Digging for Ancestors

It is so easy to get our thought processes locked into our main line of ancestors and miss the sights along the way. Many times there are clues where you least expect them. So, I encourage you to do a little meddling in the lives of others (those who have passed on, that is!) When you can’t find a fact about your target ancestor. The answer might exist in vital records and obituaries of other family members related by blood OR by marriage.

I recently unlocked the mystery of where one of my HATFIELD ancestor’s brothers, John D. HATFIELD, ended up by searching for information on his wife’s family. I thought if I could find where his wife was raised I might find where the couple lived (and where he died.) I was looking for his death certificate and needed a target county to search in.

During my research efforts I found an obituary on ancestry.com for John D. HATFIELD’s father-in-law. The obituary detailed that the father-in-law and John HATFIELD had been killed in the same tragic railroad accident. So, even though there was no separate obituary for John HATFIELD, the obituary for his father-in-law gave details of where the accident happened, what hospital John HATFIELD was taken to and where he died. So, now I have the county where the death occurred and will be requesting the death certificate which I hope will confirm the names of his parents.

Whodda though?

If you’ve spend any time researching your family tree, you know the value of the United State Census. Since 1790 the Federal Government has gathered data on the people living in the United States every ten years. Some censuses are more valuable than others when it comes to genealogy. But each shed light on our families as no other resource could. We learn what they did for a living, how much money they had, whether they could read and write adn who their neighbors were. You can learn as much from the entries for your family as you can about their neighbors. In the past families tended to live close to each other. Find one and you may find relatives within a page of two of them.

If you are just getting started with your research, take some time to look at the kind of information each census year can tell you by checking out a summary my Census summary page.

Genealogists need to be very patient people. The task of tracing a family back through history is a time consuming one IF it is done right. True research must always contain the element of proof. Think of a genealogist (amateur or professional) as a sort of history CSI (for all you non-TV watchers, that’s a Crime Scene Investigator.) A CSI must provide irrefutable evidence to be used in court to prove a crime was committed and who did it. These investigators don’t take someone’s word for it that something happened. Imagine trying to use that piece of information in a court room! Continue Reading »

My post today is in hopes that some of you with ancestors from Forsyth County, GA (formed from Cherokee County and the Cherokee Nation before that) will express your interest and tell me what you are looking for in Forsyth County. Do you need pictures of headstones or historic buildings that figure into your history? Let me know!
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Do you have a story related to your family tree research family tree research that you would like to share? Share your funny, interesting or astonishing finds with us by commenting below. We’re researching humans and humans can be very interesting!

Here’s something amusing I’ve discovered…. When I search through census records for my ancestors, I also take a look at other families “in the neighborhood.” In the 19th century and early 20th century people didn’t venture far from home when they married and siblings often lived close by to parents and other siblings. So, I always take a look around. Sometimes I don’t find a relative. But, I do find some pretty funny names!! Here are just a few names that will bring a smile to your face:

Weir Strange
Fanny Rumble
Precious Darling

What were their parents thinking?

Every family has a traditional story about being related to a famous person. Some families ARE related to someone famous. But, I’m afraid the majority are not. In some cases, it is wishful thinking. But, I think in most cases, it is simply a lack of knowledge or understanding about genealogy and human pedigrees. Continue Reading »

I guess every family researcher has one. A brick wall is the term we use for an ancestor who seems to have come from nowhere. No matter how hard we try we can’t move our research forward (well, technically backward) to find out more information. Continue Reading »

Have you looked through that old box of photos lately?  You just might have great clues that will help you identify your ancestors or at least find out more about the ones you already know. Continue Reading »

What is a Coat of Arms?  According to Wikipedia, a coat of arms in Europe is a design that is officially granted to a particular person (or group of people) that is used in various ways to demonstrate their identity.  Since a lot of us are researching our family lines in the United States and finding that our lines come from England and Scotland, we’ll take a look here at some information specific to those regions.  If your ancestors come from some other region, I encourage you to search the web for more information.  Continue Reading »

It seems everyone is researching their family tree these days.  It’s a shame that there isn’t an instant request you can make to see our personal tree immediately.  There isn’t.  But, maybe it will be worth the work?  Hmmm, I think so! Let’s see what you need to do… Continue Reading »