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Long Lost Relatives and the Treasures They Bring
In a previous post, ‘Unearthing Family Treasures: The Power of Reaching Out to Distant Relatives’, I discussed how reaching out to long lost relatives can help you further your research. Last month I was able to meet up with cousins I had never met and received the ultimate family treasure- unseen photos and a handwritten letter. Proof that reaching out can truly be a blessing personally and genealogically.
After taking the DNA test from Ancestry.com I was able to reach out to a cousin on my paternal grandfather’s side. She was born and raised on the west coast so I had never met her before. Her and her mother made a trip to Indiana to visit with some other family members and asked if I could meet up. My paternal side has always been a bit of a mystery. Why? A question I have never been able to fully answer.
We met up for lunch but what she brought me meant I suddenly had no interest in eating. She brought a photo album containing photos of family I had never seen. The icing on the cake? Photos of my grandfather. Although I knew my grandfather up until he passed 5 years ago at age 97, I never had very many photos of him. The album also held a few pictures of my father as a child.
My grandfather, Hans The Best Part
That wasn’t the best part of the heirlooms. The cousin brought a letter. A 28-page letter written by my great aunt (Hans’ sister) to her granddaughter. The letter describes her experience on the ship from Bremen, Germany to the United States. She also briefly describes the humiliation of Ellis Island and physical examinations they had to endure. Reading a first hand account of a relatives experience with immigration in the 1920’s is priceless.
An excerpt from the letter in which she describes when they left and being examined in Leipzig before departure The letter describes her jobs as a teenager in the her new country and the hardships she endured as a new wife and mother. First hand accounts truly paint a picture of the hard times my grandfather and his family had to go through to make a life here. It wasn’t easy by any means. From what I was told, my great grandmother also hated it in the United States and wanted to go back to Germany. However, we know the history of Germany in the 1930’s and 40’s so that was not even an option.
My grandfather, Hans The pictures, letter and stories I heard that day from long lost relatives is something I will always cherish. Family history comes from all of us. You can’t get the full family story from vital, immigration or military records alone. We need to keep the stories going through the bloodlines to continue. Knowing your history is know yourself.
Take the chance and reach out to family. Tip: Take a photo of all of you together when you do meet up. We forgot!
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Polish Marriage Records and The Website You Need!
Do you have deep roots in Poland? Are you looking for Polish marriage records or more information on extended family? There is a website that can help: The Poznan Project.
Spychalski Family 1912 The Poznan Project is an indexing website for 19th century marriage records within the former Prussian province of Posen. Records might also be included from nearby areas. The website boasts close to two million records to search. Once a record is located in the database you can contact the coordinator to obtain a copy of the record.
On the main page of the website, do a simple search on the right side by entering in a last name. If too many matches come up you will need to narrow down your search by using the advanced search. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and use the advanced search form to enter in more information. Try first names, a date range or record type (Civil, Protestant, or Catholic). The drop down for first names gives examples of names including the English versus Polish version.
If you know a region in which your family lived, try to set the search area on the advanced form. You can click on the magnifying glass to see a map and narrow down your search criteria.
My 3rd great grandfather was John Spychalski and he married Anna Bohacz in Poland before they arrived in the United States. I also know he was born about 1825. I do not know exactly where he was born but I do know it was in the Posen.
In the advanced search I entered in Joannes/Jan/Johann for the first name and last name as Spychalski. For the bride I only entered in the name Anna. The search results show three exact matches. The second match on the list is a hit! Joseph Spychalski married Anna Buchacz (close to the Bohacz I have in my records). The ages also match their estimated birth dates.
The records come back as Catholic in the Posen area of Sadki. The record also shows a fact I never knew- Anna’s mother is listed as Catherine Buchacz! If you click on ‘original record’ next to the indexed record it will bring up a pop up. Within the pop up is information on where the original record is located and how to obtain the record.
You won’t gain tons of information from this Polish marriage records index. However, it can provide a marriage year you may not have known. The record may also show a mother or father’s name that you did not have before. The parish town can also give insight into where to look for further research. Write to the coordinator or parish to obtain the original record.
Polish marriage records may not apply to your particular research. However, it shows that not all records and information can be found on the major sites like Ancestry.com. Often, just one piece of information can take your research in a whole new direction.
You can also check out my resources and links page for more great websites. Keep researching and don’t forget the small sources!
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Find Clues in Family Photos to Further Research
Have you looked at your old family photos for research clues? No, I mean really look at them. Did you look at the surroundings, the weather, the cars, the uniforms? Family history clues could be right in front of your eyes in old photos. d
Finding those clues and knowing how to turn that into information can be difficult. Often those clues are right in front us but we are not looking past the surface. How can photos open up a wealth of information and further our research? Let’s take a closer look.
Uniforms: Military, Civil Service, and Businesses
Uniforms in photos can open up whole new avenue for your research. Are relatives in any of your photos wearing a military uniform? Even in group photos a relative may be wearing a full uniform, a hat, a medal, or even have a military tattoo.
In the photo below are two relatives both wearing military uniforms. One is Navy and the other is Army. The child in the photo is my aunt and on the back it says ‘and uncles’. I am able to determine this is most likely my grandmother’s brothers. I can go to military archives and gain further knowledge on their time in the service as well as the tours in World War II.
The photo below includes my grandfather on the right. In this photo he is wearing a uniform. He is also standing in front of a train. Putting those two facts together and looking into uniform descriptions (most notably the hat) I find out that this is a train conductor’s hat and uniform. This also would explain why he is standing in front of a train with another man who looks to be wearing a train workers uniform.
Buildings
Look at the buildings in family photos. Really take a hard look and use a magnifying glass if you need to. Is there a name on any businesses? Do you see a number on the house or structure?
The photo below was in the possession of my mother’s family. I was uncertain of why and who may have lived in the home. I had looked at the photo many times but could only wonder. It wasn’t until I really scrutinized every part of this picture and finally noticed faint writing at the bottom of the picture. I used editing software within MyHeritage to colorize the photo and increase the contrast until I was able to make out the writing that appeared to be in pencil. Finally, I had an answer: “Homestead 1808 Washington St.”. I instantly knew that my grandmother’s family had lived on Washington Street in my hometown of Michigan City, Indiana. Street view of the home in present day also confirmed this to be the same home. They matched!
Below is another photo that I had in my possession for a long time. I was always fixated on the people in the photo and their faces. Once again I used editing software (MyHeritage) to colorize the photo and add contrast and noticed writing on the bottom. The text “Home E. Sixth St” becomes visible.
I knew this picture was from my maternal grandmother’s side so I went to the census records of 1880, 1900 and 1910 to see if I could gain any insight. In 1900 the same family that ended up moving to the house in the above photo on Washington St. in 1910 lived on E. Sixth Street first. The people in the photo also matched the genders and general ages of those on the census record. I now had photos of both of their homes ranging from about 1898-1960! This house was torn down ages ago to make room for an outlet mall so I could not conduct street view comparisons.
The ability to look closer at old family photographs and scrutinize the details can unlock clues to further your research. We often focus on the faces and ponder what year the photo was taken and miss other details that can tell us more about their lives.
Clothing, hats, pins, buildings, weather, cars, and so much more can tell us the lives our ancestors lived and the events they went through. Discover more in photos, discover more about your family.
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Unearthing Family Treasures: The Power of Reaching Out to Distant Relatives
Ancestry brick walls in genealogy are never fun and can lead to endless frustration. There came a point in my research recently when I felt I had exhausted all avenues of sources. I needed to jump start my research again. I was now on the hunt for stories- tidbits you can’t find in public records.
How do you go about finding personal genealogy stories? Relatives. Strangers that are relatives, close relatives and distant relatives.
