This is the tombstone of John C. and Anne E. D. Rampley is located in the Buckeye Cemetery, Walker Township, Hancock County, Illinois. The question is: Does this tombstone provide evidence that Anne E. D. Rampley is buried in this cemetery? Husbands and wives are typically buried in the same location and in the last […]

City directories can tell researchers several things, usually related to name, residence, occupation and proximity of neighbors. Urban researchers are usually well-served by researching all extant directories for their people of interest. In some unusual circumstances directories can tell researchers even more. Noticing these items requires the researcher to search for the people of interest […]

FamilySearch recently updated “Iowa, Old Age Assistance Records, 1934-1946.” The database does not indicate the counties that are included in the database. The suggested record citation also does not indicate the county from which the entry was taken. The “record” also does not include any event place more specific than the state of Iowa. While that’s […]

I’m trying to locate information on a “Harm Habbus” who apparently was in Clayton Township, Adams County, Illinois, in 1872 or so. This is part of an 1892 newspaper clipping from the Quincy [Illinois] Daily Journal that references Habbus as the father of a baby born to Volke Behrens, daughter of Ulfert Behrens in Clayton […]

I’m down to five circles at  AncestryDNA, I have been removed from 9 since my last posting on 12 January. The circles are still in beta  and I’m not certain what has changed because my tree remains the same (my initial circle post can be read on this page where more about the circles is explained). My […]

Ancestry.com‘s database, “Missouri, Death Records, 1850-1931,” contains a “Physican’s Certificate of Death” for Wilhelmina Rothweiler who apparently died in Belleville, Illinois, in 1897. On the surface that seems a little strange.   The document is clearly a record created in Illinois. “Duplicate from City Death Register” is scrawled across the top, but the document is […]

We mention newspapers here quite a bit. It’s not because they are perfect sources (they aren’t) or because they will answer every question (they won’t). But they can be a wonderful genealogical resource for a variety of reasons: they can be helpful in “burned counties” they can facilitate the finding of some court cases they […]

References to relatives can easily appear in newspapers a distance from their home. This 1932 reference from the Omaha World-Herald mentions a drug store bombing in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. The store of W. G. Trautvetter was bombed along with another drug store on Chicago’s South Side. Trautvetter apparently objected to the release of two prisoners […]

An excellent way to improve skills and test any method of organization or analysis is to try it on a problem where you “already know the answers.” While it may seem like busywork, it can allow the researcher to effectively hone their skills. For searchers who are uncertain of their skills using wildcards and other […]

A search of the Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 turned up two cards for headstones provided apparently for the same man. The cards have to be referring to the same man as there can’t be two Alfred Butlers in Co. K of the 9th Michigan Calvary. While it is possible that there is, […]