Problem Solving

Problem Solving

From the Ancestry Daily News 11 May 2005

As a math professor, I am always asked what mathematics has to do with genealogy. Plenty. Besides my personal favorite of land platting, the analytical and logical skills one gains from mathematics come in extremely handy when solving genealogical problems. This week we look at one mathematician's framework for handling problems and see how it can relate to family history problems as well.

George Polya was a Hungarian born mathematician who advocated the use of a general problem solving strategy. While his work was focused on mathematical dilemmas, family historians can benefit from applying this same strategy as well. When you have no strategy, the brick walls rarely come tumbling down.

Polya's strategy had four basic steps:

• Understanding the Problem
• Devising a Plan
• Carrying out the Plan
• Looking Back

This week we will look at these steps one by one.

Understanding the Problem
Understanding the problem is not as simple as it sounds, but it is an excellent place to start. I have always believed this stage to be the most important in the entire problem-solving process. Generally the problem should be specifically stated and purposely focused, such as:

• What was Noentje Ufkes' maiden name?
• When were James Rampley and Elizabeth Chaney married?
• Where is Samuel Neill enumerated in the 1880 census?
• How did Thomas Galloway acquire his property in Baltimore County, Maryland?

Well-defined problems should focus on a person, a place, and an event.

Then there are problems such as:

• I want to know all I can about Noentje.
• I want to completely research James and Elizabeth this afternoon.

These problems are not specific. The statements are too vague and either unrealistic or need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Learning "everything" about one family or couple may be possible over the long term; rarely is it possible in an afternoon. One or two records will not reveal a relative's "whole story." Information gleaned from records must be accurately interwoven with about the history, culture, and lifestyle of the area and era in which the person lived. This takes time. Most successful researchers begin with a specific goal.

Understanding the problem is more than simply stating the research goal precisely. There are many things that should be learned about if the researcher is not already familiar with them. These items include:

• The records (both public and private) that were created during the time period under study.
• The culture in which the person or persons lived.
• The socioeconomic status of the individuals under study.
• Groups that the problem person was associated with (Ethnic, religious, etc.).
• The methodology appropriate for the time period, region, and individuals under study.
• Words from the native language necessary to perform research in foreign language records.

One place to start learning about the records applicable to any problem is to read the Family History Library's research guide (www.familysearch.org) to the areas under study. Those researching problems in the United States can also refer to the appropriate section of Red Book (published by Ancestry) for information on local and state records. Both the Red Book and the Family History Library research guides contain references to additional reference materials, including foreign language word lists where appropriate.

Local and regional histories are also suggested reading material for additional background information. Even "non-genealogy" books may provide a background not gained elsewhere. Historical studies, dissertations, and papers published in academic journals may provide entirely new insight into your ancestors and their problems, positively impacting your research. As an example, Prairie Patrimony (Sonya Salamon, University of North Carolina Press, 1995) discusses agricultural inheritance patterns in the upper Midwest. It confirmed things I had already surmised from personal experience and in researching many families from one of the ethnic groups discussed in the book. Salamon also helped to explain things I did not quite understand and confirmed trends I had noticed. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to solve your problem. Material written by a non-genealogist occasionally brings a fresh perspective.

If your problem involves the interpretation of a document, make certain you understand the language and the terminology being used during the time period. Sometimes completely typing a document or even reading it out loud will cause you to notice a detail or an interpretation that had been overlooked. It may be necessary to have someone else look at the document with a fresh, unbiased perspective.

Learning about the methodology appropriate for the area is crucial. One way to do this is to read journal articles for the area under study. If a subscription is out of the question, determine if any nearby libraries subscribe to genealogical journals applicable to your area of interest. Many will contain case studies where other family problems have been solved. The National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the American Genealogist are two national magazines that contain excellent well-written case studies. There are a variety of state publications as well, usually published by a state genealogical society. There are also a variety of publications focusing on various ethnic groups, which usually present their own unique problems.

Devising a Plan
Planning usually involves determining what records are most likely to provide the desired information. In other situations, it will be necessary to analyze a series of documents to see if a generally consistent conclusion is indicated. This is why learning about the records is extremely important, especially when researching in a "new" state. What was true about records in Illinois in 1880 is not necessarily true about records in Virginia in 1780. Of course, the plan should always be to locate as many records as possible given that one individual record may be incorrect or inconclusive.

