Author Archives: Site Admin

Write Down One Story

Have you preserved one of your own stories today or recently? Don’t forget that someday you’ll no longer be an “active” leaf on the family tree and the greatest irony would be if you didn’t preserve and share a few of your own stories along the way.

License Does Not Guarantee A Marriage

While most couples who took out a marriage license did marry, it is always possible that they did not. If there is a record that a couple got a license, indicate in your records that it is a license date, not a marriage date. Even if they did marry, there’s no guarantee that they married on the same date as the license.

And clearly indicating that the date is a license date tells others (and yourself) that the marriage record has not been located.

Note from Site Admin: I found a marriage license for a now deceased uncle, but no marriage license. After checking with family members, they were never married. In Missouri (at the time) the license is stamed REJECTED with the reason that the licensse was never used within 30 days.

I Have the Same Last Name As My Pa

Just because a female has the same last name as her father does not mean she is unmarried. A relative of my had the maiden name of Mattie Huls and her husband (unrelated) had the last name of Huls. It is always possible that a woman marries a man who has the same last name as she does.

Note from Site Admin: One reason could be that this is not her maiden name but she had a prior marriage. In my own family, the woman’s husband died and she married his brother. It might not be a maiden name.

Named for a Famous Non-Relative?

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of US history would know that an ancestor named George Washington Smith, Benjamin Franklin Butler, or Abraham Lincoln Jones was likely named for the famous American. But what about someone named Lorenzo Dow Smith or Jasper Newton Smith? Do not assume you have a connection to the Dow or Newton families just because your ancestor had these names. Sometimes names are simply popular cultural references that have faded from memory.

Note from Site Admin: I have encountered exactly this issue in my research, middle name of Dewitt. All indications point to a military service connection. If you have a similar situation, continue to broaden your research & look for close neighbors, military associations, political, etc.

In the Context of the Family

Besides fitting events in your ancestor’s life into national and regional historical events, consider fitting them into other events in their immediate family as well. Had a parent just died when a child decided to move? Did a parent’s marriage to a new spouse take place a few years before the child left home? Always consider what was going on within your ancestor’s family when certain things were happening in their life.