Month: March 2020
What’s New About these Ancestry.com Databases?
Not much to say other than what’s new about the 1850 and 1860 census at Ancestry.com? They’ve been on the site for years–complete images and complete index. What’s really new? Is it something new enough that I should search again for that Benjamin Butler that I cannot find? Do I need to repeat all those […]
FindAGrave Can Hold Off on the Recently Deceased
rant alert: If this post about FindAGrave offends you, please unfollow, unlike, as appropriate. Do not message me in an attempt to change my opinion. My father passed away the morning of 7 March 2020. Unlike my Mother’s passing, it was sudden and not expected. We split the duties of notifying various relatives as our […]
Sweet Potatoes or Parsnips? Kids Say the Correct Things
I’m even precisely certain when the picture of my grandmother Ida Neill and my oldest daughter was taken. Based upon the fact that my daughter is wearing a sweater, I’m guessing it was at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Based upon when Grandma Neill died (summer of 1994) and when my daughter was born, I’m reasonably certain […]
We Can Cite Without All that Knowledge
I read a blog post about citing research process and sources supposedly geared towards a beginner but really seemed to be directed towards a genealogist with quite a bit of experience. The post seemed to miss a key point: we don’t always know all that stuff I understand if I say the will of Barbara […]
Really Tracking Your Research
Be Thankful for What Has Passed Down
Administratrix with the Will Annexed
Typically administrators are appointed because there was no valid will left by the deceased. Yet there are some cases where there is a valid will and an administrator. This can happen if the will names no executor or the named executor refuses to act, is incompetent, or denied by the judge. The image on this […]
Can I Copyright A Maiden Name?
Discovering Katharine Wickiser’s maiden name was Blain was a great find for me. Once you’ve been researching for a while new names are not located as frequently as they were in the early days of research. Now…do I expect everyone to credit me with finding this? No. Would it be nice, yes. However, I realize […]
How Are Your Pre-1850 Skills?
In informal conversations with other genealogists and with my experiences in helping other researchers, there are two points in time where American genealogists experience research pangs: their first (or second or third) foray into pre-1850 research. their first (or second or third) foray into pre-American Revolution research (especially outside of New England). The everyname census […]