The plan may be simple or complex, depending upon the situation, but it should be fairly specific:

• Order a marriage index from the Family History Library.
• Write a letter to the church secretary.
• Search for the family in the census.
• Hire a researcher.

Writing down your plan is also necessary so that research efforts can be tracked. Polya suggested math students look at similar problems. Genealogical educators would suggest looking at case studies written about similar families in the same area and time period. What helped one person solve their problem may help you solve yours.

Carrying Out the Plan
This is the easiest part of the plan. Do it. And track it. You do not want to do the same thing again (unless you realize your previous attempt was flawed, utilized an incomplete database, etc.)

Looking Back
Occasionally the plan will succeed. The record will be located. The question will be answered. Of course, getting one answer to a genealogy question usually means that there are more unanswered questions. And so we go back to step one.

And when our question is not answered, we also return to step one. Perhaps there was something we overlooked, a record we did not understand, an assumption we should not have made, a term we misinterpreted, a name we overlooked, a spelling we did not consider.

Next week we will take a look at some genealogy problems viewed through this set of steps. There are other ways to organize and solve genealogy problems to be certain. Failing to organize your research can easily add to your confusion and may even create brick walls where none existed.

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This article originally appeared in the Ancestry Daily News on 11 May 2005. We are posting old articles here on the Rootdig.com blog.

Problem Solving: An Example--

Problem Solving: An Example

From the Ancestry Daily News 18 May 2005

Thanks to all who sent me additional problem solving strategies based upon last week's column.

The key, as several pointed out, is that methodical and reasoned research is preferable to research that is unfocused and unorganized. This week we look at an example in light of the framework discussed last week.

Louise Mortier
Louise was born in Belgium in the 1850s and immigrated with her husband and one child in 1880. Our long-term project is to research her ancestry as completely as possible. Realizing that such a goal may never be achieved in one lifetime, my initial problem is to find a record of her christening or her birth. Such a document would provide the names of her parents and the date and place of her birth. With the goal now simply stated, we continue in our attempt to understand the problem as completely as possible.

Understand the Problem
Using research guides on the Family History Library website (www.familysearch.org), the Belgium Roots Project at RootsWeb (http://belgium.rootsweb.com), and the CarPark Introduction to Dutch and Belgian Genealogy Page (www.rabbel.info), I obtained some good background information. Based upon these guides it was apparent that there are records of births and christenings for the time period I need. However the use of these resources requires knowledge of the specific place of birth, which I do not have. My attempt to locate a christening record is put on hold while I work on my new problem: locating the village of birth.

This is still a specific problem. However, my search needs to remain focused in the United States, and I will need to use records created after Louise immigrated, documents I can probably locate using information I already have. Initially settling in Rock Island County, Illinois, in 1880, the family spent a few years across the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, before returning to Illinois. Fortunately, Louise did not move much after her immigration. That will make this search easier.

This problem (and its solution) reinforces the importance of researching the more recent information on a person and working back in time, even when the real goal is to use earlier records and locate earlier generations. Researching a person‘s life from the end to the beginning is usually the best approach.

Sources that might provide Louise's place of birth include:

• Her death certificate
• Church records
• Her obituary
• Death records on her children
• Family sources

The location of each of these records is a problem in and of itself. But that is the great thing about having a focused problem (locating her place of birth). It allows you to brainstorm for all the possible sources that might contain the desired information. I need to think, “What document could contain the name of that village?”

One Search at a Time
Given when Louise died, there are two paper copies of her death certificate: one at the county in which she died and one at the state department of vital records. While each record should contain the same information, one may be easier to access or cheaper to obtain than another. There may even be additional ways to access the records, such as microfilm copies in alternate locations. In this case, the records from the state office have been reproduced on film and are available through a personal visit to the Illinois State Archives or via loan to my local Family History Center. Again, learning about the records indicates that I have several options.

Records from Louise's church may also indicate information about her origin. A mention of her death or funeral is the most likely item to mention her birthplace, but other types of church records may provide similar information. Some denominations may include in their records where members were baptized or confirmed. Such a location would obviously be helpful for Louise.

Louise's obituary may also provide information on her origin. It is imperative to think about every newspaper that might have carried such a notice. There were several newspapers in the Rock Island area that should be searched. Morning and the evening editions should be referenced if appropriate. Rock Island also had a large Belgian ethnic community and the potential for a Flemish language newspaper should also be considered.

