Michael John Neill's Genealogy Website
The responses to “Those Ancestral Compilations in the AncestryDNA Circles” has been overwhelming. Wow. It’s important to remember that the connections made via DNA are different from the information in the “ancestral compilation” that appears on the circle page. A few reminders (and these are generalizations): getting in circles requires a tree tied to your […]
The problem with court records is that while they provide significant detail into our relatives’ lives, they often leave out details. We’ve seen that Fannie Neill “couldn’t be found” when the Hancock County Sheriff came knocking in 1908 to give notice that the farm she was renting from her father’s estate was subject to a […]
It’s been years since I really worked on Thomas Chaney of Southampton Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Most of that research was done nearly thirty years ago, before the internet, before many records were online, and before DNA testing. While I’ve dabbled a little bit into his records, I’ve not done any serious work on him […]
The theory behind the DNA Circles at AncestryDNA is fine: you essentially get in a circle if you and someone are genetically related and have the same person in their tree. We’ve discussed the circles before. The DNA says you match. The shared names in the tree suggest that is the way. The information in […]
It struck me as odd that great-grandma Neill could not be found by the Hancock County Sheriff in February of 1908 when he came to their residence in Walker Township. It seemed odd that she’d be off helping a sister with a baby or something and leave her husband behind with two children under the […]
This sale referenced in this sale bill was the result of a 1908 Hancock County, Illinois, court case involving the widow of Riley Rampley and his children. Riley had died in 1893 leaving a farm, a widow, eleven children, and no will. His estate was never brought to probate and in 1908, this partition suit […]
To reduce confusion, here’s a list of my newsletters, blogs, etc Genealogy Tip of the Day–(one tip every day)—free to get daily–subscribe on the blog Genealogy Search Tip of the Day (but not always every day)- (genealogy search sites and online search tips)—free to get daily–subscribe on the blog Rootdig -(research stories, frustrations, and whatever interests […]
After a hiatus, Casefile Clues is back! We’ve put out four issues since resuming publication. Casefile Clues focuses on being readable, understandable, and practical. Articles exhibit sound research methods and analysis–but are not tedious or difficult to follow. Sample issues can be downloaded on our website. Learn more about Casefile Clues. If you’ve not been getting your issues and you are […]
[this was posted on our old blog and we’ve decided to post it here for those who missed it–gotta love court records] On 10 February 1908, Carl Bertschi, Hancock County Sheriff went to the farm of Charles and Fannie Neill in Walker Township. The problem was that Fannie was no where to be found and […]
In the most recent issue of Casefile Clues, I discussed two Civil War pension affidavits from 1915 that were used in support of a claim for a veteran from Missouri. One of the affidavits gave the names of the parents of the veteran and his siblings. I’m reasonably certain he knew who his parents and his […]
