This is the signature portion of a mortgage executed by three of my ancestors on 15 December 1905 in Hancock County, Illinois. This image is not from the actual mortgage itself, but rather from the record copy of the mortgage recorded in the Hancock County Recorder’s Office. The holders of the note (the bank from […]

Does it look like Jas. Kyle to you? Sometimes it is clear to see how names get misread. This 1830 Census entry for Monroe Township, Licking County, Ohio, was located by searching manually. There are still times when a manual search is necessary. Not every name is easily readable. Ancestry.com originally indexed this as “Gs […]

It is always best when the files are fat and thick. I first discovered this court case nearly thirty years ago, early in my research when my knowledge of court records, inheritance, research methods, and life in general was much smaller. I simply wasn’t able to afford a copy of the entire file and so […]

The problem with reading things quickly is that valuable clues tend to be glossed over. We’ve discussed the partition suit among Riley Rampley’s heirs before, but a closer reading of the list of parties involved indicated that one of Riley’s children was missing: Martha (Rampley) Gillham. The question is why? Thinking she was simply left […]

I have so many Johns, Johanns, Janns, Jans, Janses (my attempt to “pluralize” Jans) in my genealogy, it’s a wonder I can see straight. Since it’s my middle name, I take the confusion in great stride. In different parts of my family the name “Johann” (and variants) had slightly different interpretations–depending upon the time period […]

It’s easy to get “stuck in a genealogical rut” when something cannot be located and continue to beat one’s head against the same wall. I think I’m doing that with Wilhelmina (Trautvetter) Senf Kraft. Her Senf husband (Johann Valentine Senf) died in Wothlmuthausen, Thuringia, German,y in 1846. The first reference to her Kraft husband (as […]

We are again offering my popular “Organizing Genealogy Information” class this March–starting later in the month.Additional details are contained in our blog post.

  This was not what I was expecting when I searched Maryland newspapers for members of my Rampley family. Finding items in classified advertisements can be helpful as it documents a person’s existence in a time and place. I’m not so certain having a horse named after a relative is quite as helpful. I’m also […]

There are several reminders from this 1829 legal notice published in a Maryland newspaper. Extra Details in Court Records The first is that court records can contain a variety of information. This 1829 case was heard in the Harford County Court and centered around an incorrect legal description for a piece of property the plaintiff’s […]