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 »
Always analyze a date in the context of other events taking place at about the same time. In comparing the death date of my great-grandfather with the date the will was brought to court for recording, I realized the dates were close–the date of death was 1 February and the will was brought for recording on 3 February. The time frame was even closer than I thought.
The great-grandfather died on a Saturday and on the following Monday the potential executor brought the will to be recorded. This was the first business day after the ancestor died–meaning that there wasn’t really any delay at all–the executor didn’t mess around.
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 25 Jul 2012.
I have a twenty year gap when I “lose” an ancestor. The only things I am certain of are that I cannot find him and that he moved during the period between 1850 and 1870. One approach that might be helpful is to learn about historical events that were going on during this time period and what have cause him to move. Were new territories opening up during this time? Did the Civil War impact his life?
Think about those “gaps” you have in your ancestor’s life? Then get beyond your ancestor and ask yourself “what was going on outside my ancestor’s life during this time period that might have caused him to move?”
© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 4 Nov 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.