Month: November 2019
How Many Johns Do You Have?
I was looking through some of my recent blog posts and I realized how many of them were about an ancestor named John. Then I thought about the names of my great-great-grandfathers: John Michael Trautvetter (born in Thuringen Germany)–no I was not named for him, but he indirectly is why my name is Michael John […]
Do You Mention It?
Let’s just say this insanity record comes from the record on a relative in Illinois. It was located in the local county court records. “On the 6th of June she developed a sever[sic] attack of delusional insanity with homicidal tendancy, which has continued up to the present time.”This document was dated June 14. It is […]
Flip It Over
Undated newspaper clippings and other paper materials are frustrating for the genealogist. It always pays to flip the clipping over. Sometimes there are “between the lines” clues that give an idea of when the clipping was actually published.And then there is this one. This clipping was found amongst my Grandmother’s papers. The other side indicates […]
My Children’s Boring Ancestors
I’ve been thinking about “boring ancestors” lately and the feeling by some that it’s necessary to add extraneous “stuff” to your family history in order to liven them up. To that I say “balderdash.” There’s nothing like good ol’ exhaustive research to discover that your ancestors are not all that boring. My children have no […]
All That Part Does Not Mean All
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 […]
Direct or Indirect?
What is the difference between indirect evidence and direct evidence? One good example is a voter’s list. Since a person has to be a citizen to vote, your ancestor’s name appearing on a voter’s list is indirect evidence that your foreign-born ancestor naturalized (assuming that the guy on the voter’s list really is your ancestor and not another […]
Genealogy Tip of the Day Book is Coming!
We’re been working it for a while now–a book of some of our earliest genealogy tips. I’m excited about the upcoming release of a list of tips in print form. We’ve pulled out announcements and items that were timely and have not included those. Tips that were repeated have been deleted as well. We’ve updated […]
An 1806 Promise to Pay in Whiskey: Part I
On 24 November 1806, James Tinsley and another man signed a note that they promised to pay on the “first day of March next” to Oba and Henry Timberlake eight pounds, three shillings, and three pence. The payment was to be in “good and merchantable” whiskey in good tight barrels. Tinsley and his associate were […]
The Birth “Date” of Sarah/Sally Tinsley of Amherst County, Virginia
Just a few thoughts on inferences, consistency….not an official “edict,” but an out loud commentary more to keep me thinking than anything else. No sources are cited in this post, but that’s really not the point in this case. I’ve worked before on an approximate date of birth for Sarah/Sally Tinsley, probably a native of […]