I was leafing through Voices of Emancipation and got to wondering if any of my forebears who owned slaves are mentioned in a Civil War pension application of one of those former slaves. Regosin and Shaffer discuss several applications where affidavits or statements reference the slaveholding family who held the veteran before the war, particularly […]

Get ready for research in 2021 with our “Brick Walls from A to Z” webinar on 15 December at 1:00 pm central time. More details are on our announcement page.

A few months ago, I actually sat down and made time to actually read one of the books that’s been on my shelf for some time. That caused me to purchase a few new books and pull one that I’ve been meaning to read for some time and put it on my short list. I’m […]

I’ve tried to be very careful in my blog posts on the family of Benjamin Butler to put the word “children” in quotes. It would probably be best to refer to these individuals as members of Benjamin’s household, particularly those who are not enumerated in his 1880 household. My work on these individuals is incomplete and […]

Give yourself or that genealogist on your holiday list the gift of Genealogy Tip of the Day in book form. We’re offering copies of Genealogy Tip of the Day our book of early tips for $17. This offer is only available while our supply lasts. Shipping is included. This is $5 less than the Amazon Prime price […]

It took me quite a while to figure out what this word was on John Lake’s 1863 federal tax assessment. The item he was taxed on (the actual heading it “occupation or article”) is the one on the list between the line that starts with 13 and the line that starts with 18.I’m pretty certain […]

I’ve stripped the identifying details because these individuals were alive during my lifetime. The thought process and analysis is what matters. A relative dies in California in the early 1970s and is survived by a woman with whom he shared his home. She is referred to as his “wife” in his obituary. His “wife” dies […]

Irish research isn’t easy, but knowing what is available and having a plan can help. That’s what is discussed in my “Beginning Irish Research” webinar. It’s an hour of actual content–no babble and we don’t spend time trying to sell you other products. More information (including a discount coupon for Rootdig readers good through 19 […]

The screen above is one of the results from a search for  “Freund” as a last name in Scott County, Iowa, in the Civil War Draft Registrations Records (1863-1865) at Ancestry.com. I’m not exactly certain what made someone think “Panl” was a first name. I’m not even certain what it could be an abbreviation for. […]

Sounds matter more than spelling. Consider a name as potentially being a match to your person of interest if the name sounds the name, even if the spelling is different. Ages should be reasonably consistent. If the document gives an age it should be relatively consistent with the known age for the person. Often we […]