I may even need to go beyond Louise's death to locate her place of birth. The death records for Louise's children may also provide information on her origin as well. All of Louise's children died during a time when the death record has a space for place of birth of parent. The record may simply say “Belgium” but there is always the chance that it says something more. I will not know until I look.

There Are Other Sources as Well
The listing of items mentioned here is not complete. They are the sources I would search for first based upon the time period, the location, the denomination, and the ethnic origin of the focus person. Different times, different places, and different people will call for different solutions. This is one reason why reading and studying case studies of similar problems is vital for the genealogist. How someone else solved another problem may provide you with the clues to solve your own.

Some Records Might Not Help
While every extant record should be included in a comprehensive research plan, there are some records that are probably not going to provide the desired information.

Naturalization records are not likely to be helpful in this situation. Given the era, Louise was not naturalized in her own right and her husband's pre-1907 naturalization reveals little information on his origins and none on hers. The family's appearance on a ship manifest, located initially through the Immigrant Ship Transcriber's Guild (www.immigrantships.net) and later confirmed by accessing the actual manifest, also provide no specific clues as to the family's origins.

Devising the Plan
So far, we have just worked to understand our problem. This is always the first and most detailed step. We continue the process. For each source, I will determine how that source will be accessed.

Carrying Out the Plan
The source will be searched and the search and the search results will be recorded.

Going Back
With every completed search, I will:

• Compare what I have found with what I already had located.
• Learn more about the records if necessary.
• Check my assumptions.

In a future column, we'll see what record provided the missing place of birth and look at problems where the location of such information requires even more analysis and problem solving.

This article originally appeared in the Ancestry Daily News on 18 May 2005. We are posting old articles here on the Rootdig.com blog.

July 4th Offer on Casefile Clues

At last count, I had at least three ancestors who were in the Revolutionary War or provided patriotic service:

• John Tinsley, of Amherst County, Virginia, died 1817
• Isaac Rucker, of Amherst County, Virginia , died 1790s
• James Rampley, of Harford County, Maryland, died 1817

There may be others, but these were the first ones that popped into my mind. Search for your own patriots at the DAR site or the SAR files on Ancestry.com.

In honor of the holiday, we're offering a July4th Special on Casefile Clues--$17.76 for a year and twenty issues from Year 2 (issues 20-40).

Topics here:

• Volume 2-Number 20--Just One Wife Who Shaves Her Age. Records hinted that a man might have had more than one wife. Despite age discrepancies and first name variations, we've likely proven that there was just one wife.


• Volume 2-Number 21--1930 Census: Primary, Secondary, Original, Derivative, Direct and Indirect. You'll never look at a census entry the same way again-also shows how in this case, New York became Kentucky


• Volume 2-Number 22--Finding the Biegers in 1850. Organizing our search and our negative search results in an attempt to find a German immigrant living in Cincinnati in 1850.


• Volume 2-Number 23--Separating Two George Butlers--working on two men born in Michigan in the same year with a father of the same name.


• Volume 2-Number 24-A Minor Naturalization


• Volume 2-Number 25-Genealogical Potpourri


• Volume 2-Number 26-Looking for Benjamin-Formulating a Census Search


• Volume 2-Number 27-An 1849 Cash Land Sale


• Volume 2-Number 28-From 1820-1870 Analyzing Enoch Tinsley's Census Entries


• Volume 2-Number 29-Middle Name Issues: Finding Henry J. Fecht in 1870 and Passenger Lists


• Volume 2-Number 30-The Master Reports--An Assignment of Homestead and Dower in the 1890s


• Volume 2-Number 31-The Parents Sell 10 Acres-an 1880 era land transaction


• Volume 2-Number 32-Clues from a Pig Murder--an 1820 era Kentucky Court Case


• Volume 2-Number 33-Civil War Pension Application-Why My Name's Different


• Volume 2-Number 34-Staying Focused on Divorces and a German Immigrant


• Volume 2-Number 35-Strategies for a 1820 New York Birth


• Volume 2-Number 36-First Appearing in an 1847 Marriage


• Volume 2-Number 37-The Chattel Property Will from Maryland


• Volume 2-Number 38-6 Marriages, Four Divorces, and Naming All My Siblings-a Civil War Pension File


• Volume 2-Number 39-A Guardianship from 1870s Documents "of age" children.