Reaching out to strangers that you are related to can be intimidating and scary but they could hold the hammer that breaks down your ancestry brick wall. Information that may be important to you could be stored away in a distant relatives attic and be something they don’t think is of value to anyone. What they think is irrelevant is very much relevant to a family researcher like you.
Types of genealogy documents and heirlooms to look for:
- Diaries, journals and other writings
- Photos including old picture negatives and photo albums (for dating old photos check out this post)
- Family bibles
- Original naturalization papers
- Military medals and attire
- Baptismal certificates
- Research from other family researchers
- Home purchase records
- Club and society booklets and annuals
In the past I have had relatives in passing describe to me items they have in their possession. When I get excited to see it they tell me they never thought it was important or that no one would care about it. For example, many years ago a relative gave me an old family bible and thought it didn’t mean much. However, inside was the handwriting of my great grandmother and recordings of her children’s full names and dates of birth. A treasure at its best.
Polish Society List revealed that relatives were members (Piechnik’s). Take a chance and reach out!
Reaching out to strangers that you are technically related to can be a scary step. They may ignore you, they may question your intentions of contacting them or they may not be the kindest person. I assure you the possibility of a great reward on the other side of that courage could be worth it in your ancestry research.
However, keep this in mind:
- Do not pressure the relative. Be gentle, be kind.
- Do not ask them for their personal information. As a genealogist you need to protect information of those that are living. Stress that you are looking for information of ancestors who are no longer with us. If they want to share more information with you about themselves they will.
- Introduce yourself, describe what you have been working on and items or information you may be looking for. Be specific in what genealogical information you are looking for. Stating you are looking for ‘family information’ may get you no where. Ask them if they have a family bible or journal or if your common ancestor that was in World War I had any medals or military records. Give them ideas to jog their memory of what they may have stored away.
- Do not ask for originals of documents. Simply ask for a scan, digital copy or even just a picture of the document. You are looking for information, not to create a hoard of heirlooms.
- If the discussion of heirloom items comes up you may ask if they could send you a picture of it. However, never ask for the item or for a group of items to be partially given to you. This may sound like common sense but believe me, I have seen people do this as if they are entitled to family heirlooms.
Family bible with handwritten birth dates Ways to Reach Out
- Facebook: Do you know some relatives names and where they live? Search for them on Facebook and send a message. I have done this multiple times and it has connected me with family I never knew, pictures I never had, and stories I never could have imagined. I was able to break down those ancestry brick walls by simply reaching out.
- DNA Matches: Have you taken a DNA test with genealogy sites like Ancestry.com, 23andme.com, or MyHeritage? If you have then reach out to some of those closer DNA matches. Look for matches that have a family tree connected to their profile or more family information entered in as they are probably just as curious about family history as you are.
- Distant relatives you already know: Are there relatives you know but maybe don’t talk to very often? Reach out with an email, phone call, or handwritten letter. If they live close ask if you could meet up for coffee.
- Close relatives: Have you really asked your closest relatives about information or heirlooms they may have? I bet a lot you would say ‘No’. It is amazing how many family researchers don’t actually sit down and ask their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles specific questions about their family and what documents they may not realize they are harboring. Interview close relatives.
Lastly, make sure you keep notes in your genealogy sources. Keep track of what information you received from which relative. This will help if you need to go back and do a follow up question.
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Genealogy 101: Dangers of Following the Pack
Now that the quarantine life is slowly disappearing and we ease back to normal, my research is picking back up. Over the past couple of months I have been able to spend more time on Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com. There has been a glaring problem that makes my genealogical heart sink…too many researchers following the pack.
Not everyone that joins sites such as Ancestry.com are researchers and I understand that. Some join one time for a free trial or short period of time to do a quick search just to find out what this craze is all about. Others just received their DNA test back and want to jump on for a quick look see. The last of us are true researchers who have spent years enthralled in the endless documents, stories, dna tests, dusty books, and local libraries.
This diverse clientele within genealogy websites leads to a reckless following of the pack. You do a quick search of your great grandfather and find several family trees and assume the person that has the tree is an expert and has done their due diligence with their research. You then start your own tree and add in the information from the tree online. Now you think, “Yes! Look at all this information. I know so much about my family now!”. Problem? You followed the pack. You did not do your own research to ensure that the tree you found online is actually true.
George Bader (left) born in Michigan City, Indiana Following the pack goes wrong….
My great great grandfather, George Bader, was born in Northwest Indiana in 1859. I have never been able to pin down a date but he was born in Michigan City in 1859 and his parents are Stephen and Teresa Bader as census records show. I lived in this town and have seen the headstones and followed the paper trail.
George Bader in 1860 at age 1 with father, Stephen Bader (sometimes mistaken for Bailey) Now, the next big town south of Michigan City is LaPorte, Indiana. There was another Bader family living there about the same time my Bader family lived just north in Michigan City. I have never been able to confirm if possibly these two Bader families are related or not. More coincidentally, there was a George Bader born to a Nicholas Bader in 1855 in LaPorte (somewhat close to my George Bader born in 1859).
Using birth, death, marriage, and census records, I have been able to trace my direct ancestry back to George Bader of Michigan City. His marriage certificate shows he was married to Mary Kearns in Michigan City. I can then trace him through census records where he left his wife, lived in Chicago and then went out to Oregon where he died and his death certificate confirms birth year and birth city. This is my George Bader.
George Bader marries Mary Kearns in Michigan City in 1880 The other trees on Ancestry.com seemed to simply follow one or two other people that just simply assumed that the George Bader born in LaPorte was the same one born in Michigan City without doing the paper trail. They are two very different people.
George Bader having left his wife and living in Chicago before moving to Portland where he died and death certificate states birth as Michigan City, Indiana. Break the Pack Mentality
Following the pack and using trees created by others on genealogical websites is full of assumptions and simply put…reckless. Making assumptions in research can only lead you into a web that is hard to detach from. The longer you believe something to be true, the harder it is to remove that belief.
When you begin research (or have even been doing it for years) take the family trees you see online with a grain of salt. Look at all of them with suspicion.
Other trees have inaccurate information- My George Bader did marry Mary Kearns and was married in 1880 and lived in Chicago in 1900 but was NOT born in 1855 nor were his parents Nicholas and Mary. This info combines two different George Bader’s. Assuming one George Bader could have been the only George Bader in a county, even in the mid-late 1800’s is naive. If there is yet another rule in genealogy it is to never assume!
Also, pay attention to city versus county. Michigan City is in LaPorte County but the county seat is the city of LaPorte. Often records may come up as ‘LaPorte’ but it refers to the county and not the city.
The devil is in the details but if you brush over the details it can completely derail your research- often, without you knowing.
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Ancestry.com: 5 Tips to Jump Start Your Research
Let me guess…your first stop on the genealogy path includes Ancestry.com? For most this is the first go-to website to aid in research. For rookie genealogists, ancestry.com can be overwhelming to say the least. The following 7 tips can help new users navigate their way around the leading the genealogy website.
1- Utilize a free trial and know subscription levels
If you are new to ancestry.com I highly recommend doing a free trial in the beginning. This will allow you to get to know the website and get a sense of what records are available. Although access to records are limited with the free trial, you will still be able to check out the site and determine if you want to pay for a subscription and what particular subscriptions will help you the most. **Note that if you get a free trial, do so when you have a good chuck of time to fully investigate the site. No sense in getting a free trial when you don’t have time that week or two to explore it fully.
A basic subscription will allow you access to 15+ billion records in the United States. The World Explorer subscription will allow you 3+ billion more records from around the world. If some of your research will branch out beyond the United States, this subscription is a good idea if even for a set period of time until you gather the information you need.
