Where to Turn to For More Clues? - Or Tuesday's Tips

 

Where to Turn to For More Clues?

So, you have exhausted Google, you've poured through Ancestry.com, Genealogy Bank, and FamilySearch. You've looked through the state archives. You checked every online index you could find! 

Let's face it. You've simply run out of options. That bit of information you're searching for, say, great-grandma's birthday, is simply not there. And now you'll never know what date it was! You feel like a failure! You feel like your research is incomplete without the info!

Okay. Sit down. Let's get a cup of nice Earl Grey (my personal favorite), and a couple of biscuits (no not American biscuits dearie, but a couple of sweet tea cookies) and let's strategize.

Get a pad and a pen, cause we might need to make a list.

I'll pour the tea. You write. One lump or two? In your tea, silly! Lemon? Well, of course you want some lemon, it is Earl Grey after all. And do be careful! That's my great-grandmother's tea service you're drinking from!  The silver? They were a hand-me-down set of tea spoons from great-aunt Vida. You can see they're really sugar spoons, but since there are so many, they make lovely additions to the tea service, don't you think?

 

Yes, yes. I digress!

Got the pad and pen ready?

Well, let's start with where great-grandmother was born. Charleston, West Virginia, you say? Well, let's write that down. And her tombstone just lists the year she was born? Well, let's put that down. 1879.

Now, do we have a full death date? No? Just the year again. 1938. But you know she married great-grandfather, and what was his last name? Smith. Okay, write that down. You know her maiden name? Jones. So let's write that down.

So, we have Jane Jones born in 1879 in Charleston, West Virginia. She married John Smith. But that's all we know. Not the date of their marriage? Of course.  But we know she died in 1938 as Jane Smith? Correct?

Well, I think that will get us started! So, grab your hat, sweetie. We're headed to the Kanawha County Courthouse.

Why?

Well, we're going to do some searching! We're going to see if we can find out more information on your great-grandmother! What do you mean you didn't know you could look at the courthouse for information?

Well, let's get in the car and I'll explain on the way.

Well, of course, I'm driving! Sweetie, just because there's snow on the roof does not mean I can't drive! I am a very careful driver, and besides, I know where the courthouse is! Do you?

Careful closing the door, dearie. And don't forget to buckle up for heaven's sake!

 

Thank you. Yes, it is a nice car. But let's get back to what we were discussing.

Yes, your great-grandmother. You see, not all of the records that are available for research can be found on the internet! You young people are so used to having this world of information right on your smart phones and tablets and gadgets, that when you can't find something, you forget some of us didn't have those gadgets when we were younger, and we did this genealogy search without the infamous internet!

How? Leg work and hours spent in musty libraries and dusty courthouse rooms!

Okay, we're here!

 

Kanawha County, West Virginia Courthouse

I know you don't see the courthouse from here. It's around the corner. Why? Because it's on a one-way street, and it's simply easier to park over here and walk back around than to ... oh just grab your pad and come on! Oh, and grab that tote bag in the back seat for me. 

What? No it's not my purse! I have my purse. That's my research bag!

What's in it? Oh, you'll see!

Here we are! County Clerk's Office.

Hello there! We would like to take a look at some vital statistics. We are looking for a particular name born in 1879 and died in 1938.

Why thank you, we'd be happy to follow you!

Come along now dear, and don't dawdle! This nice lady doesn't have all day to wait on us!

Yes, we'll wait here at the table.

Well, if you must know, she has gone to get the birth register for the year 1879, and the death register for the year 1938.  Here she comes.

Gloves? I have my own here in my tote bag, but she will need a pair!

Do put them on sweetie! It's to protect the old registers from oils from your hands! The paper is quite fragile you know.

Miss? Can I take a photo of the documents with my cell phone? Or are we required to make copies? Just no flash? Not a problem! Thank you so much for all of your help.

Sit down, sweetie! Let's get this going.

Now, this particular register is in two parts. Come now, do sit down! You look as though you've never been in a climate controlled room before! No? Well, the temperature and humidity are kept at a steady place to prevent breakdown of the precious papers that are stored in these rooms. The gloves you wear will further protect the paper and ink. And by my not using a flash with my camera, we will further protect pages from exposure to UV light that can harm the paper as well.

Really? Well, perhaps you should think about such things! If not you, then who? These are precious documents and archives that could be lost forever if not preserved properly!