• Volume 2-Number 40-Moving Mother's Inheritance-18th century women's property rights discussion
  

Take advantage of our $17.76 offer today.

My Ancestor’s John Hancock

My Ancestor’s John Hancock

(originally published in the Ancestry Daily News on 16 November 2005)

Whether he signed with a flourish, scribbled out a scrawl, or literally made his mark, seeing your ancestor’s “signature” provides a different perspective especially when pictures and images are not available. This week we look at some places where you might find traces of your ancestor’s handwriting among the records.

Wills
If your relative left a last will and testament, the original document may have been filed for record along with other loose papers. These materials are usually grouped together in a packet or case file. The actual will should contain your ancestor’s signature (or at least his mark). In some areas, the will record is actually a transcription of the will which unfortunately also contains a transcription of your ancestor’s signature. If the handwriting of the will looks an awful lot like your ancestor’s “signature,” then you are probably reading a transcription of the will.

Estate Records
In 1861, Melinda Newman relinquished her right to administer the estate of her deceased husband. She signed the document. Another paper from the estate file contains the signatures of several of her children who were acting as either administrators of the estate or bondsmen. Receipts and other documents in the file could contain signatures of heirs or others with an involvement in the estate.

Court Records
Was your ancestor involved in a court case? If so did he sign any of the documents in the case file? Early court records usually consist of transcriptions of various records, but later materials should contain the actual papers filed while the case was active. If the legal action dragged on over several years, you may find numerous copies of your ancestor’s signature.

Petitions
Did your ancestor sign any petitions? State, regional, or local archives may have copies of various petitions, such as ones to build a new road, establish a new county, remove a county official, etc. The difficulty is that many of these records are unindexed and locating them requires diligence. My own ancestor signed a Maryland petition during the Revolutionary War protesting the selling of real estate by the colonial government. The property being sold was owned by a British subject and rented by my ancestor.

Marriage Records
Your ancestor’s marriage record may contain his signature, if the record is relatively recent (early records frequently just list names and dates). If your ancestor served as a bondsman on his relative’s marriage bond his signature as bondsman should be included. If your ancestor gave consent for a child to marry, the consent may be simply noted as “parental consent” without even a name specified. If you are lucky, the parent’s signature has been scrawled on the record. Consider marriages your ancestor could have witnessed as well. My own ancestor’s 1907 marriage contains a sibling of the groom and a sibling of the bride as witnesses. Both signed the marriage license.

Note Holder
Did your ancestor loan money to someone else? If the loan was secured by real estate, a mortgage should have been recorded in the jurisdiction where the property was located. A release of mortgage may have been recorded when the debt was paid, filed in a separate series of documents or perhaps recorded right on the mortgage copy itself. The transcriptions recorded separately likely do not contain your ancestor’s signature, but the notation made on the copy might. In this case, the clerk writes a note in the margin of the recorded mortgage indicating that it has been paid. The holder of the note signs under the clerk’s note, right in the record book indicating that the property is now free and clear. Antje Fecht signed such a release on a mortgage to her son-in-law in Illinois in the 1890s. It was a great place for me to get my third great-grandmother’s signature.

Pension Records
If your ancestor filed for a pension, there’s a good chance his signature is on one of the application papers. In some cases, there may be many copies of his signature throughout the file. If his widow later filed for a widow’s pension, her signature may also appear in the same set of documents.

World War I Draft Cards
Was your ancestor of an age to register for this draft? If so, his signature should appear at the bottom of his card. All of these cards are available to the public via microfilm and are now indexed and available to Ancestry.com subscribers.

World War II Draft Cards
Was your ancestor required to register for the World War II draft? Cards are available to any interested person for men born between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 and were mentioned in an earlier column. Draft cards after that date are available subject to restrictions from the Selective Service Administration and were also mentioned in an earlier column.

SS-5 Applications
If your ancestor completed their own SS-5 form (Application for a Social Security and Tax Account Number), their signature should be at the bottom of the form. These forms are available from the Social Security Administration for any deceased individual with a social security number. More information about obtaining copies of the SS-5 forms can be obtained here.

