When There is No Probate

Probate records are one of the best genealogical sources. The problem is that not every ancestor who lived left a probate record. There are several research methods that should be done when a probate cannot be located and many reasons why your ancestor might not have a probate file even when they owned property upon their death.
Read the rest of the article When there is no Probate on our site...

Witness versus Bondsman

Do you know the legal difference between a witness to a document and a bondsman? There is a legal difference and it impacts how you should interpret the potential relationships among the people on the document. A witness is testifying that he saw the person sign the document. A bondsman is creating a potential legal or financial obligation if the person for whom he signs the bond does not act as he is supposed or was not legally able to get married (in the case of a marriage bond).

Occupation: Suffragist

Few women had occupations other than housewife in 1900 and very few were listed as "woman suffrage," but that is how Susan B. Anthony is listed in the 1900 census. Between the blurry ink and the census office notations, her name is very difficult to read, but there is no doubt it is her. You can search the 1900 census for your relative, but your female ancestors likely don't have any occupation listed. Sorry.

1920 Census-Ronald Reagan

Future President's Reagan's family is split in the 1920 census--not in the literal sense--just over two census pages. His parents are both listed as working, father in a shoe store and mother in a dry goods store. Search the 1920 United States Federal Census for your own family members.

1920 Census--John Wayne--who wasn't always John Wayne

John Wayne's actual name was Marion Michael Morrison, which is how he was enumerated in this 1920 census for Los Angeles County, California.

You can search the 1920 United States Federal Census for your own ancestor---just make certain you know his name.

1920 Census--President Kennedy

The 1920 census enumeration for future President Kennedy shows him as a small child

with his parents and siblings. His father is listed as a banker and the household had two siblings, including one who was an Irish native. The household staff were both unnaturalized aliens....

Search the 1920 United States Federal Census for your own family at Ancestry.com

The "real" concern with Civil War Pensions

Genealogy blogs and email lists are abuzz with news of the proposed raise in fees for copies of Civil War pension records from NARA (the National Archives). I won't repeat that commentary here because I have another concern regarding these records that I have not seen addressed: the long term preservation of these records.

Records of Union Civil War pensions only exist in the original paper form. They have not been microfilmed. They have not been digitized. While I am concerned that the price of a set of copies may be come somewhat high, I am more concerned that the long term preservation of these records is not being addressed.

How long will those papers last under ideal conditions? I'm not certain. If we fail to address the long term preservation of these historical records, agruments about copy costs may be moot.

Infant One Year Married the Next

On the surface it seems a little strange: in 1814 my ancestor is listed as an "infant." A year later she is getting married. Seems a little hinky and perhaps immoral or illegal.
And yet it is not.
Someone who is an infant in the eyes of the law is simply not of the age of majority or the age of consent. The person could easily be termed an "infant" one year and old enough to get married the next.
Remember how the law defines a term is often slightly different from how that same term is used in everyday English.

1860 Census--Kit Carson--my wife's relative next door

Even when looking for famous people, it pays to keep your eyes peeled. Living next door to Kit Carson in 1860 is a Robidoux, a distant relative of my wife. Kit Carson is enumerated as Christoper Carson---a suggestion that searching for nicknames is not always a good idea either. Like many entries, this one is split over two census pages, always a good idea to page over and make certain you've got the entire entry (usually a new number for a new household is a good clue as to this). Carson's entry can be seen in full here; you can search the 1860 census for your own relatives as well.

1860 Census--Jefferson Davis

This is part of the entry for future President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. He is living with his family near Vicksburg, Mississippi. A likely relative (also surnamed Davis) is enumerated in the next household. Pay attention to neighbors when you search the 1860 Census for your ancestor (online at Ancestry.com)

Spelled 4 Ways on One Census Page

Barnes, Barams, Barse, Barrus, all one one page of the 1860 census. All refer to several different members of the Behrens family of Golden, Adams, Illinois. Multiple spellings and odd variants are a way of life for genealogists, particularly those whose ancestors do not speak the local language. Because of oddities like these, it is necessary to always look for different family members when searching the census and to consider how your ancestor might have pronounced his name and how a census taker might have heard what came out of your ancestor's mouth.
Four ways is quite a few, but I'm certain somewhere there are five spellings of the same name on the same page.
What makes some kind of statement is that I'm related to half the entries on this one page of the 1860 census!

1920 Census--Katharine Hepburn

It it Katharine H. the younger who is the well-known actress in this 1920 census enumeration. The Hepburn children all apparently had the same middle name (Houghton) or else the census taker got bored or lazy (grin..). This family's entry is split over two pages, Mr. Hepburn is on last line of the previous page.

Search the 1920 United States Federal Census for your ancestor--hopefully their splits are only due to pagination issues and not marital problems.

1870 Census--Boss Tweed

As the image indicates, several attempts were made to ascertain information on the family of New York City politician "Boss Tweed"

for the 1870 census. The ages of all household members are blank on the census form as are the property values. This note was made by the census taker.

You can search the 1870 United States Federal Census at Ancestry.com for your ancestor--who hopefully answered more questions than the Tweeds did

Kewanee Illinois DAR

This morning found me in Kewanee, Illinois, giving a beginning level presentation to the local DAR group. A few topics came up and the links discussed are:

The LDS Church genealogy site:
http://www.familysearch.org

The research guides we discussed can be linked to from here:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp
just click on the letter of the alphabet for the state or country you need

The National Archives and Records Service:
http://www.nara.gov

More information about pension and other federal military records can be found here:
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/index.html

Sample of US Civil War Pension records with links to more sites and information can be found here:
http://www.rootdig.com/pensions/

There's even a link to samples from the pension of Nancy Rampley, which we discussed briefly this morning as well.

