Questions tagged [research-methods]
For questions about how to conduct genealogy research and best practices for genealogy research.
174
questions
7
votes
1
answer
274
views
How do I visibly make people aware that a connection is only tenuous and further research is needed?
Is there some sort of standard or accepted manner in which to indicate that an ancestor's connection to your family line is not fully supported. YET! That it is still in research mode. I'm thinking a ...
- 341
6
votes
1
answer
123
views
Seeking census records earlier than 1900 for Indiana ancestor named Delmain?
I have hit a brickwall trying to research my GG Grandfather. The first census I can find him on is a 1900 census. It says he's from Indiana and I've even went through the ENTIRE census for that county ...
6
votes
0
answers
201
views
Finding archival records for tracing father of illegitimate child in mid 1880s County Down, Ireland?
In a couple of weeks, I will be travelling to Ireland for a two-week vacation. Part of my trip will be spent in the Belfast area, visiting both the General Register Office for Northern Ireland (GRONI)...
- 161
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
Wanting to trace family online? [duplicate]
I want to trace my family but am limited on funds.
What is the best way to trace my lineage online?
6
votes
2
answers
245
views
Resources for researching family from Greene County, Tennessee?
I am researching my family tree and am stuck because my ancestor, Henry Harmon, was 24 in 1850 so he is already living with his wife Catherine and child George.
The 1840 census doesn't tell me ...
- 61
2
votes
1
answer
96
views
Is there a centralized Historical Society index / database for the United States?
Is there a centralized directory or database of local historical societies or organizations for the United States which shows the information and services they provide in a consistent format for each ...
- 5,541
5
votes
2
answers
752
views
How does one search a very specific source on Ancestry.com?
I have been trying to find a simple way to search a specific source on Ancestry.com without hitting the generic 'all sources' queue and getting thousands of results I do not want to see.. but more so ...
- 5,541
4
votes
2
answers
683
views
Best practices for producing document abstracts or summaries?
I usually transcribe documents or manuscripts in full so that I do not miss important details. However, often these documents ramble on for pages and pages of legal jargon, so it is useful to produce ...
- 18.7k
4
votes
1
answer
73
views
Are there any tools to search unstructured, digital data?
While I have been searching for ancestors in early America (late 1700s) I have found multiple records that have been OCR'd and made available online. These are extremely useful, however all that data ...
- 141
3
votes
1
answer
116
views
Seeking online resources to do collateral research on Internet?
I'm sure that genealogists know what collateral research, the study of family members, along with members of the ancestor's community, is. However, I do not know of any online resources that use ...
9
votes
2
answers
182
views
How can I estimate which of my ancestors were literate?
For the vast majority of my ancestors, when going back in time the sociocultural level gradually decreases until I end up having poor farmers. The rate at which the level decreases depends on the ...
- 1,397
5
votes
2
answers
200
views
Using signature comparison as genealogical evidence?
Often when I am clutching at straws to determine the relationship between individuals or families, I will compare signatures from the relevant documents. There is an inherent bias in my interpretation ...
- 18.7k
9
votes
4
answers
342
views
How do you record fuzzy facts?
Most of my prior genealogy research was based on family records. Very little of it came from hard sources like census records. Some folks would claim that what I have is not genealogy, but folklore. ...
- 366
12
votes
1
answer
584
views
Methods to organize medical genealogy information?
An aspect of genealogy that I have recently become very interested in is medical genealogy.
Numerous sources give me information about my medical family history, such as:
anecdotal evidence (for ...
- 18.7k
10
votes
1
answer
223
views
Organizing geographical reference material for English parishes?
Abstract: I prefer to standardize place names in Family Historian to take advantage of modern geo-coding and mapping features, and to record historical place names in research notes. But how do I ...
- 24.9k
3
votes
2
answers
188
views
History of German small town of Angloh?
I found the town of Angloh in Germany but nothing is left of it other than a spa.
I tried searching for weeks throughout the web but couldn't find anything about it other than coordinates.
How do I ...
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
Looking for German Ancestors earlier than 1700s? [duplicate]
I am a beginner and have been using Ancestry.com but German records seem to come to a halt at the WWI.
What can be used to search further back?