Birth Records
If your ancestor’s birth was recorded in a timely fashion, she likely did not sign the record, regardless of how precocious she was. However, you may find that your relative’s parents signed the relative’s birth certificate. It happened. This signature will not be obtained if you receive a transcription of the record instead of an actual copy. My birth certificate has my mother’s signature. The copy I obtained when I first started genealogy is a copy of the actual record, including Mom’s signature. The copy I obtained as proof of citizenship is simply a transcription of the document (minus Mom’s signature). My oldest daughter’s birth certificate has the signatures of both her parents, not just the mother. Recordkeeping practices do change over time (I did not have to sign my youngest daughter’s birth certificate, but was required to sign the oldest one‘s because I was named as the father). If your ancestor obtained a delayed certificate, his own signature likely is included. Signatures of other relatives may also appear in delayed birth recordings.

Death Certificates
If your ancestor signed his own death certificate, I’d love to see a copy! The more likely scenario is that a family member was an informant on a relative’s death record and signed the document. Knowing the name of the informant on a relative’s death record is usually enlightening as it puts the information provided in perspective. It is even better when the signature is that of one of your ancestors.

Home Sources
Letters, diaries, and other materials in your home (or your relatives’ homes) may contain the signature of your ancestor and even more of her handwriting. Greeting cards are another good source of more recent ancestral signatures.

Extended Family Approach
It has been hinted at in some of the record sources mentioned, but records on your ancestor’s siblings or cousins may contain her actual signature. This is particularly true for those records where siblings might have had to provide testimony or signed an affidavit. Some military pension files are full of signatures of other family members (in addition to neighbors, justices of the peace and other individuals).

Other Places
We have scratched the surface of places where your ancestor may have literally “left his mark.” Considering searching for your ancestor’s handwriting. You may learn more about her than just how she crossed her “t.”

(c) Michael John Neill

Read Michael's Weekly how-to newsletter--Casefile Clues http://blog.casefileclues.com

40 Issues of Casefile Clues for $10

I won't repeat the list of topics here, but we're offering the first 40 issues of Year 2 of Casefile Clues for $10--check out the link: http://blog.casefileclues.com/2011/06/year-2-topics-issues-1-37.html

Blog Reading

I'll be perfectly frank. I don't read many genealogy blogs. There are many reasons for this, but the following things cause me to click "back" fairly quickly:

• Huge graphics at the top of the page that take 3/4 of the screen. Sorry, if your content isn't worth putting at least some of it on the top of the page, I'm not bothering to scroll down.
• The inability to spell or use basic grammar. I'm not a English teacher and don't expect perfection, but if you are unable or unwilling to learn the difference between there, their and they're; cannot conjugate verbs to save your soul; and can't be bothered to learn how to spell "genealogy" or "cemetery," I'm gonna pass right on by. Occasional typos are one thing. Comma splices are one thing. Basic spelling shows an attention to detail and if a blogger can't pay attention to that, how can I believe anything they say?
• Posts that say something that essentially boils down to "I didn't really look at these sites or links, but they are probably good sites or things to buy. Oh, and by the way, I have affiliate links to these items. So if you purchase something I linked to, but haven't really read and don't know if it's crap or not, I'll get a pittance in return."
  
• Comments or discussion that indicates your logic and reasoning skills are lax.
• Prattling on and on needlessly.
• Copying and pasting press releases.
• Writing with lots of praise about every new thing that comes along. Usually if there's something I'm not a huge fan of, I email the person privately with my criticisms and simply don't mention it on my site. If there are pitfalls that users may easily fall into, I mention those.
  

If these seem a little harsh, then so be it.

Unexpected Guardianship

This really was an unexpected discovery when I was at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City last month.

In some "spare" time, I decided to make digital scans of records I had only copied selected materials from years ago and was focused on probate records from Scott County, Iowa. Early in my research on this family, I had never bothered to look for a guardianship on the children of Anton Cawiezell. There was no good reason, but my assumption at the was probably that since he was a blacksmith living in Davenport, Iowa, there wouldn't even be such a record. Sure enough there was.

This is one image from the file which gives Anton's date of death--which I did not have. Also included are the dates of birth for his children who were minors at the time of his death. All of this is helpful as there are no civil records in Iowa during this time period and I could find no church or other record of Anton's death.

Turns out Anton owned twenty acres of property and some livestock.

I'll have to followup on Anton as there may be more than I know.

Always pays to go back and review materials located early in your research.

Why You Should Read Those "Intro" Materials

This is a page that appears before a microfilmed copy of declarations of intent for Hamilton County, Ohio between 1848-1851 (Family History Library film 1415117). A big clue that something was different about these records would be the consistent handwriting from one page to the next and the fact that every signature was the same.

