Why were young men named Hanna starting to show up in multiple households of the sons of James Crook, the hub person of my current genohistory project? Getting an answer meant facing the PIP censuses, but with the 90-60, bring them on.
…A 90-60 Census Workbook Case Study: Mystery of the Hanna MenRead More »
A 90-60 Census Workbook Case Study: Mystery of the Hanna Men Read More »
This topic has been moved to https://genohistory.com/early-federal-census-worksheet.
Sorry for the inconvenience!
Early Federal Census Drama: a tool for your sanity Read More »
The real magic of genealogy manifests outside the traditional box—beyond the standard family tree data. Let me tell you about a man named Riley and the odd place I found the next piece of his story.
…Getting rid of Riley: Answers in community-wide researchRead More »
Getting rid of Riley: Answers in community-wide research Read More »
You’ve invested a day off and a tank of gas to have a precious four hours at an ancestral county courthouse, state archive, or local library. You want to make the most of every minute. Here’s my high-powered hit-and-run data grabbing technique to get home with maximum ancestral data in minimum time. …
High-powered hit-and-run data grabbing techniqueRead More »
High-powered hit-and-run data grabbing technique Read More »
Some of you started long ago. I started six months ago. Perhaps some of you will start today. When it comes to the very difficult and incredibly rewarding challenge of documenting America’s enslaved populations, we who descend from slaveholders are the logical ones to do the work. It makes sense at so many levels. Welcome, GEGs, to the Beyond Kin Project. …
Descendants of slaveholders, we have a job to doRead More »
Descendants of slaveholders, we have a job to do Read More »
The GEG in me emerged in the summer of 2015, when I finally committed a week of my life to the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. I returned in 2016 to an even better experience. This year I’m registered for Course 3, and we’re relocating to the University of Georgia. Join me in Athens July 23—28 for IGHR 2017 — the best value your genealogical education dollar can buy. …
IGHR 2017: Seats going fast. It’s that good.Read More »
IGHR 2017: Seats going fast. It’s that good. Read More »
You hear rumors that courthouses can yield ten times what you’ve learned about your ancestors from online sources. Ten times! But still you don’t go. “I’ll get around to that,” you say to yourself. “Let me just check one more database.” Well, friend, it’s time to overcome your dread. Pack your laptop and hit the road to a place where Wifi rarely goes. I dare you. I double-dog dare you to face your dread of courthouse research. You’ll thank me.
…
Facing your dread of courthouse researchRead More »
Facing your dread of courthouse research Read More »
You proudly display 25 sources citing life events of your grandfather John Smith, and 20 on his father Robert Smith. You’re a source citer of consummate skill. Everyone can trust your work with so many sources, right? Well, maybe. How many of those sources prove that this particular Robert Smith was your John Smith’s father? It’s a great big gap in our genealogical software — the absence of a parental relationship proof requirement. But we can solve it with a simple custom fact.
…
Parental relationship — the unproven linkRead More »
Parental relationship — the unproven link Read More »
Remember when we Golden Egg Genealogists (GEGs) were innocent kittens? We could extend a family line back to the Mayflower over a weekend, thanks to those oh-so-helpful “Ancestry Member Trees” on Ancestry.com. Many of us built our early trees on those shaky branches. Here and there we might have speculated on possible family connections, adding them to the tree in an effort to chip away at a brick wall. Helpful! Then we grew into GEGs and started doing genealogy right, swearing we’d go back eventually and clean up that old mess. One day, though, we realized that a new batch of kittens were copying our oh-so-helpful and oh-so-public “Ancestry Member Trees.” Uh-oh. …
The helps and hazards of speculative Ancestry tree climbingRead More »
The helps and hazards of speculative Ancestry tree climbing Read More »
Like many, my early days using Ancestry.com were all about chasing fluttering green leaves. I found sources because my ancestor’s name matched the index of a record collection. I wish I’d known much earlier the wealth of information available in the Ancestry Card Catalog, entered through the side door. It holds sources that are indexed — but not indexed. Bear with me, and I’ll explain. (Newest entry in the Wish I’d Known Series.)
…
Enter at the side door: the Ancestry Card CatalogRead More »
Enter at the side door: the Ancestry Card Catalog Read More »