All Access subscription includes all of the above and access to Newspapers.com and Fold3.com (military records). The All Access subscription value depends on the amount of research you plan to do. Once you search Newspapers.com and Fold3.com for relatives in your family tree, you may not have a need for it any longer (or at least for awhile until more records become uploaded). However, you can always downgrade your ancestry.com subscription when certain services are no longer needed.
Choose one that suits you and your budget. You can adjust them when needed. You can also go to Newspapers.com and Fold3.com and do a free trial separate from Ancestry.com and determine if it will be of value to you to have a longer subscription or include it with an Ancestry.com subscription.
2. Create a family tree: public or private
Create a family tree on Ancestry.com. Click on ‘Trees’ in the upper left hand corner and start entering in information you currently have. You do not have to have a public tree that everyone can see. However, having a public tree could lead to more leads from possible relatives. Should you choose to have a private tree go to the drop down arrow on the tree you created. Go down to “Tree Settings”. In the middle of the page under “Tree Settings” click on “Privacy Settings” and select Public or Private. A description of what Public and Private really mean is stated on the “Privacy Settings” page.
Add as much information as you can to your tree and include photos if possible. When you find a record that matches a relative in your tree attach it to that person in the tree. Attaching the record to the person helps to keep track of sources (a crucial element to proper research).
3. Be cautious of family trees and hints
Once you create a family tree on Ancestry.com you will begin to see the little green leaf next to relatives. These are called hints. Take these hints with a grain of salt. Just because they are attached to a relative does not necessarily mean they are connected to your relative. You have to do your own research and deciphering before declaring the hint a find.
Be alert when it comes to other researchers family trees. They are doing research just like you and can often get details wrong or mix up people with similar names. Using other trees is not a good way to gain proper information. However, family trees are excellent to use as hints. Verify information from other trees with good sources.
I often hear of researchers getting very upset that someone else has wrong information on their tree. Remember–you may have misinformation on your tree as well that you don’t see. Some of us have decades of research behind us and some of us are new. You can gently send them a note with a correction and source but hold in your anger, please!
4. Create a genealogical question
Going straight onto Ancestry.com without a clear idea of your objective can make research overwhelming. Research is much more successful if you stay focus on one topic at a time and follow it through as far as you can. An example of a question includes: When did my great grandfather immigrate to the United States? With this question you know a name you need to focus on and what records will be need to be utilized.
Once on Ancestry.com you can focus in on immigration/ship records for clues. Census records would also be useful with this question as they may state the year of immigration.
Keeping a journal of your genealogical questions with short research notes will also keep you organized. Once one question is answered or taken as far as you can over a period of time, you can create another question and move onto more research.
5. Be flexible with general searches
When first beginning a search on Ancestry.com, be as specific as possible. Include as much of the name, birth/death date, and locations as you are able to. Have tunnel vision and stay on the straight and narrow right off the bat. However, after you have results for specific information, begin to branch out and relax your details.
You can be as specific as you want with various search categories. Try entering in a date of birth range instead of a specific year. Expand the birth or death location to surrounding counties or states of their last known residence.
Don’t forgot to be flexible with the spelling of names. Census records, especially, were recorded phonetically and the spelling may not be how you know it to be. Often people went by their nicknames or middle names so don’t disregard an entire household just because one name is not correct.
Ancestry.com is a great starting point for any researcher. However, Ancestry.com does not do the research for you. Use common sense, compare records, take hints and other family trees with a grain of salt and your research can flourish. And remember…Ancestry.com is not the only source out there. It only scratches the surface of sources out there on the web and in person.
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Goodbye to part of my history
Six weeks ago my grandpa Hans passed away. My last grandparent. The feeling of no longer having grandparents and with that loss the history gone, is an odd feeling.
Growing up I knew very little of my grandfather’s family. I would occasionally hear about a relative, but I only remember one of his sisters. When a family tree class project in my junior year of high school showed just how little I knew, I began my decades long journey through history.
My grandfather, Hans
The few details….
I started with my grandma and grandpa’s names: Mildred (Kuhn) and Hans Kunze. Except for the fact that my grandpa was a German immigrant, that was all I could tell you. I began asking questions. If there is one beginner’s rule of genealogy it is this: Ask the older generation questions! Do this before it is too late. I admit that I never asked my grandfather many questions and I should have. I did ask my aunt what she knew and got a few details.
The cemetery where my grandmother was buried provided my first clue. I decided to do a search online of that cemetery and see if there were others buried there with the last name Kunze. Luckily, the cemetery had a website listing all of the burials with plot information. I was elated when I found two grave sites: one for Emma Kunze and the other for Carl Kunze. My research then took me down a path of discovering my German roots.
My great grandmother, Emma Heinemann-Kunze A History Uncovered…
1930 census records told me that the Kunze family was in America by that time. I also knew my grandfather was born in 1921. I narrowed down the immigration between late 1921 and 1929. For that time frame I knew the best bet for finding their immigration records was Ellis Island. (When I started my genealogy research the internet was no where near the scope it is today. Much of my research for the immigration records came several years after I started my research.)
After years of research, one of the best genealogical days for me was finding the immigration ship records. Carl came to the United States first in 1925 and Emma and their children came several months later in 1926. However, I didn’t just have the years of immigration. The ship record gave me the name of Emma’s father back in Germany. I finally got a name of a great great grandparent. I also was able to see the names of all of my grandpa Hans’ siblings.
From those records I was able to do more research on Hans’ parents and siblings by looking for obituaries in the local library where they lived. I also was able to go to the Health Department in the county where they lived and acquire death records.
The fortified brick wall….
The stopping point for the records I could find came quickly. The Kunze family was fairly new to the United States so the records are limited here. The records I did find often said ‘unknown’ in slots such as ‘parents names’. Also, because of privacy laws and records being restricted for a certain number of years, records are hard to come by right now for the time period I need.
My recent research has focused on Germany. Searching for records in other countries is not without its own headaches. Germany sustained heavy destruction in both world wars thus making records harder to find. Searches for Carl or Emma (Heinemann) Kunze in Germany have been fruitless but the chipping away at the brick wall will continue on.
A tribute to a hero…
The funeral for my grandfather was in one word: perfect. The military tribute, gun salute, playing of Taps, and American flags presented to our family made me incredibly proud to call him my grandfather.
My grandfather, Hans Kunze
He was a soldier in the Army during World War II fighting against the country he had left only 16 years earlier. The same country his brother, aunts, and uncles still lived in. He earned 5 bronze stars and a sliver star for gallantry for pulling men from a downed plane before it exploded. He marched into his home country proud to be American and fought for us all.
Now, in a sense, I feel like part of my history is gone. My connection to Germany somehow lost. My goal is to keep that piece of my family alive through my genealogy. I vow to find out what ultimately happened to my grandfather’s brother, discover who Carl’s parents were, and in all hope- one day visit the town where Emma and Carl were born.
Piece by piece that brick wall will come down. I will see the other side and forever keep Germany my heart and mind.
My grandfather, Hans, squatting in the front- World War II -
Use Death Records to Expand Genealogical Research
By now in your research you have probably come across numerous death records. You have probably recorded the death date, parents names if listed, and birth date. Have you looked beyond the surface of the record? Can you use the death records you have to gain more information or break down a brick wall?
In this post I will go over some ways that death certificates can possibly yield more clues in your research.
Death Codes
You may never have heard of death codes before but they can bring to light important information on death records. Death codes can tell you how your ancestor died. These codes (written as a number) often go unnoticed by researchers and is usually written somewhere near the cause of death- scribbled next to or below it. The example below shows the number written below the cause of death. There is no specific line for this number.