Okay, so we have an index in the back of the register, which was added later by the county. It contains everyone in the front of the register, in alphabetical order. So, we'll start in the back of the book under the "J's" for Jones.

Yes, yes, I know. The pages aren't easily turned when wearing these gloves. You'll notice the rubber finger tip there in my accessories bag. If you will hand me one please. What? Oh, it will allow me to grab a page and turn it without doing any harm to the paper.

Here we are, at the "J's". Let's go down to Jones, and yes, here we are. And look here! Jones, Jane. page 101. I think we've found her! You write, while I take a photograph.

Jones, Jane; date of birth April 1, 1879 to Marcus Jones and Dorothea Miller. Look sweetie! That's your great-great-grandparents!

What? No, that doesn't mean her parents weren't married! Her mother is listed by her maiden name! Now you'll know what name to look for when you begin researching that branch of your ancestry!

So, now that we have a copy of the register entry, and you've written the information, let's leave this book open to the page for the registrar.

Now, we'll do the same thing for the death register. Only this time we know she died in 1938 and her married last name was Smith. So, we'll come back here to the index....

Yes, yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you! It's so exciting!

And here are the "S's". So we'll scroll down to the Smith's. Okay, there's a lot of Smith's! But we're looking for Jane. So, here are the J's.  So, whoever did this index, simply listed everyone by their first initial and last name, and there are four Smith, J.'s.

How do we figure out which one is correct? Well, we could simply go through and look each one up. Or we could begin elimination right here! Look at this spot, each listed as Male or Female. And three of the four are Male's. So by process of elimination, we know that this must be your great-grandmother! She is found on page 2!

Look, here she is!

January 21, 1938. Oh, and bless her heart, it looks like she died from influenza.

What dear? Yes, we don't hear of a lot of death's due to the flu any more. But antibiotics and even better sanitation and hand washing have made it a lot easier to get over it these days.

So, I'll photograph the entry, and you take the notes as before.

There, now we have it.

No, don't close the books! We'll ask the clerk to make us certificates of these two! Well, yes, of course we can get regular birth and death certificates from them!

Miss! Miss! Yes, we'd like to get certificates for these two entries please!

Yes, cash of course.

What sweetie? No cash on you? That's okay. Look in my tote bag there. You'll find a change purse with some cash and change. I'm sure there's enough for these two certificates.

Now, certificates in hand, we've made a giant step forward in your family tree research today, don't you agree?

What?

Well, darn! Would you look at that. The parking meter is just about out. Hopefully we can pull away before it runs out!

No, I'm driving. You just sit over there and admire those two pieces of paper!

What? Yes, this is what you do when you can't figure out where to look next! And yes, it is just as much fun in person as it is clicking on those computer keys! So glad this white haired old lady could help you out, and teach you a thing or two after all!

And for heaven's sake! Do buckle up!

 

 

Tuesday's Tips - Using A Newspaper to Find Your Ancestor!

Tuesday's Tips

Using A Newspaper To Find Your Ancestor

Newspapers are a great source for finding out about your ancestors. Many go back to the 18th Century. Some even farther!

So what kind of information can you  find newspapers local for your ancestor?

Obituaries

Obituaries are a great source of information! Here you are likely to find the names of parents, siblings, spouse, children (and sometimes the children's spouse), and in some obituaries you may find the names of grandchildren, or even great grandchildren! You may find their birth date and birth place. Sometimes the date of death is in the obituary, but more likely will be the day. To determine the date, be sure to check the date of that particular edition of the paper, and then using Google, search for what day of the week that was on. With that information you can then extrapolate the date of the day your ancestor died on. However, I do give you this one word of advice, extrapolating a date, and the exact date, may not be without error! So until you can locate an actual record with that ancestor's information, I would preface the date I extrapolated with either the "abt." feature of your genealogy program, or the "c." feature. This lets everyone know that the particular date you have listed may not be the exact date. Later, if you obtain a death record, you can replace the preface if you need to, or dismiss it. You might, also, find your ancestors occupation and place of employment listed, educational accomplishments, military service, or affiliations.

Birth Records

Many newspapers will list the births of new babies in the community. Again, I would preface with either the "abt." or "c." when entering a date here, until a legal document is located.  In this feature you will find the infant's full name, the names of the parents, sometimes listing the mother's maiden name, and occasionally one or both parents occupation's. Sometimes grandparents or siblings are also included. And residence is sometimes listed as well.

