The study of source materials to establish facts and reach conclusions.
2
votes
0answers
17 views
Locating a marriage record for Jacob Bennett and his wife Zipporah in 18th century Connecticut
Jacob Bennett was born in 1735 in Connecticut according to AGBI and Barbour Collection. My father's research showed Jacob married Zipporah but he did not cite his sources nor know Zipporah's maiden ...
3
votes
1answer
47 views
Locating a Massachusetts marriage record circa 1760 for Robert Gray and Margaret parents of John Gray (b 1763, Worcester MA)
Rice, Franklin P.
Page 116 of "Worcester Births, Marriages, and Deaths (Worcester Society of Antiquity, 1894)" has:
GRAY, John, s. of Robert, Jr. and Margaret, (born) Aug. 16, 1763. [Baptism ...
8
votes
4answers
116 views
Ancestry.com tree correctness for Anthony White, B 1700 Luenbeg, Scotland. Wife - Mary Ralston
I realize that ancestry.com is a mix of user input and archived records, but as a programmer I firmly believe in the GIGO theory (Garbage in, garbage out).
I have gone through hints and trees, and I ...
3
votes
2answers
84 views
Jacob FIsher and Sarah Hodges (married 7 Oct 1773 in Sharon, MA) - who were their childen?
Page 27 of the Sharon, Massachusetts Vital Records show Jacob Fisher and his wife Sarah had a son Jacob born 30 Apr 1776:
Jacob, s. of Jacob and Sarah, Apr. 30, 1776
Page 94 of those records show a ...
7
votes
3answers
74 views
Strategy for distinguishing between two possible baptisms, and thus people, parents, etc
My partner has an ancestor, Peggy Crossley, probably born around 1750, who married Henry Rawlinson in Burnley, Lancaster (source) in October 1767.
I have two candidate baptismal records that seem ...
5
votes
2answers
62 views
Sources for the birth of Elizabeth Shaw Whaley in Connecticut circa 1813
I have undocumented family genealogy records that Elizabeth Shaw Whaley:
was born 6 FEB 1813 in Montville, Connecticut to William Patten Whaley and Philena Haughton
married Elijah Genubeth Strong ...
3
votes
1answer
16 views
Do any records of the building of the First Parish Church of Norwell exist?
The First Parish Church of Norwell has records back to 1642 and has
scanned all of the church records to facilitate historical and genealogical research.
See ...
4
votes
1answer
64 views
Brick Wall: What happened to John White & his Brother or Sister?
All information below was obtained through ancestry.co.uk
My Great Grandfather, Thomas White was one of 6 children born to Baldwin White, b1862 in Salcombe, Devon & Rachel Arminia Fox, b1864 in ...
3
votes
3answers
53 views
Cornish parish records lost in fire?
I have a brickwall in the form of my great great grandfather whom I know from our family bible was born in Cornwall in 1811. I've found him (Robert Chapman and his wife Elizabeth nee Shapling and ...
6
votes
2answers
152 views
My Great Grandfather Dissappeared - would like to find out what happen to him
My great grandfather John Albert Draper was born March 23, 1877 in Marshalltown Iowa to Nathan and Mary Ann Draper.
He married my great grandmother in 1905 and by 1906 had left the family home. My ...
6
votes
4answers
81 views
Why was Flossie baptised twice?
On 6 September 1903, Flossy Maud Mary Ann Mogg was baptised in Stalbridge Parish Church, Dorset England. Her birth date was given as 10 December 1897, and her parents as Walter Mogg (Farmer) and his ...
4
votes
1answer
66 views
Finding Expanded Royal Family Lineages
While aggregating some genealogy data for my family, I recently came across something that has my daughters and I pretty excited. It would seem that, on my wife's side, there is a traceable lineage ...
4
votes
4answers
277 views
WW2 Royal Navy Records
Are there likely to be records to access for more information for my father (deceased in 1993)? He served aboard a number of ships (land sites) from 1943-46. I have his certificate of service which ...
8
votes
2answers
115 views
Circus Ancestors
I am trying to find the family name of the trapeze act (and ideally the individuals) who toured Ireland back in the 1950's with the Chipperfield Circus.
I'm struggling to find any resources that ...
10
votes
3answers
126 views
Could these three personae be collapsed to a single individual?
I believe that the following represents a plausible case to describe the life of one man.
William Harley (3)
Married Margaret Heathwood(e) in Brisbane, Queensland 22 September
1863 (Reg# 1863/B671)
...