Example of death code written below the cause of death Death code numbers come from the International Classification of Diseases or what is also known as the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. It is maintained, now, by the World Health Organization. Around 1898 the United States began using the system. Therefore, you will probably not see these codes on death records before that time.
You can refer to this list here. The list includes various revisions. Click on the revision made before the date of the death record you are researching. In the case of the certificate above, I clicked on the 1938 revision. Scroll down to 93 and it says “myocardial disease”. This code confirms what is written and does not show any other factors relating to the death. The death codes can often shed new light on the cause of death or if the cause of death is hard to read you can look up the code if one is provided.
Use town of death and occupation to locate home
Older death certificates do not show specific addresses for the deceased. A town or township may be the only clue to residency. In cases like this, take a look at their town/township and occupation or even burial place. Occupations can help you pinpoint where they lived. Back when travel took longer, your ancestors probably would not have traveled very far from home to get to work. Also, if an occupation is listed on the record you can then research the industries in the place they lived to figure out more about where they worked.
When you can place a family in a particular spot you can then use plat maps or Sanborn fire maps to investigate a more precise location of your ancestor’s residency. Take the example below:
In this death certificate Andrew Meyer lives in the village of Otis in the township of New Durham (Indiana). He is a farmer so he may have owned land. I located a plat map for the county of LaPorte and went to New Durham township. I then searched the village of Otis and surrounding area to see if I could locate Andrew Meyer. The plat below shows what I found:
Andrew Meyer’s land is right next to a church and cemetery. There is also high chance he is buried in that cemetery. I looked further into the surrounding areas of this plat map and found a couple of more plats of land that he owned just south of Otis.
Sanborn Fire Maps
Sanborn Fire Maps from the Library of Congress (LoC) can also help you find the ownership of property in cities across the United States. On the LoC website you can narrow your search down to state and city. The maps can provide a wealth of information and death records can help you narrow down your search to a township or street.
Not all Sanborn Fire Maps include who owned the property. However, if you can narrow down the search to a street you can see what buildings were present at the time the map was produced. If you have a death certificate with a specific residence address you can also look on the maps and determine which residence belonged to your ancestor. The maps are also helpful for cemetery, church, and business locations.
Newspaper articles related to death
Not all deaths are disease or natural causes. You may come across a death certificate with a murder, suicide, or accident. Unpleasant as it is, you will most likely find one eventually. Suicides are not exposed in today’s newspapers, but back in the day they often made headlines.
I found the death certificate of my great great grandfather many years ago. I was shocked to see that he died by suicide–strangulation. In curious fashion I went to the local library to look at newspapers from the week he died. I was flipping through the microfiche when I came to a screeching halt. There- sprawled across the front page- was the headline and article about his suicide. I could not believe it made front page news. In that article I was able to learn exactly what happened (hanging, he had been in poor health) and also find his obituary.
Even a cause of death can lead to more clues and further research. Look beyond just the words on the document. Figure out what clues you can gather from that seemingly simple piece of paper.
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Protecting Your Research: Genealogical Wills
You have put hours, days, weeks and years into your family research. Blood, sweat and tears–oh yes, the tears of frustration, have gone into your work. Every detail is noted, pictures scanned and labeled, books collected, and records saved. Where will all of your precious research go when you are no longer around?
If you are one of the lucky ones, you have a relative or descendant that is willing to take your research and preserve it for the family. Sometimes, however, there is no one interested in having your genealogical research or you do not feel your items will be taken care of. What do you do?
Simple. Make a genealogical will. Most of us at some point in our lives will make a will for our estate. A genealogical will is along the same lines. Consider it an extension of your will for your estate where you will clearly lay out guidelines specifically for your research and other items such as family photographs and books.
Keep in mind the following when doing your own genealogical will:
When In Doubt- Make a Genealogical Will
You may think your 13 year old daughter will be absolutely willing to take your bins and bins of research and artifacts, but is that reasonable to assume? Ask your family for feedback on what should become of your genealogical research. Does anyone show genuine interest or share the passion for genealogy like you? If someone comes forward and accepts, include their name in the will but prepare with back up plans.
If there is a relative that is only interested in one item or piece of research then specify that on the will as a separate detail.
Example Genealogical Will Make Your Genealogical Will Known
Let those closest to you (spouse, child, parents, sibling) know that you have a genealogical will. Notify anyone specifically listed that they are in your genealogical will. Be sure to give a copy of the will to a relative or keep in a safe place accessible by someone else. I keep mine in a safe and my husband and daughter know where it is located.
Protect All Of Your Research List Institutions Research Can Be Donated
Whether there is someone willing to take your research or not- list institutions to donate your work. Examples include: state and local libraries, genealogical societies, historical societies, Church of Latter Day Saints (Familysearch.org), schools, museums, etc. Take a hard look at your research and decide what institutions would benefit from your research. List these places with name, address, and phone number.
Include Yourself As A Source
Don’t forget to source yourself. Include your name on the inside cover of your genealogical books. Put your name on your research binders, photo albums, etc. Wherever possible, be sure to take credit for your hard earned research. This also helps future generations know who did the research and where it came from.
Include your name and most recent address on the genealogical will. Have someone else sign it as a witness. This does not need to be a legal document and does not need to be not notarized (unless a situation calls for it). A genealogical will is simply a way to make your wishes known upon your death.
Divide Up Based On Family Lines, If Necessary
You can also divide up your research based on family lines. For instance, should my daughter not want all of my research, I have stated that research be offered up to her cousins/my nieces/nephews and divided up depending on what side of the family they are from.
If you so choose, you can also be specific in what research goes to which institution. For example, I can state that I want all of my Holmes research to be donated to a local library in Crawford County, Illinois because that is where my Holmes line was centered. Feel free to be as detailed as you want.
A genealogical will is meant to put your mind at ease and attempt to preserve your family history. You do not need to stick to a strict layout. Make the will work for you and include what you feel is necessary. Be as detailed as you would like. Take inventory of all your genealogical items/research before beginning your will to ensure all of your possessions are accounted for.
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Dating Old Family Photos: Impossible to Possible
Dating old family photos can feel impossible. However, once you know what to look for the impossible becomes possible. All you need is patience, persistence, and some basic knowledge. Let’s take a look at a photo I identified in my family.
This picture above I have identified as my great great grandparents, Charles and Emmaliza Holmes. I will not go as far as saying I am 100% sure. With all old photos that are unmarked, I don’t think it is fair to say the certainty is that high. With the evidence I have gathered I would give myself 93%.
Now, let’s follow the steps in the process of finding out who is in this picture.
Step 1: Where did the picture come from?
This alone can be one of the biggest clues you can gather. I received this picture from my mother’s side of the family. More specifically, I was told the picture is from my mother’s cousin in Illinois. This information immediately led me to the Holmes side of the family from Crawford County, Illinois. You can narrow down your search dramatically if you can figure out who had possession of the photograph.
Ask any relatives you can if they have ideas on who may be in the photograph. Search other old family photos to see if you can find resemblances on a labeled picture.
Step 2: What kind of picture is it?
Knowing the history of photography, believe it or not, can help in identifying historical photos.
The Daguerreotype photograph peaked in the 1840’s and 1850’s. It has a mirror-like surface, a silver coated copper plate and is almost always cased.
The Ambrotype had a very short peak time between 1856 and 1860. The images were on glass and always cased. However, this type does not look like a mirror. Rotating the image will not make it appear to be a negative.
A tintype photograph peaked in the 1860’s up to 1871. These images were on a thin iron plate coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. They could be found cased or loose.
The Cabinet Card appeared in 1866 and had its peak in the United States between 1875 and 1895. Rarely are they found after 1906. Images were printed on thin paper and mounted on heavy card stock. Early photos in this period were sepia colored. Later photos were silver-like with rich blacks. Commonly the cabinet cards were 4 1/2 by 6 1/2.
