17 November 2017
When DNA Says You're Related, You Determine How
14 November 2017
Finding New Cousins on Facebook
Found by accident, I recognized the names! |
My grandfather's house still stands. |
07 November 2017
Trade Up to Better Family History Sources
Reliable sources make a reliable family tree. |
- For every census form in my tree, I added complete details and a link to where to find it online. (Ship manifests are next!)
- I cleaned up every address in my family tree to have a consistent format and take advantage of Family Tree Maker's address verification.
- I attached every census form or ship manifest in my tree to each person named in the document.
- I beefed up my source citations with more information and weeded out duplicates.
My reliable sources. |
Zero in on sources that don't carry much weight and trade up to better ones. |
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29 October 2017
What To Do When You Can't Solve the Mystery
How is Patsy Ferro my great uncle's nephew? |
- Patsy (a nickname for Pasquale) Ferro, age 29, married for 10 years, born in Italy, a building contractor. He is listed as Semplicio's nephew.
- Josephine Ferro, age 26, born in Italy. She is listed as Semplicio's niece.
- Antonette Ferro, age 6, born in Italy. She is listed as Semplicio's grand-niece.
Pasquale Ferro returns to the USA with his family. |
- Patsy was naturalized in 1923. But since he arrived in the U.S. in November 1923, this seems like a mistake.
- The family was living at 1010 Van Nest Avenue in the Bronx.
20 October 2017
Add Proof and a Breadcrumb to Family Tree Documents
We collect so many documents. Can you return to where you found them? |
- Perform a search for someone else on the image you have in front of you. Choose someone whose name is written very clearly, and include the first names of the relatives travelling with them.
- If your relatives' names are written incorrectly, search for the names exactly as they're written.
- If the top of the ship manifest includes the ship name, the arrival date, and the port of arrival, you can search page-by-page through that particular arrival of that ship.
- Help me instantly find online any document I've downloaded: a ship manifest, census sheet, draft registration card, etc.
- Allow other genealogists to view my source documents in place, retrace my steps, and see for themselves if my facts can be trusted.
This annotation lets me—or anyone—return to the original file easily. |
- the lines numbers on which you'll find the family from my tree
- the town, county and state
- the enumeration district, supervisor's district, assembly district, block number, page or sheet number
- the number of the image in the collection, such as image 2 of 45
- the URL of the original file so I—or other researchers—can return to it
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17 October 2017
Track Your Genealogy Finds and Your Searches
Ten years ago I needed to take control of my family tree digital files. I had a growing collection of census forms, draft registration cards, vital records, and more.
I'd already settled on my preferred way of saving these files:
- A folder for each type of document
- A naming convention that groups a person's documents together:
- LastnameFirstnameYear for a census or ship manifest (I use the head of household's name for a census.)
- LastnameFirstnameBirthYear for a birth record
- LastnameFirstnameWW1 for a draft registration card, etc.
But my well-named image files, sitting in all those different folders, didn't show me the big picture.
How could I see at a glance every document I have for a particular ancestor? And how could I quickly see which documents are missing?
Use the Technology You Know
That's when I turned to my old pal, Microsoft Excel.
For years I'd been using Excel spreadsheets on the job. I tracked progress on large-scale projects. I built formulas to show an accurate cross-section of the content on a website I manage. I kept tabs on my freelance hours for invoicing.
Why wouldn't I use Excel to create a genealogy research inventory?
My genealogy "document tracker" has 1540 lines right now. I have one person on each line. There are columns for each type of document I collect. The last column gives me space to note what's missing.
For example, for one of my grandmother's cousins, the "To find" column contains this:
- 1915 census
- 1920 census
- 1925 census
One Spreadsheet Tells the Whole Research Story
Now it's time to get even more value out of my document tracker.
I've been looking at sample research logs on different genealogy sites. A research log is a disciplined way for you to note:
- What you're searching for (the 1930 census, a WWII draft registration card, etc.)
- Where you searched (National Archives, State Library, Ancestry.com, etc.)
- How you searched (by first name only, browsing through the whole census district, etc.)
- Your thoughts on what to try next
The research logs I found were much more complicated than I wanted. For starters, I'm satisfied with the list above.
