Monthly Archives: June 2012

Tips re working on 1940 Census on FamilySearch

Forget-Me-Not » To view other areas of the census image, click & drag rather than scroll.
» When you download a 1940 cenus image from FamilySearch.org, the filename is “record image”. Be sure to rename immediately.
» Suggest determining a naming convention such as 1940census-DoeJohn-Etowah-AL.jpg. Do not change the extension or the file becomes unreadable.

First two tips from “The Toolkit” article in Family Tree Magazine, July/August 2012, Vol. 13, Issue 5, p. 68. Forget-Me-Not, an original clip art from NanaEllen.com.

How much difference does a letter make?

Remember that a “one-letter” typo can make all the difference. An “a” at the end of Johann can make it Johanna, not only changing the name but also changing the gender.

The Widow Might Not Be The Mother

Henry Smith leaves a widow and eight children when he dies in 1820. It is possible that she is the mother of all his children, some of his children, or none of his children.

Simply surviving him does not make her the mother of all his children.

Was Grandma A Native Born Alien?

In the United States, during the time before the Cable Act, a native born American woman would lose her citizenship status if she married a man who was an alien. This explains why the 1920 census for my children’s great-great-grandmother indicated she was an alien even though she was born in New York State. Her husband was an unnaturalized Greek immigrant.

Did your female ancestor lose her citizenship because her husband was an alien?

Who were the debtors?

If you’ve got an estate settlement for your ancestor, look at the names of the people who owed him money. Any chance they are relatives?