FamilySearch Updates: WI and ME

The following items are showing as updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Wisconsin, Probate Estate Files, 1848-1948

Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957

Casefile Clues Returns from Hiatus

After a hiatus, we are ready to resume distribution of Casefile Clues. You can get free copies following the directions below

• 2 free copies of Casefile Clues can be yours-simply enter in your email address and "submit" order. There is no credit card or other personal information required. Copy 1    Copy 2

We are looking forward to returning to our research, analysis and discussion of records. And, yes, we are even looking forward to returning to citations. We’ve got stories on some old favorites, follow ups to a few missing links, and new families and locations to discuss. We are excited about what’s coming up in the newsletter.

An email about the newsletter was supposed to be sent earlier to all subscribers, but apparently it did not go out. All subscribers will receive the full number of issues that were a part of their original subscription. Subscribers who have been left on the distribution list after their subscription expired will be removed from the list.

Questions can be sent to me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.

If you would like to subscribe, you can do so at this link. 

Style Guide: Our Use of "Ancestor"

Our use of the word "ancestor" on this blog (and my other blogs) will be used as a reference to someone from whom a person descends. This does not usually includes aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. unless there is some sort of double kinship.

I realize that others may have a more broad view of this word. This definition parallels those of several online dictionaries and is consistent with how I have used the word since I started my genealogy research.

FamilySearch Update: CA and NC Marriages

The following databases have been updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

California, County Marriages, 1850-1952

North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979

Marriage certificate for future President Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman

Updated on FamilySearch: IL Naturalization Index (Cook County)

The following database is showing as updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Illinois, Northern District (Eastern Division), Naturalization Index, 1926-1979

These appear to currently only cover Cook County.

My Research Is Better Because I Have Citations

No, it's not.

Really, it's not. While citation to the source is necessary, research is more than simply citing everything we use. And while we applaud the fact that more genealogists cite their sources than in days past, research is not so simplistic that source citing solves every problem. Research is also not so simplistic that citing sources is all you need to do.

The quality of your genealogical research is not about your citations. It is about your process, your analysis, and your ability to clearly explain that process and analysis. Writing "up" your research includes adequate citations to the material that you have used. I may get kicked out of the genealogy club for saying so, but "you can have good research with citations that are not in the proper form (they do need to include all the proper elements, though)." I just think that for the typical researcher, it's a little silly to go bonkers over a semicolon.

Citations alone do not imply "good research."

If it were only that simple.

1840 Census of Pensioners

American genealogists sometimes forget that the 1840 census does contain names of individuals besides heads of household. Revolutionary pensioners were to be enumerated on the right hand set of pages for this head of household only census.

Researchers often fail to even look at the right hand page of these enumerations.

The names of pensioners were published in 1841 in "Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services" by the United States government.

Mocavo.com includes images of the entire book which are full text searchable (other sites may also have images of this book as well). A portion of the page of interest is shown in the image below. This transcription of the census only includes pensioners and the head of household for the household in which the pensioner resided.  It is not a full transcription of the 1840 census.

The reference to Alam in his son's household
appears on the right hand page of his
son's entry. There's a lot of white space on this
page and people often do not even
bother to look at it.

Why use the transcription when the census is available digitally? After all, aren't genealogists told to"use the original" as if no other copy of any material exists.

Not exactly and not always.

It is possible that there were transcription or typographical errors in creating this 1841 publication. It is also worth noting that the transcription was made in 1840 or 1841 when the original census may have been easier to read.

The entry for Alam Blain, the 80 year old pensioner, is contained in the household of his son with the same name in Harlem Township, Delaware County, Ohio, as shown in the image accompanying this blog post.

The transcription in the "Census of Pensioners" lists the name as starting with an "E." Itis pretty clear from the image that the name is written with an initial "A."

And of course, if this were my first reference to Alam as a pensioner, I would want to locate military and pension records for him.

Consider searching this reference for your Revolutionary War era ancestor. The spelling used in this transcription may be the one that helps you to find him.

Or her--widows who are receiving a pension are enumerated as well.

Brick Wall A to Z Giveaway in Honor of Graduation

To celebrate my daughters' graduation from college this month....I am offering my four brick wall from A to Z webinars for free:

• The First One--order for free
• The Second One--order for free
• The Third One--order for free
• The Last One--order for free

Hit "Check out with PayPal." You will not need to give a credit card number to receive the download email link.

Does that Look Like Alexander to You?

Would you have thought this signature was Alexander if all you had to go on was the signature?

This signature on this document is "easier" to transcribe because the name is written elsewhere by the clerk. It is always possible that the clerk wrote down the name incorrectly or "translated" a non-English name into the closest thing he could think of. The first name may not have been Alexander at all.

But let's assume the name is correct as written by the clerk and that the signature is simply being written by someone whose literacy skills are not too high.

"If this signature had been on a document with no idea as to what it was, would you have transcribed it as 'Alexander'?"

Signatures on petitions, bonds, and other documents often do not have clerk's renderings on the same page, unlike this document. Frequently we don't have another reference on the same page to help in our transcription efforts.