So I've added a second sheet to my document tracker Excel file and named it Research Notes. The first column is for the person's name. I added four more columns to match the four items in my list.
How to Start Using Your Research Notes
The next time I'm trying to find a specific document—like the elusive 1940 census for the Raffaele Saviano family—I'll add a line to the new Research Notes worksheet.
I might note that I tried searching for the family using only their first names. And that I used Americanized versions of their Italian names. I'll add that I tried this on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
When I'm ready to call it quits for the moment, I'll add a note about what I think I should try next.
Finally—and this is a cool Excel trick—I'll add a link from this research note to Raffaele Saviano's line on the first worksheet where all of his documents are listed. And I'll add a link from there back to his line on the new Research Notes worksheet.
My favorite thing about linking between the sheets is this: You can reorganize the lines on either worksheet and not break the links. You can sort them, add new lines in the middle, do whatever you need to do, and the links will still work.
Here's how to create a link between the two worksheets in a single Excel spreadsheet file:
- Make a mental note of which line number holds your ancestor on your new Research Notes worksheet. For example, I have Raffaele Saviano on line 2.
- Click the empty cell where you want to add the link. You'll want to devote a column to these links. In my example, I'll go to Raffaele Saviano's line (1327) on my Facts worksheet and click in the empty "Link to Notes" column.
- On the Insert toolbar or ribbon, click Link and choose Insert Link.
- Click to select the name of your new research notes worksheet.
- In the field labelled "Type the cell reference" it may say "A1" by default. Change it to A2, or A and whichever line number you need to link to.
- Click OK and you'll see your link.
Now make a mental note of the line number for this ancestor on the Facts worksheet. Go to the Research Notes worksheet and link back in the same way.
Click the links to see them work.
Now you can have all of these facts at your fingertips. It's 100% searchable, sortable, and update-able. Download a sample spreadsheet to build on.
My favorite thing about Excel: I know it can do a million more things I haven't even thought of yet.
For more detail on the document tracker, see:
13 October 2017
Online Course Takes Your Family History to the Next Level
There's always more to learn. |
This great course gives you a genealogy education you'll enjoy tremendously. |
- How to interview older relatives to get the best results
- What you can find in a library that you can't find online
- Everything you can learn from ship manifests, military records, and naturalization records
- How to use the Genealogical Proof Standard to fortify your family tree
- Which documents you can find at the state or county level
- How to tell your ancestor's life story through creative writing
- How to create an account of your family history you can share
- What you need to know to research ancestors from another part of the world
So, if you're new to genealogy, this course can help you become a knowledgeable genealogist in a few hours.
01 October 2017
How to Plan an Efficient Genealogy Research Trip
Family Tree Maker includes a Plan tab and this Task list. |
- See the house where Lucy lived as a baby and was probably born.
- See the railroad yard where her father Pasquale worked.
- Visit the town library to see old city directories.
Once my great grandparents' house. |
Pasquale's train station is a museum now. |
- Start with the list of items you need to find for your family tree.
- Expand that list to include the basic facts you know about the ancestor in question. For example, on a recent visit to a Family History Center to view several rolls of microfilm, I brought a list of what I hoped to find on each different roll. The list includes when I expected to find my great great grandparents' marriage. It includes when I believe they were born. And it includes other names I want to confirm.
- Get familiar with what's available at the archives, library, or museum you're planning to visit. You don't want to miss out on a collection because you were focused only on another collection.
- Think beyond the dates and names you're seeking. If you're visiting an ancestor's hometown, where did they work? Where did they worship? Where were they buried?
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29 September 2017
6 Places to Find Your Ancestor's Maiden Name
Without her mother's maiden name, I couldn't build my great grandmother's family tree. |
- Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates—These documents should contain your ancestor's maiden name. If you can't find them, branch out. Her maiden name may be on her children's birth, marriage, and death records. If you find different versions of her maiden name, weigh your evidence. Is the oldest-recorded document the most accurate? Do you trust the spelling you've found in 3 places more than the unique spellings?
