Back to the Basics – Page 2

Back to Basics with U.S. Church Records – Part 2

Nov 15, 2018

Could a church record be the missing link in your genealogical research? Do you need a substitute for vital records or clues to your ancestor’s origins or migration? A church record might hold the answer. Part 1 of this series examined the value of church records, what kind of records were created, and what you can find in them. In part 2 of this series, we’ll learn how to determine what church your ancestor might...

Back to Basics with U.S. Church Records – Part 1

Sep 22, 2018

Have you used church records in your genealogy yet? If not, you might be interested to know how helpful a church record can be in researching your family. Because birth and death certificates were not required by most states in the U.S. until after 1900, church records can be a substitute for vital records. They can also help establish an ancestor’s status in the community, reveal associates, and point to previous or subsequent residences. In...

Back to the Basics with Probate Research Part 3

Jun 8, 2018

What value is there in transcribing and viewing an entire probate case file? If it is lengthy, you might be tempted to skip this task, but you’d be making a big mistake. To solve brick wall genealogy problems, we need to examine every possible clue. I’ve been working on a fascinating project for our Research Like a Pro study group and it all hinges on probate. In Part 1 of this series I discussed what...

Back to the Basics with Probate Records – Part 2

Jan 15, 2018

Have you discovered a will for your ancestor but are puzzled by the legal terminology? You might have extracted some information like names of sons or daughters but aren’t sure what to do with the rest. Back to the Basics with Probate Records – Part 1 discussed what information might be in a probate record and how to locate the records for your ancestors. Now it’s time to learn about the document that is often first...

Back to the Basics with Probate Records – Part 1

Nov 2, 2017

Have you explored probate records in the search for your family? Or do they sound too difficult to tackle? With the digitization of microfilm on FamilySearch and indexes available on Ancestry, probate records are much easier to access than in the past. With an estimated 25% of the United States population leaving a will and an estimated 50% mentioned in a will, why wouldn’t you check out these valuable records? When should you turn to probate records?...

Back to the Basics with U.S. Census Research – Part II

Jun 26, 2017

Which census records are the best to search? All of them! Each census of an individual’s life provides valuable information. The trick is in learning to evaluate and analyze the data. You don’t know what you don’t know, so today I’ll be sharing ideas for how to use the censuses that you’ve already located. I’ll also share my favorite links for census research, and demystify the non-population schedules. If you missed it, in Back to the...

Back to the Basics with U.S. Census Research – Part I

Jun 3, 2017

What are you missing in your research in the United States census records? Have you really analyzed all of the information? Do you know why the census was taken and how? In conjunction with our Research Like a Pro series, I’ll be sharing several posts on basic record types. The more we learn about the records that we use for finding and documenting our ancestors, the better genealogists we’ll be. Finding your ancestor in every...