This might explain why I am having trouble finding the arrival of Peter Bigger on a date that matches the one on his declaration of intent that appears on this roll of microfilm.

Read those introductions--you might realize you've overlooked something.

Thinking About the Allen County Public Library for my Group Trip

I'm starting to think about what I'm going to research while I'm at the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne in August with my group from 3-7 August 2011. The library is particularly strong in published materials as well as some microfilm.

Since I haven't done too much work on my New England lines, I'm going to focus on families from New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. I'll try and avoid using Ancestry.com at the library as I can use that at home.

I'm working on my list of people and will be adding an update as well. I'm hoping to put together material I obtained in Salt Lake and other places to start some searches for the parents of apparent brothers Benjamin and Arvin Butler.

I'm also hoping to work through some published material on the ancestors of Clark Sargent, born in Vermont in the mid 1810s.

I copied some tax and other materials from Hunterdon County, New Jersey, on the Blaine and Reed families and I'm hoping to make a little progress on them in the Revolutionary era.

The Library also has some microfilmed tax lists and I'll see if there are any locations where I need those records as well.

That will probably be enough as I'll be helping the trip participants as well.

The Library's genealogy page is here.

Information on our trip is here. We'd love to have you join us.

Casefile Clues for Beginners Get Free Problem-Solving Article

Subscribers to Casefile Clues for Beginners will get a free copy of my article from 2010: "Problem-Solving."

Previous subscribers will be sent their copy over the next few days. New subscribers to Casefile Clues for Beginners will get their copy within a few days of subscribing.

A 6-month subscription to Casefile Clues for Beginners is only $7.50 and can be processed by PayPal. Don't use PayPal? Email me at casefileclues@gmail.com for alternate payment arrangements.

There is more information on Casefile Clues for Beginners on the special blog site.

Making a "Bee" to Move the Fence

In reviewing material from a Civil War pension file, I came across a deposition that partially confused me.

Ira Boyd is making testimony in October of 1918 in the pension application of Emmar Osenbaugh. He has been asked how he came to know Osenbaugh and her husband, John. He states, in part:

"I came to Iowa about 50 year ago and soon after I came here I became acquainted with John Osenbaugh. The way I got acquainted with him was in the spring of 1869 when we were moving a partition fence for a man named Nathan Dix. Dix made a "bee" to move the fence and Osenbaugh was in the bee."

Any ideas on what a "bee" is to move the fence?

Back From Salt Lake

I've just returned from my annual research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake. I had a really great time and made a few minor discoveries of my own and made copies for illustrations in several upcoming issues of Casefile Clues.

We had a good group and are looking forward to our trip in 2012.

Having been buried in research and helping others for nearly a week reminded me of several genealogy lessons and I'll be blogging about my experiences over the next several blog posts.

I asked about two questions while I was there. I hate to just "dump" papers in the consultants lap as I know from personal experience that can make helping the person even more difficult.

I asked a consultant on the British Isles floor to help me with Robert Frame, cotton warper from County Cumberland, who was born in Spain about 1814 and died in Cumberland sometime in the 1860s. I had not planned to ask about him while there, but needing a change of pace I decided to.

Before I asked the question, I quickly re-located Robert in the 1841-1861 censuses and the marriage entry from the church where he married. I also re-located the 1841-1851 census entries on Rebecca Frame, who lived nearby and whom I am assuming was his mother. I also re-located some christening entries in Carlisle (where Robert lived) for Rebecca's two children. Those entries indicated a husband of John--possibly Robert's father.

Before I dumped all this on the desk for the consultant, I typed it all up. I summarized what I had on Robert and his potential parents. I tried to make it as easy to read as possible. Then I went and presented my problem to the consultant.

I explained that I was uncertain why Robert was born in Spain and that I thought perhaps his father had been in the military.

The consultant I talked with told me how to search the military records and gave me assistance in locating the military records for John Frames who fit my time "frame."

Did it make it easier for her to have somewhat "organized" information? I'm guessing so and I'm hoping so. I do know that it made it much easier for me to explain my problem to her and there was a lot less paper-shuffling in the process.

In the interest of time while at the Family History Library, I just copied the entire service files of the four John Frames who fit my time frame. I decided it was best to analyze them when I got home and could be somewhat more thorough in my analysis. There'll be time later to go back and work on them further.