This photo of my great great grandparents is mounted on heavy card stock and is 4 1/2 by 6 1/2. Noticing these features leads me to narrow down the time frame to 1875-1895. Now that I have a branch of the family and time frame let’s move onto what we actually see in the photo.
Step 3: Clues on the photograph
One of the best features of the cabinet card is that often the photographer’s name and the city and state are printed on the photograph-either on the front or on the back.
As you can see above, the photographer and city/state are printed on the photo. If you are lucky, you can do research on the photographer’s name to find out when he was business. Unfortunately, research on J.W Mitchell was a bust but much information is out there about other period photographers. This is always a clue to look into further.
I stated earlier that my family was from Crawford County, Illinois. Some of my ancestors were from the eastern part of the county and the others were from the western half. This might not seem like such a big deal in today’s world. However, this is a very large county and getting around wasn’t as easy in the 1800’s. Therefore, I narrowed down my search to the ancestors that lived in the western half of the county where Oblong is located. After looking at census records I could narrow it down further to relatives that lived in Oblong and the surrounding countryside (Crawford County is still to this day very rural).
Step 4: Identify Clothing and Hair Trends
One of the best ways to identify any photograph is to use clothing and hair styles to determine a time frame. In this photo I paid particular attention to Emmaliza’s simple hair and the simplicity of her dress with the buttons and bow at the neck.
Emmaliza’s dress is more fitted throughout. There is no hoop under the skirt suggesting this dress is post 1860’s. Skirts were still typically full until the late 1870’s when skirts became narrower from the waist down. Her hair is simple and put up in a bun which was more typical of the 1880’s and 1890’s.
Her collar is not too high or flared out and the upper sleeves are fitted with just a small stand up poof at the shoulders. The buttons also seem more typical of the late 1880’s and 1890’s.
Charles’ suit with a hip length jacket, wide lapels and lack of formality in buttons leads me to the 1880’s and early 1890’s. His short hair and facial hair is also typical of that era.
Conclusion
My research combined with the clues I found in the photograph pointed directly to Charles and Emmaliza Holmes.
I knew I was looking for a couple in the Holmes family from the western part of Crawford County, Illinois between 1875-1895. They had to be the appropriate age (25-50 by the looks of them in the photo). Based on the clothing and hairstyles I also narrowed this pictured further to most likely the late 1880’s. Emmaliza was pregnant most of the late 1870’s and 1880’s. Although this picture could have been taken between pregnancies it seems more likely that this pictures was after she had kids which leaves it after 1886.
I also compared this picture to a picture that is 100% known to be Emmaliza and did a side by side comparison. Although the other picture is probably 20 years after this one, the similarities are too great to ignore. This just added to the list of clues.
Below is the known picture of Emmaliza. They hair is the same and the mouth has the same crookedness to it. Had this been my only clue then, no, I would not draw this conclusion. However, taking the comparison with all the other clues makes me 93% certain it is her.
Although dating a photo can seem daunting, if you take it one step at a time you have a greater chance of success. Often it takes the combination of research, photographic clues, and comparisons but it is possible.
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Census Records-Beware The Name Game
One of the biggest resources available that you will use in your research is census records. They can be valuable in tracing not only your direct ancestor, but also extended family. For rookie genealogists out there- most of the 1890 census records were destroyed by fire and/or water in 1921. Some still do exist but are sparse.
Census records are not without flaws, however. One of the biggest cautions of census records is names. Names are notoriously incorrect on census records. In a time when social security was not yet established (pre-1935) and records were not meticulously maintained, people would often flip flop on the spelling of their names- first and last- without anyone caring.
Let’s take a look at reasons for the frustrating name game:
- Phonetics: Schools taught using phonetics in the 1880’s. People learned to spell the way they heard the words pronounced. The first dictionary was not published until 1828.
- Literacy: Only 65% of the population in the U.S could read in 1790. If people could not read and were giving the enumerator the names of people in their household, they probably could not help them out by spelling the names or places of birth.
- One person for all: If an enumerator came to the door and only one person was there, that person would give information on everyone in that household. Relying on one person for the information of many would lead to common mistakes.
- Accents: The enumerators would write what they heard and with accents of the many immigrants, mistakes would again be rampant.
- Blending in: Often immigrants would purposely change the spelling of their last name to blend into the area in which they lived or to sound more American/English.
- Numbers mattered most: The enumerators did not have genealogy in mind when they went door to door taking a census. The most important item was counting the population, not getting the names correct.
Considering the many ways in which names are seriously flawed on census records, it is easy to see why census records can be useful but with proper research and common sense.
Think outside the box
When looking at names on census records remember to think outside the box. What does that mean? Simply put- consider historical context, similarities and everyday lives of your ancestors. There was a period of time when ‘Polly’ was a nickname for ‘Mary’. That may not seem obvious to us in 2019 but in a point in history this may have been normal practice.
Similarities may include variations on names. A prime example is my 3rd great grandmother. I have seen her name as Carissa, Theresa, Teresa, Tracey and Tereza. Looking at these names you can see the similarity between all of them. When entering her information into my database I used the name she seemed to be referred by the most, Teresa. See the examples below of the different uses of her name (Yes, all records reflect the the same person).
My 3rd great grandmother’s name on the 1880 census as Carrissa 
My 3rd great grandmother’s name on her marriage certificate as ‘Teresa’ 
My 3rd great grandmother’s obituary listed as ‘Tracey’ If one relative answered the questions of the enumerator and they only ever called their father by their middle name then that is most likely what they stated and not the formal first name of the father. Rigidity in your research can be your downfall. When it comes to census records, rigidity was certainly something they did not adhere to.
Another example of considering the historical context is a consideration for your family wanting to fit into America. I have a lot of Polish roots on my mother’s side of the family. For the most part they kept their full Polish last names. However, I do have one line in which the name was changed.
My 3rd great grandmother’s maiden name was Bohacz. She was born in Poland in 1826. She married her husband, Joseph Spychalski, and they immigrated to the United States. I always wondered why they came to small train stop town in rural Indiana. Believing that they had family there first, I looked for Bohacz in the area and could not find much at first. I then found marriage records for the church in this tiny town. There I found a record for a Frank Bohacz. However, that was all I could find. I decided to search the census records within that township and the surrounding townships. I finally found a possible match that corresponded with the church marriage record. The interesting part? He changed his name to Frank Bohart. Shortly after coming here he changed his name to be more American or perhaps, so that others could pronounce it.
Frank’s death certificate where her uses ‘Bohart’ instead of ‘Bohacz’ it also says ‘Bohart’ on his headstone 
This church record lists Frank’s daughter getting married and has him and his daughter with the ‘Bohacz’ last name
Census records are one of the best resources out there if you think outside the box and realize that there is a gray area when dealing with censuses. It was a tedious job and very time consuming job for enumerators in an age without computers. Human error was bound to happen…and quite often.Think like an immigrant, think like an illiterate, think like an exhausted enumerator.
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Genealogy Case Study: The Unlikely Scenarios
After a hiatus I am finally back to blogging. The holidays and starting a new job after being at home for 12 years has kept me very busy. I am adjusting my routine to fit in my blog writing. Bear with me as I get back on track.
In this post I will discuss surprising, somewhat soap opera like, scenarios you may encounter when doing research. We may all want to think our family trees will be drama free with cut and dry marriages, families, and lives. This is not always the case. Be prepared for unexpected revelations. I have often seen other researchers dismiss trails of facts because they believe it is not possible for certain events to happen. Just like us today, our ancestors were not perfect and pure.
George Bader Senior and Junior in Portland, Oregon. Here is one such scenario in my family.