12
votes
2answers
62 views
Who established the Wagga Country Fire Brigade?
I am seeking information on the Country Fire Brigade in New South Wales and in particular the establishment of the Wagga Wagga unit. This relates to my search for information on Thomas (Tot) Linsell ...
9
votes
3answers
94 views
What are the pros and cons of joining a Family History Society to advance my research?
I live in a town with a Family History Society and an Historical Society.
The Family History Society aims include:
conduct meetings
organise guest speakers
purchase of research resources for use in ...
13
votes
1answer
75 views
Why would these 3 be buried westward facing?
3 related family members were buried (Church of England, deaths from 1913-1926) at Bell, Queensland cemetery facing westward. They are the only 3 doing so. What may have been the reason/cause for this ...
7
votes
1answer
40 views
Why was the burial of a Bradley not registered at Bell cemetery?
Charles Vylett Rowland died on 7/1/1913 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He was buried in Bell cemetery and is noted as the first registered grave. However, a Bradley was buried there previously. ...
13
votes
1answer
39 views
Where do I find records for artist competitions from the 1880s?
Family writings describe Blanche Elliott Watson (Sydney, 9/5/1863 - 27/3/1919) as a good artist by the age of 17. It records how she beat close on a thousand competitors in "black and white" (pencil ...
11
votes
1answer
54 views
What convict records for Australia exist?
Esther Emma Leach, born Sydney 15/5/1824, may have been the daughter of a convict transported to Australia in 1813. How do I find convict records not from the first 3 fleets?
16
votes
1answer
38 views
What constitutes Employment in Labour of a Child in England & Wales
In 1883, a Requisition for a certified copy of birth for the purposes of the Elementary Education Act, 1876 was made for a youth born in 1872. Given he was 11, would the request have been for ...
8
votes
1answer
36 views
What records are available for this person?
Elizabeth Watson was born about 1793 at Winchelsea, Sussex, England. She is listed as mother to William Bourne Russell Watson, born 30 June 1815 at Winchelsea, Sussex, England. Family folk lore says ...
4
votes
1answer
90 views
Who killed Katherine Ann (McFee) or (McPhee) Stevens?
Katherine Ann (McFee) or (McPhee) Stevens, was the wife of Mr. Byron E. Stevens. The couple resided in Brooklyn Ward 7, New York, USA with their 5 daughters(1). Story has it that Katherine was killed ...
7
votes
4answers
176 views
How do I read this descendants tree?
I have, using Ancestry.co.uk found a link in my distant heritage to the Prettyjohn (variations: Prettejohn, Petitjohn) family originally located in Devon.
One great source of information on this ...
7
votes
1answer
74 views
Help needed understanding an occupation: “Viewer”
On my parent's marriage certificate dated 1954, my mother's occupation is given as "Viewer". From oral testimony, I know that they met while both working at the Rover car factory in Solihull, UK.
...
5
votes
1answer
61 views
How to find Indentured Servants? Buffalo, NY or Canada?
I've tried the City Hall on my last trip to Buffalo with no luck. All I know is my greatgrandmother was given to a family as a young girl. She came to the USA sometime around 1880 to 1884, and I ...
10
votes
3answers
99 views
Cause of death in France in 1908
I am trying to find the cause of death for a Thomas Gordon Dickinson who died in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1908. I have his French death certificate, but it does not state the cause of death, neither do the ...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
On what ship did Franz Joseph Kerber (1825-1873) immigrate to the US?
Franz Joseph Kerber was born in Jan 1825 in Munich, Barvaria. In the 1860 census he was married and my greatgrandmother had been born in 1858. In 1862, he ran the saloon at 82 Front St in Worcester, ...
3
votes
2answers
83 views
BARLOW's Ancestrial Question? Malone, Franklin County, NY or St. Lawrence County, NY
How or where does one find records prior to 1838 for Franklin & St. Lawrence County, NY?
Hiram Wheeler Barlow (28 Sep 1820-27 Aug 1876) and his ancestry (parents).
It is believed he was born ...
3
votes
1answer
63 views
Is there a single place I could go in Italy to view birth records from Northern Italy from 1750-1850?
Where can I go (physically) in Italy to find records from the 1750-1850, for people who were born in the North of Italy?
I know that each city would have their registries, but I am missing the exact ...
17
votes
3answers
119 views
What is the advantage of submitting my research to a GENDEX site?
Does submitting my research to a GENDEX site increase the likelihood of others requesting information from me?
13
votes
4answers
120 views
What details should I be recording during my research?