Ancestry.com's Search Comments, etc.

Here's my take on Ancestry.com's search:

1) I like the proximity feature. However, I do wonder what map or database they used to determine what bordered what. Do they count counties and geographic locations that are "corner to corner?" I don't like not knowing how things are done or determined.

2) I hate the pre-filled boxes that come up. Absolutely do not like them. I would like to know why on a United States database, they cannot filter out non-US locations. Also like to know why they can't filter out United States locations when I'm searching the 1851 UK census. If you're gonna make that junk come up automatically, at least have it be from the correct country.

3) Get rid of the family member option on the censuses that have it and simply put "in household" of. I like the ability to search for siblings, don't get me wrong. However, there are times when Ancestry.com thinks the head of household is the parent when even the census indicates that they are not. Set this to "lives in the same household" and be done with it. Or at least add that option.

4) Improve the navigational structure of the site. There are databases on Ancestry.com I use regularly and I get sick of the navigational structure and the card catalog is a pain. I don't make bookmarks myself because they are a pain. If there is a database I've used before on Ancestry.com, I just google it to find it.

I like most of the features of the new search. But I do tend to get a little tired of being given new features and then being told to like them because we have them. Geesh--I'm not five anymore. And sometimes I really really wonder how many in the research trenches genealogists really test these new features out. Not people who were geeks first, but people who were (and are) genealogists first.

I also don't think the new features support the documentation of the search process. Not documentation of results, but documentation of process.

I also do not like it when databases are "updated"or added to with no idea of what's been changed or added. That makes it incredibly frustrating for a database I have already searched extensively to find that it has been "improved" or added to with no idea of what records were added. I've mentioned this complaint before, but I've never gotten any feedback on that complaint. And usually when I complain about something and fail to get a response, that usually tells me something.

Don't get me wrong, I really get a lot of use out of Ancestry.com. But there are times when it is very frustrating to be given "new improvements" without adequate details or changed search techniques and being told we should "like them and get used to them."

2012 Family History Library Trip

We have set the dates for our 2012 Family History Research Trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City--start at 6:30 on Wednesday night and running through a departure the following Wednesday.

• start on 23 May 2012


• end on 30 May 2012

We'll post additional information over the next few weeks. Trip members can get help from Michael before the trip and request help with pre-trip planning, research suggestions, etc. We have 8 am. morning sessions (optional), as many consultations as necessary with Michael, assistance with scanning files, deciding what to research next, etc. If using certain records confuses you, I've helped people use various microfilmed indexes, etc.

Early bird registration (complete fee of $175) is due by 1 December. The deposit is only $50. We keep our group size small so that you don't get lost in the crowd (unless you want to).

You can make your deposit here.

1900 US Census Occupations

Made this discovery on Google Books today. Not time to prattle on about it, but it is a listing of occupations as sampled from the 1900 census. It was put together by the Bureau of the Census. Neat stuff.

Casefile Clues for Beginners

At the request of some readers and survey takers, we are trying out a "beginning" version of Casefile Clues, yet unnamed.

More details on the Casefile Clues blog.

Memory Medallions, etc.

Mark me down on the cynical side, but I don't think I want someone sticking one of these on my ancestor's tombstone.

1) Who decides which descendant gets to put it on?
2) Is it going to permanently mark the stone in some way?
3) Will it work in 50 years? 20 years?

Here's one site. There are others.

I'm not opposed to preserving memories and information. I'm just not certain this is the way to do it.

Punch cards? Floppy disks? Who can say this is any more permanent?

Publish your genealogy and preserve that. I'm certain others will disagree with me, but I'm just not certain this is the way to go about it.

NGS Casefile Clues Offer

You can still take advantage of an NGS offer on Casefile Clues even if you are not at the conference. Through the conference, you can subscribe for our regular rate of $17 and we'll throw in the most recent 14 issues from volume 2. Subscriptions must be done through this link to get the offer. Not valid with any other offer. Thanks!

Family Search's Civil War Database Search

Family Search has a special site to search just their Civil War materials. I'm a little bit confused. This is the search screen I got when I searched for Riley Rampley. It said there were no results that matched "strongly," yet the "non-strong" match was for the exact name I put in. Just makes me a little curious as to whether or not the search is actually working right.

I'll post a follow up if I have one.

