Michael John Neill's Genealogy Website
An affidavit in the 1892 homestead application of Ekke Behrens of Weyerts, Nebraska, makes several good genealogical research points. There is a naturalization record for Ekke Behrens in the homestead application of Ekke Behrens and on the surface I thought it was the naturalization for Ekke, the homestead applicant. Upon closer reading of this affidavit, […]
This is part of the inscription in a book that Trientje Eilts Post (1808-1877) made for her daughter Annebken Hinrichs. The book was given to Annebken in 1851 when the family was living in Holtrop, Ostfriesland, Germany. The book is in the possession of a family member who graciously scanned the document and shared it […]
When you donate an item to a library, archives, or other facility, ask them about their retention policies. Can they afford to maintain the item? What happens if they are unable to afford to maintain it as a part of their collection? Does the library, archives, or other facility have an actual interest in your […]
his discharge having been burnt at the time his house was consumed by fire Sometimes it’s easy to remember how many of our ancestors were impacted by the burning of their home. It’s why Augusta Newman did not have his discharge papers from the War of 1812 and it is not common in pension applications […]
Experimenting with ThruLines(tm) again, I realized a few additional things that are frustrating and was reminded of a few things that are worth mentioning again: My 4th great aunt is shown here as “private.” I understand that she may be private in some trees, but is she private in every tree? I tend to doubt it. […]
My latest webinar on using ThruLines at AncestryDNA has been released and is available for ordering and download. It includes: understanding where the information in the tree comes from–what’s yours and what’s someone else’s; basics of evaluating the information in the tree; responsibly using ThruLines(TM) information; limitations of ThruLines(TM) basics of how much DNA you typically share […]
There’s a new version of the Standards Manual written by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). I’ve ordered my copy and will be discussing it here after it arrives and as time allows. Manuals of this type are helpful if for no other reason than to get you thinking about how you research. This […]
One would think that ThruLines would at least be consistent in presenting a lineage. That thought would be wrong. As an experiment, the family tree attached to a set of test results only included the name of the mother of the testee (Grace [Mortier] Johnson, born in 1913 in Rock Island County, Illinois). ThruLines(tm) constructed a […]
Due to my catching some “bug,” we’ve moved the ThruLines webinar to 17 March at 8 PM central. This delays the release of the recording until the 18th as well. Those who ordered should have received a notice (check your spam folder if you didn’t get it). You can still register for live attendance or […]
At least thirty-three of my DNA matches at AncestryDNA are related to me through Augusta Newman who died in White County, Indiana, in 1864 and his wife Melinda (Sledd) Newman who died in Linn County, Iowa. In looking at the shared centimorgans I had with some of those descendants, I noticed amounts that seemed a […]