FamilySearch Update: MI, GA, and SC Materials

The following databases are showing as having been updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925

Georgia, Deaths, 1928-1940

South Carolina, Darlington County Records, 1798-1928

What Does a Record Provide Evidence Of?

My daughter graduates from Eastern Illinois University this spring. Her grandparents are unable to attend the ceremony but afterwards we are taking pictures of them along with her in her gown. The grandparents live quite a distance apart and two sets of pictures will be taken.

If the pictures are around in a hundred years will someone think they provide evidence that her grandparents attended the graduation? It is hard to say as I won't be alive in one hundred years.

What will the picture indicate? Actually it will only provide evidence that the three of them were in the same location at the same point in time. Just because my daughter is in her graduation robe does not mean that they were necessarily at her graduation.

Are you reaching conclusions that may not be supported by the records and information you have obtained?  Pictures are not the only record that can occasionally not be what they seem.

FamilySearch Updates: WI and IL Materials

The following databases are showing as being updated on FamilySearch since our last post:

Wisconsin, Probate Estate Files, 1848-1948

Illinois, Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991

FamilySearch Update: Milwaukee Naturalization Index

The following database on FamilySearch is showing as updated since our last post:

Wisconsin, Milwaukee Naturalization Index, 1848-1990

Stumbling Upon Things Is Great...But

Sometimes it is difficult balancing genealogical research theory with the way in which some materials are often located.

It is not often really addressed in the genealogical literature, but the research process of what we searched, why we searched it, and how we searched it is integral to our analysis. This is especially true if an exhaustive search does not include everything under the sun (which it sometimes doesn't). Researchers should not just drop records into an article or a database and say here's what we found and analyze it. Don't get me wrong, that analysis is important. It is extremely important. But an understanding of how we came to locate the information we did is integral as well. That understanding does not have to be lengthy, cumbersome, or ladled with minutia about how we determined where to park our car at the library. But an explanation of search method is important.  It can be as simple as "civil death records in Hancock County, Illinois, originally recorded by the County Clerk and Recorder, were searched using Family History Library microfilm for anyone with the last name of Rampley born between 1885 and 1900." My research report should site the specific records I located, but if I don't include the time frame of my search how does anyone know? If I don't say "all Rampleys" were a part of the search, how does anyone know? (The problem of what name is searched for is magnified with it is a common one. Of course anyone reading citations would know from the citations what record was used (at least in that case). But it's possible I searched other records as well that came up empty-handed.

Search method needs to be a part of the analysis and the write up. Otherwise, how do we know that an exhaustive search was really conducted? How do we know that records were not overlooked? How do we know that there were items that were not explored? We cannot assume.

All of which gets at how accurate we view the author's conclusions.

Sound research requires that searches be systematic, documented, and reproducible by others. They should be able to find the same thing we did. That's the main reason I don't like "fuzzy" searches at any of the "big" genealogy sites. Of course, once I find something, then someone else will have an easier time finding it because of my citation. The problem is when I can't find things with "fuzzy searches" I don't know how to refine my searches. And, if I don't know how the searches are conducted that makes troubleshooting my searches difficult.

And if any part of my conclusion is based on not finding someone in a database or record series and fuzzy searches were used, then my conclusion may change if the fuzzy search algorithm is changed.

I wished the Genealogy Standards addressed search process in a little more detail.

Updated On FamilySearch: MN and US Public Records

The following databases are showing as updated on FamilySearch:

Minnesota, Birth Index, 1935-2002

Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949

United States Public Records

This last database contains records from a variety of "public records." The references may or may not be correct and there's no way to tell from where the information was created. Information on me is incorrect in this file. Use at your own risk as a tepid clue.

Why Ancestry.com's "Suggested Records" Suggests Frustration

I meandered over to Ancestry.com to do a little work on Leander/Landon/Lee Butler.

A revisit to his 1900 census transcription on Ancestry.com made it clear why I personally find the "Suggested Records" frustrating and why I rarely use them. They require too much meandering to find anything on the actual person of interest.

The "Suggested "Records" section (boxed in red in the image below) include entries for Leanders in a variety of places and locations-some a distance from Missouri where he is enumerated in several census and other records.

The problem is that on this page, I have nary an idea of where those suggested records are located or what time period they cover. 1821-1989 is a wide range of years when compared to a human lifespan. Ancestry.com's "fuzzy search" pulls in records from a variety of time periods and locations in an attempt to "help." I can't change those "fuzzy parameters" on the "Suggested Records" so I really have no control over what appears there. I like control.

I also cannot see which of these "Suggested Records" I have already looked at--as in other parts of Ancestry.com, this is an excellent place where a notation that "I've seen it before" would be nice.

Honestly, I rarely use the "Suggested Records" section. There's two reasons for this:

• I don't know how the results are obtained (inexact or fuzzy matches on my search terms are too unprecise for me and this just increases the chance that I see something I've already seen before).
• I have no idea in what time period or location some of these results are in.

The problem is that quite a few searchers do use these results and they do link them to their people without giving any though to how reasonable the match is.

And all that does is increase the number of "trees" with questionable conclusions.

