Do you wish you had more time to devote to your genealogical research or family history projects? Do you ever sit down to your computer and after an hour wonder what you've accomplished? I've found that most people feel time crunched and struggle with feeling productive in their family history efforts. When I set the goal to become an accredited genealogist I wondered how I could possibly get everything done. This year I've worked hard to develop several strategies to streamline my efforts and today I'm going to share how I make the most of my time. Set a Timer A few weeks ago...
This is part 2 of a 3 part series: Where Did My Ancestor Live? How Enumeration District Maps Can Fill in the Blanks. Part 1: Enumeration District Descriptions Part 2: Civil Districts and Other County Divisions Part 3: Maps of Enumeration Districts Civil Districts and Other County Divisions In this post, we will learn about the county division field on the census and how it can help us map our ancestors' census location. In part 1 of this series we found the ED description of James Maness' 1900 census location: Hawkins County, Civil District 4, containing the unincorporated community of New Hope. Today we'll find out: is...
Do you have anyone in your family who took advantage of the Homestead Law of 1862? It is estimated that 2 million individuals applied for up to 320 acres of free land and your ancestor might be among them. What kind of records did the Homestead Law generate? How can you find out if your ancestors filed claims? What does a case file look like? September is "back to school month," so get ready to learn the answers to those questions and find the value in homestead records. Every class needs a good textbook and my personal favorite for land records is...
Where Did He Live? When researching in U.S. Census records, have you ever wanted to locate your ancestor on the map but the census place was unclear? This happened to me when I found my relative, James F. Maness, on the 1900 census. I checked the header info on the census form, but the 'township or other division of county' was listed as "4 district" and the field for 'name of incorporated city, town, or village, within the above-named division' was left blank. That dang census taker! Why did he leave it blank? I soon realized that the census taker did not make a mistake....
Have you ever wondered what is at your state archives? Tucked away in a corner, could you find a clue to your ancestor's life? Every state has a physical location that hosts a treasure trove of artifacts, documents, books, and more. The National Archives provides a list of state archives and don't despair if you don't live near the one where you need to research. Many of them are digitizing their collections and making them available on their websites. Some of the state archives will respond to research questions and for others you might have to hire an onsite researcher. I needed experience...
How long has it been since you looked at some of your oldest research? A year or two? Several years? You might be surprised and in for a treat if you pick up one of your loose ends. With the number of new databases added daily to the internet, the answer to a nagging question might be waiting. Need more convincing? Keep reading for three reasons to revisit your research. I recently revisited a Confederate soldier in my family: C.B. (Charles Baldwin) Royston. He enlisted in the Confederacy but never came home from the Civil War. I researched the Royston...
Do you have a strategy for researching or do you just start clicking around and hope for the best? One of the characteristics of an excellent genealogist is planning. Taking a few minutes to analyze a pedigree or document and come up with a research plan can turn an hour of research from ho-hum to productive. Today I'm going to share what I learned about research planning in session 2 of my Accreditation Study Group for Levels 2 & 3 of the test. (Here's what we did in session 1.) I also wrote about the Level 1 Accreditation Study Group here. One...
Summer is coming to a close. Among the vacations, picnics, and other fun did you get a chance to do any family history? You may have done more than you thought. Did you reunite with extended family at a reunion? Maybe visit some ancestor graves or historic sites? How about attend a family history or genealogy conference? If you're ready to get back on track with your research, then I have just the thing for you - and it's free! The famed Family History Library will be holding two week-long events: the United States Research Seminar 2016, August 22nd to...
After an exciting and exhausting week at Brigham Young University's Conference on Family History & Genealogy, it's time to digest all of the information swimming around in my head. Nicole and I attended the conference as official bloggers and met people from all over the country who share our passion for finding their family. Four days, three keynote addresses and nineteen classes later, what did I learn? Keep reading and I'll fill you in! Vendors A conference would not be complete without the vendors and this was no exception. I collected their flyers, talked with them about their products, and spun...
Are you sure you've found all of the clues in the census records for your family? After you look at the names, ages, and birthplaces, do you pay attention to the rest of the questions and answers? Census records are one of the most valuable tools for a researcher, not only for the information reported, but for the clues to other records. I recently revisited the 1910 census looking for clues on my great, great grandfather, Robert Cisney Royston. He died in 1915, so this was the last census of his life. Records for him are scarce. Aside from census...