I have only recently become interested in my family tree. I am using PAF and am aware of GEDCOM. In addition to the details that PAF and GEDCOM support, what other information should I be recording?
6
votes
1answer
53 views
How do I search for a newspaper (instead of a person) on Genealogy Bank?
In trying to answer How can I figure out who died on a particular voyage of a ship?, I tried searching GenealogyBank.com since I have a paid subscription and wanted to help @JustinY. His question was ...
6
votes
3answers
80 views
What are ways to collaborate with other Genealogists?
Many times I've wanted to trade off research with other genealogists--those not related to me.
I live in Florida. Say I need a record from a repository in Tennessee and another Genealogist needs a ...
6
votes
4answers
137 views
How can I identify all the possible alternatives for a surname
My ancestor Mary Ann Harper is frustratingly elusive as mentioned here. However, Harper is a surname that would lend itself to different spellings in censuses, birth records and the like — ...
12
votes
5answers
129 views
For a friend of mine, who do I research first?
I am helping a friend start his family tree. Which individual do I start with to achieve results to keep him interested?
11
votes
3answers
101 views
Where do I record the details that do not belong to a particular individual, so I know I have looked at them already and keep for future matches?
I often come across data on what could be a relative, only to find it is not one I . Where do I record this information, so I do not research the same person again but keep it for if/when that person ...
3
votes
0answers
220 views
Who were the children of Jacob Fisher and Sarah Hodges? [closed]
Page 27 of the Sharon, Massachusetts Vital Records show Jacob Fisher and his wife Sarah had a son Jacob born 30 Apr 1776:
Jacob, s. of Jacob and Sarah, Apr. 30, 1776
Page 94 of those records ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
What is known about Ellen/Elinor, the wife of John Billington. They came over on the Mayflower
What is known about the Mayflower passenger Ellen/Elinor Billington? Specifically, what was her maiden name and who were her parents?
She was the wife of John Billington and mother of Francis ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Where was Timothy Kelly born (married in London, died in Herefordshire)?
My ancestor Timothy Kelly, died in Weobley, Herefordshire, in 1839, and was born around 1774, according to his death certificate.
Supposedly, his son told descendants that his father was from ...
2
votes
1answer
81 views
How rare/common is a surname in the US Social Security Death Index?
I would like to know the 'rank' of how common or rare a surname is in the SSDI. Eg Smith is the most common name with 1234567 entries and Sparrell is the 12345th most common name with 123 entries. Is ...
3
votes
3answers
146 views
How rare/common is a surname in US currently?
I realize asking 'how rare/common' is a relative question. In my gedcom, my surname is common but in my local phone directory it is very rare (we are the only family in our rather large town). I ...
2
votes
2answers
75 views
Sparrell as a first and middle name
The surname Sparrell is fairly rare. To my knowledge, all the current living Sparrells in the US are descended from James Newton Sparrell (~1740-1770). When researching, I occasionally run across ...
3
votes
1answer
47 views
“Haynes, Sparrell & Co” - letterhead form 1901 in Boston. How do I find out more?
Sparrell is a fairly rare last name so I google seach it occasionally and search on various sites. On ebay I ran across an envelope from "Hayes, Sparrell & Co." to A.J. Ives, Brandon, VT ...
1
vote
2answers
131 views
Tracing ancestors from 1800 back
I have a least three male relatives born between 1800 and 1810 that I cannot trace back further. How should I continue my research? ( they all seem to be USA born Kentucky, Tennessee)
4
votes
3answers
163 views
Merchant marine - how to research people who worked on ships?
I am researching a relative who disappears from conventional genealogical records. He married and fathered children regularly until his wife died but does not appear in census records with his family ...
14
votes
5answers
233 views
What to do with discarded research data?
What to do with discarded research data?
Some time ago, I was looking for anything related to the birth, or the family, of a lady who married into my line back in 1834. All I could see was one ...
3
votes
1answer
120 views
Help finding, 2x Grandfather William R Rediker's records prior to 1857?
My 2x Grandfather William R Rediker passed in 1884. He is laid to rest at Bennett Cemetery, in Cheatham County, Tennessee, USA. The information I've obtained is as follows:
U.S. Census 1880, 1870, ...
8
votes
5answers
165 views
How should I record unsuccessful searches (that may constitute negative evidence)?
What's the right way to record the fact that I have performed a search in a certain dataset and came up empty handed?
As an example:
I search for Person X in the New Hampshire Marriages index on ...
