventories are good places to get an idea of what occupation your ancestor might have had. Those with city-dwellers in their family tree should use city directories for clues of this type. Land records in some locations may provide occupations as a way to clearly distinguish the individuals involved in the transaction. And don’t forget some European church records use occupations to distinguish men of the same names from each other.
After one of my great-grandfather’s brothers died in the 1950s, it seemed like his wife just disappeared. Until I went through every newspaper reference in the local weekly newspapers for their children. There was a reference to a son (by then an adult) who was in the hospital and had been visited by his mother–with her name listed as Mrs. Newhusbandfirstname Newhusbandlastname. Relationships in these social columns are not always stated—space was at a premium in some cases and most people reading the reference already knew that relationship. Newspaper are about news after all. Sometimes it can be frustrating to find women listed this way–without their first name at all. In this case it was actually helpful as I now had the first and last name of her […]
There are several quick (if somewhat basic) genealogical reminders from this trunk: Altje Goldenstein immigrated around 1870 and settled in Adams County, Illinois. She was married in Adams County, Illinois, to Hinrich Schuster and they both died in Hancock County, Illinois
My aunt Wilhelmina (Trautvetter) Kraft died in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, in the latter part of the 19th century. She died without enough of an estate to warrant a probate, had no obituary, and did not leave any other record in the area where she died suggesting that she had children. The name of her Kraft husband was known and it was assumed that they had been married at least twenty years when she died. I knew she was my aunt because she was listed as a sister when her bachelor brother died a few years before she did. For many years I only knew details of the last twenty or so years of her life. It was as if she just appeared out of thin air as […]
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