My 2nd great grandfather, George Bader, was born in 1859. In 1880 he married my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Kearns. Neither had been married before. Their first child and my great grandmother, Anna, was born in Indiana in 1881. The rest of their 8 children were born in Illinois. Sometime after August 1881 and before March of 1883 they moved just over the border to the south side of Chicago. Their last child together was born in Illinois in 1895.
This is where is gets interesting. On the 1900 census (five years after their last child was born) my 2nd great grandmother, Mary, is now living back in Indiana with all of her children. She is listed as married but George is not with her but her single sister is now living with her. She also eventually sends one child off to live with her brother and another child to live with another sister. Considering this, she seems to be struggling and needed help caring for the children.
Mary listed here in 1900 in Indiana without George Sr. Her sister, Hannah is living with her. “Is George dead?”
Logical question to most people and the obvious belief. No, he is not deceased. He is still living in Illinois in 1900. Now you may think he is just working and living there to provide for his family back in Indiana. Again, no. The evidence does not support that.
George is living with a widowed woman named Elizabeth Johnson. He is listed in the 1900 census as a boarder of Elizabeth Johnson. His marital status is listed as being single (not divorced or widowed). The age/year of birth matches, place of birth, and general area where he lived with my 2nd great grandmother all match. It is him. This Elizabeth Johnson has a few kids living with her including a George Johnson born in 1897 in Illinois (a few months before Elizabeth Johnson’s husband dies).
George Sr. listed here as a boarder and single. George Jr. is listed as a Johnson/Johnston. Skip ahead to the 1910 census. George is still living in Chicago with Elizabeth Johnson as a boarder. However, this time he is listed as married and the child, George Johnson, from the 1900 census is now listed as ‘George Bader’ son of George Bader Sr. Whoa! wait a minute. He goes from being Elizabeth Johnson’s son to the son of her boarder. Could just be an error on the census takers part, right? That is what I thought in the beginning. That is until I found the birth certificate for George Junior.
George Sr. still living with Elizabeth as a boarder but now George Jr. is a Bader and not a Johnson. Birth record leads to more confusion…
After much digging for George Bader Jr.’s birth certificate and coming up empty I took a shot in the dark and looked for a birth certificate for George Johnson and to my amazement I found it. Same birth date and listed Elizabeth Johnson and her deceased husband as parents. So confused.
George Bader Jr. birth record. Correct birth date and same address on census record. Still believing an error occurred on the 1910 census I went to the 1920 census. I could not find either George in Chicago so I expanded my search nationwide looking for George Bader and George Bader Jr. with what ages they should be. I finally found them–in Portland, Oregon. They were together living with one of Elizabeth Johnson’s daughters. On this census George Sr. is listed as ‘widowed’ which makes sense because he never divorced my great great grandmother and she died in 1912 from cancer.
George Sr. and Jr. now living in Portland with Elizabeth’s daughter, Mary (after she had married and been widowed). I am awfully confused at this point. Was Elizabeth Johnson the mother of George Jr. like the birth record says? But then why would George Jr. go with Senior and leave Elizabeth behind in Chicago? Were George Sr. and Elizabeth Johnson having an affair and that is why my great great grandmother moved back to Indiana in 1898?
In the 1930 and 1940 census George Sr. continues to live with George Jr. and his family in the Portland area until his death in July of 1940.
Basically after my great great grandmother left him he appears to have never lived with her again or even see his children again. He lives with Elizabeth Johnson for around 12-15 years and then heads to Portland with George Jr. and one of Elizabeth’s daughters.
I had my suspicions that George Sr. had an affair with Elizabeth Johnson (while her husband was alive) and the birth record for George Jr. was just listed as Elizabeth and her husband’s. Then after her husband passed away it was easier to say the child was George Sr.’s. Simply listing George Sr. as a boarder with a son didn’t raise suspicion in an age where this was highly frowned upon.
Elizabeth Johnson in the middle with George Sr. on the left and George Jr. in the back left. Taken in Portland when Elizabeth visited. I am not alone in my assumptions and research.
This all seems so out there I always doubted my findings. Then several years after my research began I came in contact with a distant Bader cousin. She had done her own research and had come to the same conclusion. However, growing up she always heard that Elizabeth Johnson had run a brothel in Chicago. She had also heard that family members believed George Bader Jr. was not Elizabeth’s child but rather her daughter’s child. This is controversial because Elizabeth’s daughter would have been only 14 at the time (and George Sr. would have been 39). My relative said Elizabeth’s daughter, Mary, and George Jr. were always extremely close and Mary was the one who moved out to Portland with George Senior and Junior.
When you put the pieces together it all seems to fit. A sad, soap opera like scenario but many of the facts are there. Will I ever know the 100% truth? Probably not. To this day I cannot be sure that Elizabeth Johnson is the mother of George Bader Jr. I truly do not think her husband was the father because right after he dies George Jr. takes on the Bader name.
The take away….
The take away here is that not everything is what it seems. As a genealogist we have to deal in facts. The facts in this case tell me that my great great grandparents split up but never divorced. They tell me that my great great grandfather had an illegitimate child. The facts also lead me to believe the birth record was a lie. George Junior was not the child of Elizabeth’s husband (and possibly not even Elizabeth). He was not born in a hospital but rather at home and it is a birth record…not a certificate. Elizabeth also, according to census records, had a total of 18 children but only less than half survived and she had her ‘Own Income’. Running a brothel could be a possibility.
I will keep searching, trying to find anything to support the theories. Key take away here is: Don’t assume your family was perfect or that just because something seems odd means it isn’t true. Just like people today, our ancestors had flaws too. Embrace it and accept it as just a part of your family history.
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Are Assumptions Hurting Your Genealogy Research?
Surviving spouse was completely wrong on this death certificate Making assumptions about your relatives based on limited information can actually hurt your genealogical research. If you have completed even a fraction of research you may have already noticed confusion, errors, or even lies.
Proper research is based on gaining several pieces of information to verify your findings. The following are cautions you should be aware of during the course of your research in order to gain the most truthful information.
1. Basing information on only a name
Have you realized families loved to use the same names generation after generation? This can cause confusion when trying to decipher who is who. Match birth, marriage, or death dates to confirm your findings. I have a relative, Solomon Higgins. He married Elizabeth Higgins. Yes, Higgins as well. They were 1st cousins. So the confusion became two fold. First, her last name was the same as Solomon’s. Secondly, Elizabeth’s cousin had a wife named Elizabeth Higgins as well AND they were the same age. Therefore, I had to constantly check the birth dates to make sure I had the correct Elizabeth Higgins. Making assumptions that there was only one Elizabeth Higgins that age in the county of my relatives would have made my information incorrect.
Two Elizabeth Higgins the same age. Since the first one listed married her cousin she stayed a Higgins after marrying shortly after this census. 2. Assuming your relatives stayed in one place
Yes, often families of immigrants stayed together in once place. However, do not dismiss the idea that a relative that matches name and birth 1,000 miles away from the rest of the family is not related. In doing my research often times it appears relatives moved to gain employment or acquire land.
3. Assuming records are 100% correct
I know. You want to take that death certificate and treat it like gold. You want to take it all as fact and enter it into your database and be done. Wrong! Use it as a tool and compare it to other sources you gather. In the picture at the top of this blog is a death certificate of my great great grandmother. It lists her surviving spouse as “John Meyer”. The death certificate is wrong. First, her husband died before her and therefore, was not ‘surviving’. Secondly, his name was Andrew Meyer. Now, maybe his middle name was John but I have yet to discover if that is the case. All other documents including marriage certificate and obituaries all confirm his name was Andrew and he died before her. Death certificate information is given by informants- someone close to the recently deceased. That person may not always know the facts.