Marriage Records

Here you might have an engagement announcement prior to the actual wedding. If you don't find a wedding announcement in the coming papers, recheck and see if this couple actually followed through and got married. Occasionally one, or both, will back out of an engagement, although, traditionally, this is less likely the farther back in history we go. Once you find the marriage announcement, this record usually lists both the full name of the Bride and of the Groom. Traditionally it will list the parents names, the best man, and the maid of honor. And on some occasions, the minister or clergy who performed the ceremony; soloist, or musician(s). Description of the wedding gown, and a photo of either the Bride, or both the Bride and Groom. Occupation(s) may also be listed. Honeymoon destinations, and place of residence after the honeymoon is also traditionally listed.

Legal Records

Many types of legal records may be listed in newspapers. You may find probate records, court case records, bankruptcies, adoptions, and name change records are but a few. You may also find names of relatives, and places of residence in these records.

Photographs

These are more prevalent under the society columns, but they may be found elsewhere, as well. Family reunions are often photographed and posted in the paper, along with a list of those in the photograph. Birthday celebrations, especially those marking a milestone (i.e. sweet 16, 100 years, etc.) Heroic acts might be found in photographs. Horrific accidents and murders are often found in the paper as well.

These are but a few things you may uncover in newspaper searches.

You may find newspapers archived with the original newspaper company, or one that has since purchased or taken over the original paper. Local libraries are also a great place to search. I forewarn you, that at either place you may have to work your way through dust, musty long ago bound newspapers, or worse, the dreaded stacks of piled papers! Most have bound their papers to prevent deterioration. However, some put their newspapers on microfiche to protect them. These are easier on your allergies to search through, but can be just as tedious! If you are not familiar with a microfiche, or microfilm reader, don't worry. Archivists, and librarians are great at helping you with them. (I've never learned to handle these on my own, although they aren't complicated. I simply always ask for assistance, and everyone has always been so nice at helping!) Many online subscription services such as Ancestry.com ,  Genealogy Bank , or Newspaper Archive , include newspaper records from as late as the 17th century. I suggest using a Boolean Search first before doing an exact search, as names may be misspelled in newspaper articles ( a common occurrence). A Boolean Search will search phonetically or variant spellings first. For instance when searching for my Maiden surname, Beane, I find it spelled Bean (which is correct for my ancestor's), Biehn, Bien, and even Been! You might also search for a parent's name, or a siblings name if you get no hits using your ancestor's name. However, I warn you, with a Boolean Search and surnames that are not unique, you will get ALOT of useless finds as well. For instance, searching for my ancestors Bean, will also bring up the price of bean seeds, or canned beans on sale in the paper! And with my married surname, Henry, you will also get every man with a first name of Henry as well. To prevent this from happening, use the "+" sign for putting in your search parameters. For instance my great-grandfather, and my great-great-grandfather were both named William. So I would put in "William+Bean", and this gives the search engine the parameter of finding only those two words when put together, and not every William, or every Bean! (Same with my married name, I won't get every man whose first name is Henry if I put the first name I am searching for and add the "+" before the last name.)

Also, if you know the address of where your ancestor lived, and say something happened that hit the paper on his block, or next door, be sure to record that information! You never know when that might be useful!

Also, be sure to do a proper citation for your find.  List the name of the paper, the town and state. List the editor's name, and the author's name for the article, if provided. List the day and date the paper was distributed. List the page number, the column, and the paragraph where the article can be found. For instance: Src: The Monroe Watchman, Tuesday, March 1, 1892, C. Mohler Editor; pg 4, Obituaries, col. 2, para. 3, John Doe, author unknown. This information as citation, allows anyone to go directly to that source and find the article should they want, or need, to.

Take the time to search the newspapers for your ancestors! You may be surprised at just what you might find!

Tuesday's Tips - Write It ALL Down

Write It ALL Down

No, I'm not kidding. I have notebooks full of notes I have taken over the years from my Dad's conversations with me. He is like a living, breathing history book! (My Grandpa was born 1866, and was a fairly old man when my Dad and 2 more brothers came along - like 71 when Dad was born!) My Dad used to sit and listen to his Dad tell him about the family history, and how things had changed since he was born. Can you imagine, that by the time my Dad was old enough to pay attention, my Grandpa would have been closer to 80! The things that changed in his lifetime to that point!

