It may take years for the estate of your ancestor to have been completely settled. As a result, the probate file for your ancestor who died in 1840 may be filed with those cases settled in the 1860s.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 20 Oct 2012.
Do you plan your research and decide what to do and how to do it before you it? Or do you just start typing things in search boxes and hoping? Do you randomly look for families in various records, hoping something comes up as the result?
While there is nothing wrong with hope, a little organization of your search can save you from frustration later and allow you to better trouble-shoot unsuccessful searches.
And do you have any research goals?
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 19 Oct 2012.
Most immigrants to the United States did naturalize after they had been in the United States for some time. Some never naturalized, which would explain the lack of a naturalization record. Some naturalized before 1906 when any court of record could naturalize and if you don’t know where your ancestor resided for every moment of his life, you might not locate the record. And others may have thought they were naturalized by their father’s naturalization and that they did not need to naturalize themselves.
Keep in mind that especially before the 1920s, naturalization laws were confusing to many. One of those confused might have been your ancestor.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 21 Oct 2012.
City directories usually contain alphabetical list of residents. They may also contain “reverse directories” (where names are sorted by address), directories based upon occupation, lists of churches, and other information. Don’t just search the directory and, having found one reference to your ancestor, stop looking. There may be more information than just that one listing.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 29 Oct 2012.
When you organize the information you have on an ancestor are there gaps in the timeline where you have no records? Make certain there’s not something you have overlooked. Something in those intervening years could answer other questions or open up entire research avenues.
Are there significant gaps in the years of birth for the children of an ancestor? It could be that children died at birth or there were miscarriages. It could also be that the ancestor did not have just one spouse and was unmarried for a time.
It’s not possible to fill in or explain every gap, but acknowledging you have them is a start. And we all have them–at least a few.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 1 Nov 2012.