- Ship Manifest—In some cultures a woman keeps her maiden name for life. If you can find your ancestor's immigration record, you may find her maiden name. If she is not from such a culture, did she emigrate before marrying? To locate her without knowing her maiden name, search with the information you have:
- her first name and age
- her hometown
- her year of immigration
- Census Forms—Decades ago, multiple generations lived in one household. If you can find your ancestor with her husband and children, see who else is living with or near them. If there is a mother-in-law or brother-in-law in the home, you may have found your ancestor's maiden name. If there is a family next door whose first names match the known siblings of your ancestor, they may be her family.
- Passport Application—Your male ancestor's passport application can tell you a lot about his wife and children. This is especially true if the family was travelling together. You might discover each person's full name, date and place of birth, and the wife's maiden name. Plus, their family photo is priceless! To learn more about this resource, please see Your Family Tree Needs Your Ancestor's Passport Application.
- Naturalization Papers—Many of our ancestors who came to America had no intention of ever leaving. They officially declared their intention to become a citizen. They filed a petition for naturalization. If all went well, they became U.S. citizens. Each step of the naturalization process generated paperwork. If you find that paperwork, you can learn dates and places of birth, the applicant's father's name, and a woman's maiden name.
- U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index—Several months ago I wrote about discovering my great great grandmother's maiden name with this database. She didn't have a Social Security Number. It was her son's record that gave me the clue I needed. To learn exactly how I did it, please see This Expanded Resource Provided an Elusive Maiden Name. Now I've been able to get her birth record and more.
Finally! Her maiden name was Girardi.
You may also enjoy:
- Finding Your Ancestor's Lost Babies
- Take a Genealogy Vacation
- How Do I Get There From Here? or Why You Really Need to Cite Your Sources!
26 September 2017
4 Ways to Protect Your Genealogy Research from Disaster
Don't wait! You must protect your family tree research. |
- Dropbox—create a free account and use up to 2 GB of storage. Paid plans can give you more storage.
- Google Drive—create a free account (if you don't have a Google account) and use up to 15 GB of storage. You can pay to increase your storage amount.
- iCloud—if you have an iPhone or iPad, you probably have 5 GB of storage available. You can pay to increase your storage amount.
- OneDrive—create a free account (if you don't have a Microsoft account) to use up to 5 GB of storage. You can pay to increase your storage amount. If you subscribe to Office 365 as I do, you get a free terabyte of storage!
- Your Internet provider—find out if your Internet provider gives you access to free storage space.
- CD-ROMS or DVDs
- external hard drives
- another computer, ideally at another location, such as a relative's house
- paid online backup services such as Carbonite
- Upload your family tree, complete with all digital files, to the family tree website of your choice. These include Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, etc.
- Sentry Safe
- Mesa Safe
- First Alert
- If you are storing your digital files in the cloud, that is your second location.
- If you are storing your files on an external hard drive, CDs or DVDs, see if a friend or relative will keep them at their house.
24 September 2017
How to Share Your Family Tree Research with Relatives
Your family research is never done. That doesn't mean you can't share it now. |
- your mother's mother's relatives
- your mother's father's relatives
- your father's mother's relatives
- your father's father's relatives
- Standard genealogy charts and reports—family group sheets and small trees, such as the parents and many siblings of your grandmother
- Vital records—images of the birth, marriage, and death records you've found, and the facts from the documents you don't have in paper or image form
- Timelines—focus on a specific individual and list his major life events in a timeline format. Include some historical facts to give more meaning to his life. For instance, I'll want to mention the start of World War I because of its profound effect on my grandfather.
- Immigration records—ship manifests and naturalization papers. If you're lucky, you may have a passport photo to share.
- Stories—either summarize parts of an individual's life in narrative form, or share an in-depth story that fascinates you
- Photos—your relatives may love seeing a family tombstone as much as you do. Include old family photos that some relatives haven't seen.
- Sources—include footnotes documenting the source of your facts. A generation from now, a young relative who wants to continue your work will bless you for eternity.
- Table of contents and index—your relatives will keep your book and look at it now and again. Make it easy to find exactly what they want to find. Tip: Word and other software can create a table of contents and index automatically.
These articles should help you along: