tax records – Family Locket

Back to the Basics with Tax Records, Part 3

Jan 24, 2019

How can you find tax records for your ancestors? That's what I want to share today in the third post in our back to basics with tax records series. The other parts are here: Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1 - what tax records contain and how they can help you prove identity and relationships Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2 - what types of tax records exist So you are convinced by the first two articles that you want to find some tax records for you ancestors? Okay, here's a process to get started!...

Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2

Jan 18, 2019

What kind of tax records exist? That's what I want to share today in the second post in our back to basics with tax records series. The first post, by Diana, gave you a taste of what tax records may contain and how you can use them in your research to determine identity and relationships. Hopefully now you're convinced of their usefulness. Tax records might be especially helpful when you're facing a tough problem like a burned county or when you are performing reasonably exhaustive research. Let's discuss what types of tax records exist. Part 3 (coming out next week)...

Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1

Jan 11, 2019

Have you used tax records in your genealogy research before? What are these records, how do you find them, and what good are they? I recently used tax records to establish three generations of a family in early Maryland and today I'm going to show you how I did it. If you're stuck in your research, perhaps a study of the tax records is just what you need. Why Search Tax Records As genealogists, we rely on the census records to track our families every ten years. But what about the interim years? So much can happen in between the...

Speaking Negatively: The Difference Between Negative Results and Negative Evidence

Dec 15, 2018

Have you heard the term “negative evidence” and wondered what that meant in your genealogy research? Is this the same as negative results when searching a database? This question comes up often with those working through the Research Like a Pro process, so let’s take a look at those two negatives and figure out what the difference is and how to effectively use them in our genealogy. Negative Searches It’s inevitable. We’re going to do a search in an online database, microfilm, or book and not find our person of interest. What do we do next? Do we jump to...

Put it in a Table: Understanding and Organizing Research Findings

Mar 30, 2018

Would you like to try a research tool that has the ability to clarify your findings and make connections? Creating a table might be just the key to wrapping your brain around a difficult research problem. I use tables in every research project. Evidence analysis, census enumerations, and other records take shape when put into a table. Organizing the data by individual, date, and place can make all of the difference in understanding the information. I've been researching George W. Dillard, born 1781 in Virginia and died 1854 in Alabama. He is the prime suspect for the father of my...