Rookie Genealogy

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.

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.