Read any instruction how-to book on genealogy… And you’ll find suggestions, strong suggestions, to create a timeline on your ancestor AND on the places he or she lived. Lucky for those researching Alabama…. William Dollarhide, well-known genealogist, wrote an article on 6/20/13 for GenealogyBlog titled, “A Genealogist’s Historical Timeline of Alabama, 1519-1820“. For any research in… Read More »
Family Tree Magazine posted on their Pinterest board an easy-to-use general guideline military records chart to help you know which wars to research based on birth year. For example: If your ancestor was born in 1819, then research the Civil War and the Mexican War. See the military records chart. Note: You don’t have to… Read More »
We don’t try and “do” genealogy accurately because it is a game to see who is the most accurate and to see who can “judge” another’s work. We try our best to be as accurate as we can be in order to reach the most accurate picture of our ancestors as possible. Often as we learn new information our picture of our ancestor changes–at least slightly. When we do shoddy work and research by grabbing whatever we can without analyzing it, we can indicate great-great-grandpa had wives he did not have, lived in places he did not live, and lived a lifestyle he never would have lived.
Sure, it takes longer to be as accurate as we can be. And all of us will make mistakes–beginners and experienced researchers alike. But do you want your descendant to merge your life with that of your cousin of the same name whom you cannot stand? Do you want your descendant to create a picture of you that is completely and totally inaccurate?
Our ancestors deserve that option as well.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 30 Oct 2012.
Today (Nov 1st) a member came on her lunch hour to the Nichols Library. She has found a fascinating bit about one of her female ancestors.
Our research was able to obtain the marriage license for the lady in question & the expected spouse. *BUT* surprise!
There are still records that exist only in their original form. They have not been transcribed. They have not been microfilmed. They have not been digitized.
Local records frequently fall into this category of being available “only in the original location,” but there are others as well. While it is realized that not everyone can travel to remote places to perform research, at least be aware that there may be more material out there.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 10 Nov 2012.