7
votes
2
answers
158
views
Making Research Plans for studying the Genetic Genealogy of an Adoptee?
I have accounts on 23andme, gedmatch, ftdna, and ancestry.com's ancestrydna (all autosomal at this point).
I also, even though I'm adopted (from bulgaria, have the full name, most recent address (as ...
- 173
7
votes
1
answer
567
views
Searching databases for ancestors with aliases?
I have a probable ancestor about whom I know very little, except for the fact that he used an alias and he is mentioned in his father-in-law's will. The two names are quite common - something along ...
- 18.7k
-1
votes
1
answer
124
views
Finding Professional Genealogist in Germany knowedgeable on Kaiser Wilhelm?
I would like to find a Professional Genealogist to:
work with all the time and so that when I make a trip to Germany in a couple of months time I have places to see and points of interest
to help me ...
0
votes
0
answers
25
views
Etiquette for asking loved one to share life story before death [duplicate]
This might be a bit of an odd question, but I figured that at least one or more persons here have been in the situation that I am now.
My question is as follows:
What is the (if any) 'proper ...
- 101
4
votes
1
answer
73
views
Identifying ancestor believed to have been born ca 1830 in New Mexico, USA?
The best candidate for my 3rd great grandfather Juan Jose Garcia appears to have:
been born in the New Mexico Territory in 1830
been married to either Juana Ma Garcia or Maria Juana Garcia (thought ...
- 143
6
votes
2
answers
130
views
Is "mythological" information relevant?
I am currently trying to get as far as possible in my Ahnentafel. Thanks to a couple of online sources, I have been able to find a lot of ancestry, google helped me get up to this website which offers ...
- 225
1
vote
1
answer
60
views
Obtaining Belgian pre-1796 information
Thanks to Napoleon, a lot of registration regarding births, baptisms, deaths, marriages, etc started to happen in Belgium from 1796 on. This helped me get to a point where I know all names (and often ...
- 225
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Finding New York City Police files?
My great-grandfather may have been the victim of an unsolved homicide in 1907. I have a death certificate which confirms the family story that he was hit over the head and died, but that is as far as ...
- 91
3
votes
2
answers
154
views
Making a plan for using German civil records in the Family History Library?
This is a follow-up to a previous question Finding online parish records for churches in Werdau, Saxony, Germany. One of the answers said that a search of the town's records yield better results. At ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
4
answers
258
views
Finding residence information for Toronto in the 1840s?
I am trying to fill out the timeline of tailor George Hindley, his wife Ann/Hannah Drake, and their family between 1841 and 1847.
A rough timeline of the family can be seen by putting some of the ...
- 24.9k
2
votes
1
answer
73
views
Finding documentary evidence for father of somebody born 1903 in Kentucky, USA?
My Great Grandfather is George Ann Boyd born 1903 in Henderson Kentucky. I am looking for information on his father.
It is rumored in my family he is the father. However, I want proof.
George was ...
5
votes
1
answer
77
views
Is George Bismark Foster the son of Dr James W Foster and Arabella?
I've been struggling with finding the parents to George Bismark Foster with a high degree of confidence. The death certificate for George Bismark Foster shows he died in Crosby, Minnesota on 9 Feb ...
- 5,267
2
votes
1
answer
73
views
Is genealogy compiled in 1922 for Stowell family of Higham, MA generally accurate?
In a previous question I enquired, in part, in re the general accuracy of this sort of
compiled genealogy to which @janmurphy gave me an excellent and well-reasoned answer.
I am particularly ...
- 121
8
votes
2
answers
155
views
Approaching relatives with dementia about family history?
It is important to write down or record the memories of elderly relatives while we still have the opportunity. However, I find it difficult to know how to best approach this subject even with close ...
- 18.7k
3
votes
1
answer
115
views
Were un-wed mothers documented in the United States in the early 20th Century?
I am researching a branch of the family tree and attempting to identify the mother.
In this particular example there are three people with the same first and last name as the known mother of the ...
- 5,541
6
votes
2
answers
451
views
How are the grandchildren related to the head of household in this census?
Whenever I find a census household, I try to confirm the relationships listed in the census by looking for vital records or other information.
The formatting of this 1891 Census entry has been ...
