Lately, I seem to read about someone's genealogical "brick wall" on every post I read on various genealogy sites. Are these truly all brick walls? I don't think so. A brick wall to me means a problem that you have been working on for a long time with little success. I've seen posts where people … Continue reading Solve Your Genealogy Brick Wall
Category: Methodology
Context is Key: Know the Law!
At the time our ancestors lived, there were laws that came into being and which affected the way our ancestors lived and the documents they created. In last week’s post, we learned how important it is to understand the collection our record is in. It is perhaps even more important to understand the laws at … Continue reading Context is Key: Know the Law!
Context is Key: Understanding the Record within the Record Collection
Records don’t exist in a vacuum. (For the purposes of this post, I am referring to microfilmed images of records we have located online). It’s important to understand the record in terms of the collection it's found in. Once we’ve located a record, we need to ask ourselves questions about the record and the collection. … Continue reading Context is Key: Understanding the Record within the Record Collection
Locating Original Records for ‘Text Only’ Indexes on Ancestry
We’ve all seen them. Those Ancestry search results that pop up with a few details but without an image attached. They provide tantalizing bits of information but thorough researchers know that they need to find the original record, if at all possible. These 'Text-only' collections can often be used as a finding aid to the … Continue reading Locating Original Records for ‘Text Only’ Indexes on Ancestry
Desperately Seeking: Locating Lost Family in Newspaper Advertisements
In the 19th and early 20th centuries the mass migration of people meant that many families were divided, with some members moving, often thousands of miles away to foreign shores, and some members left behind in the home country. The unpredictable and slow-moving postage system meant that extended family members could go months and years … Continue reading Desperately Seeking: Locating Lost Family in Newspaper Advertisements
Using Newspapers to Uncover an Emigrant’s Journey
Newspapers are incredibly valuable for genealogical research. They help put the flesh on the bones of our ancestors. Through newspapers we gain a little insight into the times in which our ancestors lived. Newspapers can also help find the story of your emigrant ancestors. Many are full of information on ship arrivals and departures, what … Continue reading Using Newspapers to Uncover an Emigrant’s Journey
Seaman’s Protection Certificates – An Unusual Source
In an earlier post I compared Ancestry’s then new “U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939” to draft registrations to answer the question of whether someone who registered for the draft actually went on to serve. I used as an example, the five Zimmerman brothers, who all registered for the draft but didn’t all end up … Continue reading Seaman’s Protection Certificates – An Unusual Source
In the Parish Chest: Churchwarden & Poor Rate Records
In the Parish Chest – Churchwarden and Poor Rate Records is the fourth and final post of the In the Parish Chest series. The other posts discussed Bastardy Bonds, Settlement Certificates, Examinations and Removal Orders and Apprenticeship records. As early as 1572, Overseers of the Poor were appointed in each parish in England. Their job … Continue reading In the Parish Chest: Churchwarden & Poor Rate Records
In the Parish Chest: Apprenticeship Records
This is the third post in my In the Parish Chest series. You can learn about bastardy bonds here and Settlement Examinations & Removal Orders here. Was your English ancestor an apprentice? Apprenticeships date back to as early as the 16th century when young boys were formally bound to a master, usually a craftsman, who … Continue reading In the Parish Chest: Apprenticeship Records
In the Parish Chest: Settlement Examinations, Settlement Certificates, Removal Orders
As we learned in my last post on bastardy bonds, parishes in England did not want to be financially liable for the support of individuals or families settling within their boundaries who could not provide for themselves. In England, the Poor Relief Act of 1662, also known as the Settlement and Removal Act came into … Continue reading In the Parish Chest: Settlement Examinations, Settlement Certificates, Removal Orders
KindredPast 