FamilySearch: Yates County, NY Materials

The following database is showing as updated on FamilySearch

New York, Yates County, Swann Vital Records Collection, 1723-2009

Daily Genealogy Transcriber

One of the blogs I write is the Daily Genealogy Transcriber. On it, I try and post daily a signature or other piece of writing for readers to try and interpret.

The idea behind the Daily Genealogy Transcriber is to see how easy it can be to transcribe the same word or name in a variety of ways. Only a small part of the handwriting is posted. In the case of signatures, that may be all the writing the person did on that document as the clerk, notary, or lawyer wrote out the rest of the document. For this reason signatures can be especially challenging for genealogists to transcribe and why we tend to focus on those items.

The Daily Genealogy Transcriber also includes pieces of handwriting that is not someone's signature. In these cases, I try and post something that can easily be misinterpreted or viewed in several ways.

The purpose behind Daily Genealogy Transcriber is to get people to see how names and other items can be "wrong" in indexes in other finding aids.

And that never hurts.

A Meander Towards Leander

One has to be careful using names as hard evidence of a family connection.

But it certainly is tempting and it can give a researcher encouragement.

My elusive Benjamin Butler (born in New York State about 1819, died in Vernon County, Missouri after 1880) had children with probably two wives. One of the sons was named Landon or Leander. The name is not the most common of names during the time period when Benjamin's children were born.

I'm trying to determine the "family of origin" for Benjamin's first wife Margaret Stephens. The man who possibly is her father is a Rufus D. Stephens. This Rufus D. Stephens (born in 1773 in Connecticut) had several siblings, including a Leander [Marjean Holmes Workman, "Joshua Stephens/Stevens and Christiana Dutcher of Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 142, No. 2, April 2011, p. 95].

The fact that the Rufus had a brother Leander and that a man who may be Rufus's daughter had a son named Leander may be coincidental and nothing more.

Benjamin Butler cannot be found in the 1860 census and a better way to work through this possible Stephens connection would be to look at locations where Rufus's siblings (named in the article referenced above) were living in 1860 and look closely for Benjmain Butler there. Families tended to migrate in groups and since attempts to locate Benjamin near probable Butler relatives has not been successful it may be time to look and see if he migrated with possible relatives of his wife.

And that may even help me to tie into her family of origin.

Upgrade Skills with Our Webinars

With summer coming there’s no better time to increase your genealogical research skills. Our low-priced presentations can get you back on your research path.

Organizing Online Searches

When I search databases for more than five minutes, I stop and get organized. There's a lot to be said for that approach. This presentation demonstrated tried and true approaches that I actually use--not ones simply made up to make a "neat presentation."

This webinar presents suggestions for how to organize your online searches, including creating lists of search options, creating search logs that assist in problem-solving, and tracking negative results and eliminated matches to repeat viewing the same image over and over. Organized searches makes it possible to accurately problem-solve and allows others to provide constructive criticism. Also included is a discussion of when it may be time to stop.  Detailed handout included. Download is immediate.Order the presentation for immediate download here for $6.25.

Charts, Charts and More Charts

Readers of the newsletter know that I love charts--and I'm not talking about pedigree and family group charts. Instead I'm talking about charts that organize information you have in order to see what's missing, notice patterns, and organize your research. In this webinar, I talk about key elements to include in any chart, troubleshooting before you get started, brainstorming, and ways to get creative with your data. Geared towards advanced beginners and intermediate researchers. -add to cart.

Seeing the Patterns-Organizing Your Information

This lecture discusses the problem-solving process and a variety of ways to   organize your information with the intent of getting the research to notice overlooked clues, patterns, trends, and information. $8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture. -add to cart.

Genealogy Fundamentals

These presentations cover basic topics in 20 minutes or less. Short and to the point. Topics include citations, wills, federal land records, and more. View the complete list here.

All Presentations

A list of over thirty how-to presentations on a variety of genealogical topics. All priced for under $8. View the complete list here.

This email can be viewed as a web page at:

http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com/p/webinar-discounts.html

Thanks!

And good luck with your own research.

Michael John Neill

Genealogy Tip of the Day

http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com

FamilySearch Updates: NH Marriages, NY Naturalization Index

The following databases are showing as updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

New Hampshire, Marriage Certificates, 1948-1959

New York, Naturalization Index, 1792-1906

How significant the changes are I do not know.

Updated on FamilySearch-Iowa Births

The following database is showing as updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935

Georgia Deaths Updated at FamilySearch

This database is showing as updated at FamilySearch since our last posting:

Georgia, Deaths, 1928-1930

My Spreadsheet of Immigrants

It has been a while since I posted this challenge to readers: Make a chart with all your immigrant ancestors, including as many details of their entry as known.

I've had some success in locating a few more of my "pond-crossers," so I've posted the chart again. This is not a five-minute activity for some of us, but I think it's well worth the effort as it gets as gaps and omissions we may have in our research.


 

Have any readers made headway on their list of immigrants?

Updated On FamilySearch: Washington State County Records

The following database is showing as updated on FamilySearch since our last post:

Washington, County Records, 1803-2009