Base facts on more than one document. Census records are notorious for errors. Information gathered for census records were taken at the word of whomever answered the door and written down as the census taker heard it. I have even found a relative that was listed in two different households in the same census year. Her mother listed her but she was living with her aunt and uncle so she was also listed as living with them. It happens and should be noted in your research.
My ‘Spychalski’ family listed on a census as ‘Spegalski’– don’t be rigid in your research…think outside the box with name variations. 4. Taking certain websites as fact
When looking at websites research how their information is gathered. Findagrave.com can be a great tool if used as just that—a tool. Anyone can make an account and add information or pictures. I added headstone pictures yesterday for my family after signing up for a free account. I also had to send a correction request because I noticed someone else had listed my grandmother as having passed away in Indiana. She is buried in Indiana but passed away in Colorado. Being her granddaughter, I knew this as fact.
Investigate how information is collected for certain websites. Again, until you have a compilation of documents, treat information only as possibilities.
5. Assuming your relatives are law abiding, ethical people
This assumption has come up in my family. I had the documents, the research. However, I had some relatives who thought I was way off base. They simply assumed it wouldn’t happen. Too crazy for our family.
Through years of research I discovered my great great grandfather left his wife (my great great grandmother) with 9 children. She moved her single sister in with her to help her and sent two of her children to live with other relatives. My great great grandfather lives with a woman and a child that was born about the time they separated. He then moves with that child out to Oregon and dies out there. He never lived with my great great grandmother again. This other woman also, according to family legend, ran a brothel in Chicago. It is a long complicated story but needless to say, my great great grandfather abandoned his family and all his kids except the one he had with this other woman. He never officially divorced my great great grandmother.
My great great grandfather who left his wife with 9 kids pictured here with his son from his mistress. You may, at some point, discover unsavory things about your family. Denying it will not change it. If all the facts are there after exhaustive research then accept it and move on.
6. Using others research as fact without doing your own investigation
The last assumption I will discuss is a big one. Never ever assume someone else’s research is fact. You may see someone else’s family tree on Ancestry.com or another site and believe their research to be firm. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have come across false information on someone else’s tree. They may have the wrong relative entered in their database. I once came across someone who had a supposed relative entered in who wasn’t even born before their own children. It is common sense that if you were born in 1860 and your supposed children were born in the 1840’s that something is way off.
I have heard of some people believing that just because you get the little leaf hint next to a relative on Ancestry.com that it must be true to their relative. No. Just no. Do your own research, check facts, follow your gut and in the end your research will pay off.
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7 Locations Worth Checking in Your Genealogy Research
For most budding genealogy enthusiasts the first place they turn to for research is Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com is a great place for doing introductory research from the comfort of your home or library. As great as Ancestry is, you will not find all the information you need. You will also not find all the sources you need by sitting behind a computer. Doing the leg work is crucial to discovering your roots.
The following locations can provide a wealth of information if you do a little investigating and ask for help. I would suggest calling ahead or look online to be sure that the location has the records that you are looking for and to check their hours of operation.
7 Locations Worth Checking in Your Genealogy Research
1. Cemeteries
Cemeteries can be a great place for information. Yes, you can find headstones and see birth and death dates but there can be so much more. Many larger cemeteries have an office you can go to and ask for records. This can be hit or miss. In my hometown a good chunk of my relatives are buried in a large cemetery and there is an office. However, they do have any records outside of plot location and death/burial dates. They were able tell me where to go to get the information I needed. My husband on the other hand has many relatives buried in a massive cemetery in Cincinnati and was able to retrieve more detailed records from the cemetery office.
Some cemeteries may have more detailed records like this one. Also, look around the area where a relative is buried. Often family members were buried close to each other. When I first started out 20 years ago (back when the internet was brand new and I couldn’t find the information online) I went to my grandmother’s grave site and after looking around realized her sister was buried in the next plot over.
2. Schools
Schools can also be great resources if you know where to look. Yearbooks often can provide hints into the lives of your relatives. They may even provide a photo for you. You can find out what activities they participated in and confirm when or if they graduated. Yearbooks can be found at the school itself, the local library, or even asking around the area your relative went to school to see if anyone has a copy of the year(s) you need.
Picture located through a church that includes my great uncle. If your relative went to college you can also possibly retrieve school records. Find out if they belonged to a sorority or fraternity. Alumni Associations could also be a great source of information.
3. Museums
Most people would think of looking at museums only for contextual references- such as what life was like during a period in which your family lived. This is not always the case. Call ahead and find out what holdings the museum has, their fees, and hours. Museums may have resources specifically for genealogists. They may also have records of the local area that could include your relatives.
A story of my 2nd great grand aunt- assistant to the lighthouse keeper I went to a lighthouse museum in my hometown a few years ago while visiting. In all the years I lived there I never went. As we toured the facility we came across a binder of pictures and stories of the lighthouse. I flipped through it and to my surprise came across the name of my great great grandfather’s sister, Stella. Turned out she was the assistant to the first female lighthouse keeper. I found a story of Stella once helping the lighthouse keeper during a storm out on the pier. There was also a picture of Stella. Let’s just say I was giddy. I grew up there and never knew an aunt had worked at the lighthouse in the 19th century.
Museums will take some investigating and keeping your eyes open. Ask for help and keep searching. You never know what you may find.
4. Fraternal organizations and clubs
How involved were your ancestors? Kiwanis, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus? Clubs and organizations can also provide a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors. Some of my relatives belonged to the St. Joseph Young Men’s Society (Polish American Civil and Social Club). Through that I was able to find pictures and see what they did for the community.
Do some research on organizations present in the area where your relatives lived. Often upon immigration people of the same culture banded together in their new country. Finding social or civic clubs related to the heritage of your ancestors may lead to findings.
5. Family History Centers of the LDS
The Church of Latter Day Saints have research centers all over the world for anyone to come in and do research. The hours are limited so call ahead. They also run www.familysearch.org and you can go there to find a location near you. Volunteers can help answer questions and also help you order microfiche in order for you to view it at their center.
6. Church Records
Church records are probably one of the most beneficial ways to get valuable information. Not all church records are online and this is where leg work comes into play. First step is to find out where church records are stored and what is the easiest way to retrieve them. For me, many of the records I need are on microfiche at the library in the same town as the churches of my ancestors.
Call ahead or look online to find out where the church records are located for the church you need. It is best to have an idea of what you are looking for before diving into church records. Knowing a date range can save time and frustration.
A church record found on microfiche at nearby library. It required translation, but I could pick out the names. 7. State and Local Libraries
The last important locality is libraries. This might seem obvious but for many they underestimate the wealth of information available at libraries. Also, many do not think of state libraries.
Local libraries are great for census records, often free access to Ancestry.com or other genealogical websites, church records, maps, family information folders, funeral home records and so much more. Look on the library website and find out what holdings they have before making a trip.
State libraries often get overlooked. I know that here in Indiana the state library offers one on one help, tours, webinars and videos, and records including tax lists, city directories, passport applications, military records and census records. Librarians are also very knowledgeable and can help you locate what you need.
I also like to check out issues of Family Tree Magazine from my local library.
Thinking outside of the box will often lead to exciting new finds. Investigate the culture to see what clubs or churches they may have belonged to, research places that would hold records for certain areas.
Lastly, do not be afraid to ask for help. Most are willing to help you put pieces of the family puzzle together.
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Why Genealogy Sources Are Crucial…
Where was this found? Is it a newspaper? What year was it published? Cite your sources. Your long lost cousin found you through Ancestry.com DNA match and is curious how you know that your common great great grandfather died in 1898. What do you tell him/her? Do you just say, ‘I don’t know?’ or can you point your cousin straight to the source? Citing your genealogy sources is critical for proper research in order to save yourself headaches in the future, to be able to prove your findings, and to have the ability to help others and preserve your family history.
