Simply curious about something you saw, heard,
read or perhaps purchased
Some of us are very lucky and have had family
histories, family bibles, heirlooms, photographs, oral histories and
more handed down from generation to generation. Many of more of us
didn't.
Luckily,
the ever growing internet offers an untold number of resources at your
fingertips.
Subscription based genealogy sites like Ancestry.com
and Genealogy.com
have thousands of records, databases and
histories to search. They include census records, maps, birth and death
records, newspapers, military records, photos and more, almost any type
of record you could hope to find, with more added every day. They also
have downloadable forms to help you make sense of your research. New is
genetic genealogy, helping you connect with your past and distant
relatives based on your DNA! And while science is making strides, and
the computer lets you do your research without leaving home, there are
many records that technology still hasn't caught up with. Local, county
and state facilities, like libraries, museums and cemeteries have a
wealth of information that isn't available on line. Wills, deeds,
headstones, local histories and more hold clues that you may not find
anywhere else.
When you start down the path of researching your
family tree, understand there's a plethora of information to sift
through. It's important to keep in mind that everything you find on
line may not be valid, and while old documents and records may be more
fact-based, they aren't always 100% accurate either. Remember, many of
the old records were hand written, so whether you've got the original,
or a transcribed copy, you're still relying on the spelling and
handwriting of the author or transcriber.
The federal census is probably one of the most
consistent records we have, starting in 1790, and available to the
public though 1950. But the census didn't always get things right
either. They were taken at the federal level every 10 years, but
ometimes the age differences don't support that math from one census to
the next. In the early census records, only heads of household were
listed, followed by categories of others in the home, for example Males
Under age 5 or Between 15 and 20. By 1850, names of all in the
household were included, but the relationships between them weren't
provided until 1880. And like the curiosities with the math from census
to census, names aren't always, like the use of a first name on year,
and a middle name another. And then there are people who are on one
census record and are never seen again, and those who never made it to
the census at all. That's where other records, like newspapers, maps,
or legal documents. like birth or marriage records, wills and deeds can
help fill in the blanks. Headstones, while they may be weathered and
difficult to read, will offer information like birth and death years,
the wife's maiden name, or the parents' names when the deceased was a
young child. The grouping of headstones suggests that the individuals
are somehow related, and many names inscribed on a single monument
often provide you with links to generations.
Antique photographs, even if the subject is
unidentified, can also provide clues. The carte de visite, or CDV, was
introduced in the 1850's. It was usually a thin paper photograph
mounted on a thicker 2.5 x 4 inch paper card. These were all the rage
during the Civil War, and people traded and collected them like
baseball cards. They were replaced, for the most part, by the larger
cabinet cards in the 1870's. The cardstock and borders can also help
narrow down the date. Photographers replenished their supply of card
stock about every six months and card manufacturers encouraged this
demand by bringing out a new line of decorative cards each year. A US
Internal Revenue stamp can also date the image to the two year period
between August 1, 1864 and August 1, 1866 when they were used.
As interesting,and sometimes addictive as
genealogy research is, you very often will hit a brick wall. When that
happens, it's important to understand where to look for other clues,
and when to give it a rest for a while, especially when you have a
family wih a pervasive first name! Remeber, two of the key components
in genealogy research are patience and luck. Keep trying because you
never know which nugget of information will set you on a path to
breaking down your brick walls.