- 24.9k
3
votes
1
answer
74
views
Reports of Run Aways, Homeless Children, Orphaned Children in ~1815-1830 PA?
I have a significant gap in my lineage and am trying to determine additional sources to check to make the linkage.
The story goes that my many greats grandfather born in 1815 was a run away and ...
- 5,541
1
vote
0
answers
74
views
Hitting brick wall on Wallace family from Vermont? [closed]
What can I do when I hit a brick wall on the Wallace line?
I found a great grandfather who was born in Vermont in 1800, but cannot find his parents.
- 19
4
votes
3
answers
102
views
Finding birth-name of male Ohio ancestor who changed name in about 1926?
My grandfather was born in Ohio in 1909.
He was said to have changed his name at the age of 17 and left home.
I know he had siblings, but not the names of any of his family.
How would I find out ...
- 41
6
votes
1
answer
148
views
Assessing the coverage of various collections?
This is perhaps a little more of a meta-question, but it has come to mind repeatedly over the past few weeks. I'll start with a specific example.
In this question, I bring up the case of my ancestor,...
- 627
5
votes
3
answers
195
views
Resolving conflicts between conclusions of different researchers (internet & professional historian)?
One of my ancestors was named John White. He was a very early settler of Ohio, marrying Priscilla Devol in 1790 when Ohio was still part of the Northwest Territory. Here is a timeline with some ...
- 627
5
votes
2
answers
547
views
Finding records from the 'manor house'
I have an 1881 Census record for one of my research subjects where he appears as a servant at the local Manor house.
Mark Herber's Ancestral Trails has a section on finding manor house records ...
- 24.9k
5
votes
1
answer
712
views
Descendants of Sir William Blackstone, a historical puzzle
I have been researching my paternal line and have come across a stumbling block. My line can be traced pretty easily back to the beginning of the 19th century in Ohio, where we come across one ...
- 627
5
votes
2
answers
128
views
Finding period travel information -- or How far away is too far?
This is related to the question Why would a family baptise at a parish but not marry or bury there?. If you've exhausted all the records available to you for a parish, and you want to widen your ...
- 24.9k
8
votes
2
answers
210
views
Organizing ancestors' "circle of cousins"
Background: I would like to focus on the set of people who are first cousins of (my) ancestors at each available level of the hierarchy. This helps me check contemporary family activities, vetting ...
- 91
7
votes
1
answer
423
views
Citing online image copies with inadequate information or provenance
In a recent blog post, Elizabeth Shown Mills asked the question Do You "Just Trust" Citations Offered by Digital Providers?
EE hopes your answer is no. Today’s image demonstrates why. Not ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
1
answer
130
views
Determining maiden name of Alice who had eight children (1744-1762) with William Sellick christened at Stogumber, Somerset, without marriage record?
My 5th great grandfather William Sellick was christened on 2 Oct 1718 at Stogumber, Somerset, England. He and his wife Alice had eight children, the first two christened at Stogumber and the ...
- 11.1k
5
votes
2
answers
143
views
Organizing Research: brief subscriptions or research trips
Several of the big box providers like Ancestry, Find My Past, and British Origins offer limited-time subscriptions or limited free trials. I just took advantage of a month's cheap subscription at ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
1
answer
243
views
How can I ensure that I am making a reasonably exhaustive search?
I am starting to do research on some veterans who served in the Civil War. Several of the collections available online that describe service records are compiled databases or indexes collecting all ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
1
answer
195
views
Working with browsable images of probate records?
FamilySearch.org makes images available for browsing before the (computer) indexes to the collections are available. Recently some probate collections have come online, and I have made a couple of ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
3
answers
255
views
Techniques for flagging unconfirmed information?
I want to be more diligent about how I record the information in my lineage-linked software (I use Family Historian).
This question may be a bit difficult to describe because the plain-English words ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How do I perform a biographical interview?
I have a couple of elderly relatives who have not kept a journal and refuse to write down their "life story." I really would like to know their stories and who they were and who they are. They have ...
- 263
7
votes
1
answer
299
views
Finding people who have moved within the same geographical area?
In an answer to the question How would you handle a census record that is almost certainly the target family but which has too many discrepancies? I wrote about a family in my research area for which ...
- 24.9k