Primary and Secondary Genealogy Sources
Genealogists base research in facts. Genealogy facts are discovered through primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are recorded near the time of the event. These sources can include birth, death, and marriage certificates, oral histories recorded close to time they occurred, military records, deeds, tax records, etc. Secondary sources are recorded after some significant time has passed between the event and the recording but could still be reliable if paired with primary sources. Secondary sources include oral histories by witnesses that were recorded well after the event or even information on death certificates such as birth dates that are simply recalled and relied upon by the informant.
To be a genuine genealogist or family historian you have to use facts based mostly on primary sources. Errors may have been made here and there on documents, but you have to take all of your information after exhausting all efforts of finding more clues and come to the best conclusion based on all facts.
I will admit that I am guilty of not citing my sources from to time to time. I often get wrapped up in my research and will print something up or save it to my computer without making a note of the source. Not citing my sources in the past has caused headaches when I try and go back and find it again. I also end up looking in the same place for documents when I have already checked those places, but because I did not cite my sources I then spend extra time going back over resources.
Examples of Citing Sources
Citing more obscure sources is crucial The picture of this document is not obvious. Not only is it not in English but it is also not a common source such as a census record or court issued death certificate. Not having this document properly cited could lead to big frustration in the future.
Should I need this document again or tell a relative about it, I need to know exactly where to go to retrieve it.
This document is a marriage record from a Catholic church. I found it on microfiche at a library in the county where the church is located. This is not found online and required a microfiche to copy it. Therefore, recording the source would be crucial to prove my findings. In my files I noted the name of the church, the year, and page number (if available). I also included in the source the place I found it and media used: microfiche. I also included the title that is printed on the microfiche box itself.
Citing sources from books The image above was taken from a book about the history of Crawford County, Illinois. I found several biographies referring to my relatives. Although I did not make paper copies of the pages I needed in the book (only took pictures), I still made citations. The files in my computer state the author, name of the book, publication year, and page number(s).
Citing sources also saves time in the future. Knowing where you have already looked for information saves wasted time, money, and possibly even travel. If you are solely researching for your own personal knowledge, I do not believe that it matters how you document. Simply document in a way that details as much information for future reference.
Many family tree software programs out there have spots for noting sources. I use FamilyTree Maker and with each bit of information such as birth, marriage, death, burial, etc. I can enter click on ‘source’ and type in the information I have for citing.
If I print hard copies of documents I always write directly on the paper-either on the front in a corner or on the back. I have had relatives flip through my binders and ask where I found a certain document and I am able to simply look in the corner of the paper or the back and instantly tell them.
I did not cite my sources when I first began my research. It wasn’t a big deal in the beginning, but as time went on it got frustrating. I started going over the same sources again and again and then realizing I had already poured over those two years earlier. I just wasted time.
In the beginning I also thought it didn’t matter because the information I gathered was for myself. After many years I started sharing my research and others wanted me to prove my information. I quickly knew I had to keep up with my citations in order to prove my years worth of hard work.
Keep good records, cite your sources, and keep track of the places you have researched and your journey will be much smoother.
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Welcome to Rookie Genealogy! Let’s Get Started…
My paternal grandparents This picture is part of the reason I started my journey into genealogy. In high school I had to make a family tree for one of my classes. My mother’s family line extended all the way down a portrait 11X14 piece of paper. My father’s line covered a fraction of that. I knew my paternal grandparents names…the two in this picture. That was it. I knew my dad’s two sisters and my cousins but no further extended family. My grandmother, Mildred, died 8 years before I was born so I never knew much about her at all. My grandfather, Hans, is still here and just celebrated his 97th birthday, but I never learned much about his family. He came to United States from Germany at the tender age of 4 with his mom and four of his siblings (one brother wanted to stay behind with relatives) to meet up with his father who had already been in the U.S for several months. As with many immigrants, family names and stories were simply memories left in the old country.
Thus started my curiosity…ok, more of an obsession with genealogy. I craved to know more about my paternal ancestors. My interest in history increased. I wanted to know how my ancestors lived, why they left their homelands. I wasn’t just interested in names and dates, but rather the whole picture.
After accumulating binder after binder of information, hundreds of old pictures, and a database with over 10,000 names I started having people ask me how to find the information I do or where do they go to get started. I had it in my head to do a genealogy blog for awhile. I wanted a place where those just starting out could go for insight and guidance. After a couple of decades I have learned a lot and hope to share that with others. No, I am not a certified genealogist (not yet anyway!) but I have practical everyday experience that I feel can help anyone jumping head first into ancestry.
Basics of Getting Started:
Ship that brought my grandfather to the U.S 1. Start with what you know
You cannot fully understand where you are going or what to look for until you have gathered information of what you do know. Make a simple family tree chart and fill it in with only what you are sure of. Ask relatives for any information they may have. I suggest only starting with direct ancestors first…ie…grandparents, great grandparents, etc. I only branched out to aunts, uncles, and cousins once I had a solid foundation of direct ancestors.
Record only the facts and leave out family folklore for the time being. When starting out it is best to simply make a family tree with names and dates to see where you need to focus your attention. Often family folklore can be wrong and may not be correct which will make your family tree inaccurate and possibly confusing later down the road.
2. Figure out a focus point(s)
After filling out a simple family tree you now need to figure out where you will focus your attention. For example, if you know a lot about your mother’s side and have pictures and stories of your great-grandparents but on your father’s side you do not even have a name for your grandfather that could be your first focal point. You could even make a list of the most important information you want to uncover and work your way down the list. This will keep you more focused. Believe me, jumping around from one side of the family to next and person to person can lead to confusion and less results because you are not focused on one area at a time.
3. Interview relatives
Find a few relatives that you feel know more about the family than you and interview them. My family knew I was doing genealogy for years and would still say (after years) “Oh, did you know Aunt Susie had an illegitimate child she gave up for adoption?” (for example). Ummm….NO! You are just telling me this now?! That has happened to me a lot. If you interview relatives and ask them for names, stories, or even memories they have you may learn a lot more than from just some old census record. Often, though, asking specific questions and getting them to understand what you are looking for is the only way to get information from your relatives. Do not expect them to just tell you something simply because they know you are now doing genealogy.
example of a 1900 census record 4. Figure out what records to start with
The easiest way to start gathering records is to figure out what dates and names you need. The best records to begin gathering are birth records, marriage records, death records, and census records. I will discuss these more in the future. However, a word of caution: Do not take records at true face value. Often records had errors…especially census records. I take all the records I find and go with what the majority say. Between bad hand writing, nicknames, immigrants who spoke little or no English, and simple human error, you will find that not all records are accurate.
I will get into where to look for records in upcoming posts. However, for starting purposes, I would start off with a free site that I have found very useful– http://www.familysearch.org
A family tree software program probably will not be necessary as you just start off. I will discuss that later as well. In the beginning I would keep a notebook and binder. In the binder use tab dividers to keep each family separate. Later, when you accumulate more information you can add binders and software.
6. Keep going and exploring
You will hit roadblocks. That will be inevitable. If one avenue doesn’t work then stop and figure out a different route.
Be prepared for surprises. I have had pleasant surprises like finding out I am related to Milton Hershey (yes, founder of the Hershey company), but I have also had bad revelations like my great great grandfather leaving his wife for a woman who supposedly ran a brothel or like discovering 10 suicides in my family lines over the last 140 years. Be prepared for anything.
Future posts will focus more in depth on software, records, websites, and more. You can go to my Links and Resources tab to find more information. I will add to as necessary.
Welcome!