Okay, so everything you're told you won't be able to prove. That's true. Even if Cousin Bertha tells you that great-grandma Myrtle made tea out of deer droppings, doesn't mean she really did! Now Cousin Bertha  may even swear on her grandchildren's heads that what she tells you is true, well, always take it with a grain of salt. But record it anyway. Keep a few notebooks for your oral family histories. Who knows, you might one day come across great-grandma Myrtle's recipe book, and find in there that she made a tea out of deer droppings, just not for human consumption! She made a tea of deer droppings to pour onto her garden. Manure tea is rich in nitrogen and helps to replenish the soil of its loss. So, technically, Cousin Bertha didn't tell a falsehood. She simply didn't know the whole story. And suddenly you can put the two pieces of information together and can make an informed note in your genealogy program regarding the deer droppings tea. (Oh, and by the way, Google it and you'll find that deer droppings really can be used for adding nitrogen to your garden! But purchasing fertilizer is a little more convenient!)

I have notebooks that I use for general notes. This notebook I carry in my handbag, or backpack all the time. It goes with me everywhere. You never know when you'll run into someone who can tell you something new! Once I get home, I transfer that information into a special notebook. I keep notebooks for each of the family lines I research. After I transfer the notes into their proper notebooks, I then take a red pen and draw a line crossways over the note. That lets me know that I have transcribed it into the proper notebook.

I do have some notes that have never been transcribed, simply because I wasn't sure where to make a notation of them. Such as, someone once me told that they knew someone with the same last name as mine, and wondered if we were related. I followed up with the phone number that I was given, but the number was no longer in service. Still, I held onto the note, as it gave me a name, and a reference for time frame, and where the person had lived as a child. Should the name ever surface in my research, I'll be able to cross it off in my general notebook.

This is the kind of notebook I purchase. You can get them cheap at a Dollar Store for $1 each. But if you watch at some of the big box stores, you can pick them up for around 50¢ each. (Last fall I bought a whole case for $12.00.)

Okay, so I know this sounds like a lot of handwriting. But if you're good with texting on your SmartPhone, you might be able to simply take a note down in OneNote, or Word, and then send that to either your printer, or, start a file system on your computer. Then you could simply download the note into the correct file folder on your computer. Just make sure that you continue to back up your computer monthly to prevent losing your notes!

Sometimes, at family reunions, I feel like I haven't really had a chance to mingle with everyone, as I'm running around making sure I get photos of everyone, and writing my little notes down! Family reunions are a great time to get information! It would be much better to simply take a digital recording than writing down the information. Again, your SmartPhone or iPhone can do this quite well. Simply record the note, and then transcribe it once you get back home. Of course, how many recordings you can make will depend upon how much memory is in your SmartPhone or iPhone. If you are also taking photos with your phone, you may have to choose between which is more important to you, photographs of everyone attending, or notes! Which is, again, why I always carry a notebook!

If it seems sublimely ridiculous when someone tells you something, don't automatically take it as an impossibility!

My Dad told me that when he was a boy, his Dad did not own a car. (He'd had one once, when they were first available, and had a bad accident with 2 of his children in the car with hi, and everyone was injured to some degree or another.) So, Dad told me that when they went to church, or traveled to see anyone, being in a rural area, his Dad would hitch the old horse to a wagon, and the boys would ride in the back, while his Mom and Dad rode on the only seat. Dad said he would get so embarrassed riding past anyone's house, especially other boys home's where the family owned a car, that he would hunker down in the back of the wagon, and hope no one could see him. Well, I'd heard that story so much as a kid that I just couldn't imagine! We're talking the 1930's and 1940's here! Well, low and behold, my very first job as a nurse had me working with a woman who later told me that she grew up with, and went to school with, my Dad. She started laughing one day, and when I asked what was so funny, she told me that her best memory of my Dad was when his family would ride past her house. She said, my Dad would try to hide in the back of the wagon so she wouldn't see him.

Okay, so I learned my lesson! Everything isn't always the truth. But sometimes, what you think isn't the truth, is the very thing that turns out to be factual!

Regardless of whether you choose to take notes, or do digital recordings, get those verbal stories saved! You will find most of them are priceless!

Who knows, you might even be able to write a fantastic book one day and get those memories down for future family members. What a great way to get to know your ancestors!