It always goes without saying that the entire image should be referenced. As a reminder, the “household” that Ancestry.com includes in their 1870 census transcription does not always include everyone in the household. Speculation about who is left out is meaningless–the actual census should be read. That’s true even when one is “in a hurry” and […]

I decided to add Pennsylvania Land Records: A History and Guide for Research by Donna Bingham Munger to my personal research shelf. While there are plenty of sites that have information on Pennsylvania land records and I already have a fairly good idea of the process, it’s nice to have a printed reference–particularly since I like to […]

The “new” FindAGrave is still “new.” I took a second look to see if anything was different about the new site. I don’t think there are any “new” new changes, but I was reminded of a few things about the site that frustrated me. I understand that websites need to have advertising and affiliate links […]

This is the first in a series of posts on the land of Thomas Chaney of Southampton Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Thomas obtained at least two parcels of land from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including this one in 1850. The images of these surveys are on the land records portion of the website of the The […]

It is all about how things are ordered and how people are described. There are two deeds in the “Complete ‘Credit Under’ Land Entry of James Shores, assignee of Thomas J. Rampley” of Coshocton County, Ohio. Both are dated 21 April 1829. One transfers interest in the patent from Thomas Tipton to James Shores. The […]

A recent private email mentioned the Palmer Method of writing and  asked when it came into favor (the general answer: the 1890s). An earlier method was the Spencerian Method which became popular in the 1860s and continued until the Palmer Method was generally adopted. Your ancestor who served in the Civil War was probably not using the Palmer Method […]

Part of a 1796 deed in Harford County, Maryland, from James Rampley to Jesse Kent states: “…Bargain and Sell unto the said Jesse Kent his Heirs and assigns all that part of a Tract of Land originally Granted to the said James Ramply by the State of Maryland on the first day of December seventeen hundred and […]

People throw around the phrase “deductive reasoning,” but I’m not certain that everyone really knows the true meaning of the phrase. “I looked at other handwriting by the clerk and using deductive reasoning I concluded that the letter that was difficult to read was an ‘M.’” The conclusion that the letter was an “M” may […]

I’ve decided to focus more on genealogy research, writing, and blogging. To that end, I’m closing out my webinar sales effective 6 April. Downloads are immediate, items can be viewed multiple times once they’ve been downloaded, and replacements can be sent if necessary.  Coupon code 50PERCENT will reduce your order charge by 50% at checkout. […]

The newspaper reference to the 1892 court case in Adams County, Illinois, states that the case of Vohlke Sartorius against her father’s estate would be held in the county court. A search of “county court records” did not locate the desired item. That’s because the hearing of her claim was not a separate case in […]