Family Search Releases Draft Registration Cards, compiled 1948-1959

Just for these two states, FamilySearch released Draft Registration Cards, compiled 1948-1959 :

• Arkansas


• Louisiana

Why To Transcribe Exactly

There are many reasons to transcribe a document exactly. This letter taken from the Georgia Confederate Pension application of H. W. Rucker (and his widow) makes the point. The letter is dated 19 Sept 1925. Bennett indicates Mrs. Rucker died on 29 Sept 1925. Something is wrong. Is it the date of the letter or the date of the death? Without looking at other records, the transcriber does not know. The transcription should render it as it is.

In this case, there may be other records to allow one to determine if the date of death is correct. One will not always be that lucky.

Ancestry.com's Updating of Databases

I wish the Ancestry.com blog had some real information about their new or recently updated databases in it--instead of being vastly marketing material.

Their passport applications are indicated as being "updated" again, but I have no clue how. Does this mean I have to search them again for people I've already searched for in the database?

The last time it was updated there were "new" applications in there for people I had already located.

It is a little frustrating for databases to be "updated" multiple times. Don't get me wrong, I use Ancestry.com and like it, but these updates without information on "how they are updated" is frustrating--especially when it doesn't enable me to know whether to search the database or not.

Hopefully I'm wrong and there's information on the update somewhere that I have just overlooked.

All Have A Leaf But The Guy I Want

I have several private trees at Ancestry.com. I largely use them to keep track of things I have already found on Ancestry.com, particularly families I am researching for Casefile Clues. These online trees are not my "real" databases--I don't use Ancestry's cloud for my personal research, largely because I'm a down to earth person.

Sometimes I do find the leaves helpful, if for no other reason than it saves time in locating certain things. Does Ancestry.com find things that are totally "out there?" Of course. Do they find things that are correct? Yes. Like any other source, one has to constantly be evaluating and judging. I don't often use the trees of others, unless I'm trying to connect with others working on the same brick wall people that I am.

I don't even always contact other submitters. In many cases, I can tell they've most likely not done any original research--seeing "errors" from my early days of research is a good indicator of this. I won't share those errors here, but I know them when I see them and I can tell that the person hasn't done any "new" work or they would have picked up on the errors themselves.

The image with this blog post makes the point I was originally going to make with this post:

"the leaves don't often help on your real brick wall problems"

The leaves on my tree as shown above appear for all the names, sans one, Benjamin Butler. The leaves are usually indicating there's a census record (which I already have, but just don't have "linked" in this tree) or to public member trees that pretty much are just copies of what I've already located myself.

Benjamin Butler, the guy I'm "really stuck on" has no leaves--no suggestions.

All the other suggestions are to things I've already found and that someone else has submitted--except for Clark Sargent whose family has been documented to early New England families.

I find that the leaves aren't always there for the people on whom I'm really stuck. Or if they are, the suggestions are really out in left field.

A part of this problem is that Ancestry.com's leaves are not all that helpful for pre-1850 era American families when someone hasn't already done (or tried to do) the work. When there's not a tree that may provide suggestions, the leaves just aren't that helpful in this era.

And so I'm back to working on Benjamin Butler, without leaves. Ancestry.com's indexes will help me, but there probably won't be any leaves and I'll have to be using records besides those on Ancestry.


At least in my experience.

Free Copy of article "Brick Walls from A to Z"

I'll send a free copy of my article "Genealogy Brick Walls from A to Z" to anyone who wants it. Requests can be sent to brickwallsa2z@gmail.com. Feel to share the news about this offer.

Thanks!

Don't get me wrong. I get a great deal of good information from the Family History Library in Salt Lake. But their catalog was created by humans and the occasional error can creep in and users (as humans) can interpret things incorrectly.

This image is from the catalog entry from the Bethany United Church of Christ in Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois, where my grandmother was christened in 1915 and where her family had attended since the 1850s.

The notes contain an error--indicating the originals are at Eden Theological Seminar in Webster Groves, Illinois. It is actually in Webster Groves, Missouri (here's the webpage). It's a lovely campus, having been there many years ago.

The other item of concern is with the year range for the records--1805 to 1884. The records actually start in the 1850s, but death register entries do refer to individuals with an 1805 date of birth. There are no records from the church going back to 1805.

Just take a look at what you are using and keep in mind that catalogers can make mistakes or may be interpreting things in ways that the user is not.