Thanks for having me present to your group--it was an enjoyable time and hopefully everyone got their questions answered.

More SSDI at Rootsweb

I tried it again...using a wildcard in the SSN box on the SSDI at Rootsweb because it looked like wildcards could not be used there. However, the search shown to the right just now brought up 3,080 results. It appears that the wildcard on the SSN works with a certain number of digits in the SSN box and not with other number lengths.

333* did not work
3333* did not work
33334* did work--as shown
333344* did not work
3333441* did not work
and I know there is someone in the SSDI whose Social Security number begins with that string of numbers.
Ok, I have toooooo* much time on my hands...

SSDI Confusion

I am confused.

I tried to search the SSDI at Rootsweb using a wildcard option on the Social Security Number as shown in the image to the right. I got no results. I must be doing something wrong. There are numerous individuals in the SSDI whose Social security numbers begin with the numbers "333," yet I kept getting 0 results.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? I feel like I must be missing something, but just do not know what it is.

This little problem started because I tried to search for my uncle in the SSDI using only his last name (Neill) and the first three numbers of his Social Security number (333). He is in the SSDI (Roger Neill-1937-2006), but I could not pul him up using a search of the last name Neill and 333* for his Social Security number. His entry in the SSDI is not a big concern to me; the fact that I can't pull him up using his last name and a wild card on his social had me confused.

Users can post a reply to this blog entry...just be kind to me if I'm overlooking something obvious.....

Social Security Death Index Updates

To be perfectly honest, I don't pay attention to how often the (Social Security Death Index) SSDI is updated at or at Ancestry. I search it at Rootsweb for two reasons: I like the interface and I can remember the URL (http://ssdi.rootsweb.com). Both sites have the same data (Ancestry requires a membership (or at least a free trial) to see the data). Rootsweb shows the same information for free.
Since I'm not often looking for the really recently deceased, I'm not overly concerned with how fast the SSDI is updated.
Out of idol curiosity, I checked Ancestry and Rootsweb versions of the SSDI tonight for my uncle who died in late December 2006. Both databases contained his entry (Roger Neill, 1937-2006 for anyone who is interested).

1910 Who is it?

It is easy to complain about indexes...until one sees the original handwriting that the indexers had to deal with. To be certain, indexers, as other humans, make mistakes. However, sometimes what they have to work with is very dificult. This is the 1910 census entry (partial) for a well-known American. Knowing that may help you read the entry, but if you had already read two hundred entries that day and had not known this was a "well-known" entry, would you have been able to read it "correctly?" Just something to think about the next time a census search leaves you frustrated. And remember---you can always search the old fashioned way....one page at a time. That's how many of us started out searching the census.

What is a grantor?

Land records are full of terminology...and not knowing or guessing incorrectly could lead the researcher to incorrect conclusions. And there is always the case of spending hours looking in the "wrong" index. I always mention in a beginning land record lecture that researchers should think of the grantor as the "sellor." Of course that's not how "seller" is actually pronounced, but the key is remembering what it means...

Genline workshop-8 and 9 March 2007

We still have openings in our workshop on using Genline for Swedish research on 8 and 9 March 2007 at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois.

All attendees have a computer to use and complete Genline access for the duration of the workshop. A Genline staffer will be available to answer additional questions.
Join us for two fun-filled days of learning how to access Swedish genealogical records in your very own home. More details are available at:
http://www.rootdig.com/genline.html

Relationships--Let's Get it RIGHT

CBS news discusses the Sharpton-Thurmond connection in a recent article on their site.

CBS news states, in part:

"The Rev. Al Sharpton said he wants a DNA test to determine whether he is related to former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond through his great-grandfather, a slave owned by an ancestor of the late senator."

Let's get it right, Julia Thurmond Sharpton was a granddaughter of Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather. She and Strom Thurmond are first cousins twice removed.

If the national media can't get this straight, how can we ever expect them to explain really complex issues to us? Heaven knows fixing health care, social security, etc. are more complicated than how Strom Thurmond is related to Julia Sharpton.

It is a good thing I'm not famous. I have cousins to whom I am related three and four ways. Heaven knows CBS couldn't understand that ;-)

Brick Walls from A to Z

A is for Alphabetize Have you created an alphabetical list of all the names in your database and all the locations your families lived? Typographical errors and spelling variants can easily be seen using this approach. Sometimes lists that are alphabetical (such as the occasional tax or census) can hide significant clues.

B is for Biography Creating an ancestor's biography might help you determine where there are gaps in your research. Determining possible motivations for his actions (based upon reasonable expectations) may provide you with new areas to research.

the rest of it is here...

1920 Census--Coors means Pots not Beer

As noted in an earlier entry, the Coors family made pots (the ceramic kind) during Prohibition. The image here shows the occupation of several members of the Coors family in the 1920 census listed as being also being involved in the malted milk business. The servants are members of the Coors family household staff. The complete enumeration can be seen here. You can search the 1920 United States Federal Census and see what they were making (or where they were working).

Albert Einstein Manifest 1933

Albert Einstein arrived in New York in October 1933 on board the Westernland--his occupation is noted as scientist on the manifest. His race is listed as "Hebrew," but the entry itself is pretty run of the mil.

World War I Draft Card--Norman Rockwell

I'm not certain if it is how he signed his paintings or not, but this is how artist Norman Rockwell signed his World War I Draft registration card. He listed his occupation as freelance artist. This card comes from the World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 database at Ancestry.com. The 23 year old was living in New Rochelle, New York at the time he registered. Search the World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 for your own family member.