Much of the hype of genealogical research often surrounds the different kinds of sources. Yes, new sources are always exciting. However, I believe that it is developing and growing research skills that will take your research to higher heights. A Field With Standards That’s one reason I recommend that everyone researching their roots have the […]
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Category: My Family Research
A Cold Case Solved
The 1920 household of Abe and Mary Ella (Fendricks) Copeland in Hardin County, Tennessee indicates four children: Myrtle, O.D., Robie, and Jo K[ate]. Mary Ella was the sister of my great-grandmother Effie Fendricks. The Problem and A Story I have never been able to find the daughter named “O.D. Copeland” in anything other than […]
Postcards Provide Clues to Family
I am fortunate to have copies of postcards that some of my ancestors sent. They are a wonderful artifact to have for genealogy, as are handwritten letters. They can also be used effectively to solve research problems. The Harbour Family: A Stubborn Problem Hannah Harbour had two children, Doss and Odie, with her first husband […]
Murder in the Family
Violence is certainly not something our generation invented. Murder is not new. There have been many surprises for me over the years of my genealogy research. One is how many instances I discovered that involved murder. Strange, odd and sad, but true. I’m going to try my best not to read anything too deep into […]
Researching Soldiers in World War I
My great-grandfather Lawson Holt served in the Army during World War I. Like most, his were among the records destroyed during the infamous 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. This post shows how it is possible to still find out more information about your ancestor’s military service, even though those files are gone. […]
Freedmen’s Bureau Record Uncovers Likely
I made a big discovery recently courtesy of Familysearch’s newly indexed Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts. A Little Background Several years ago, I used cluster research to trace my Tennessee ancestor Mike Fendricks back to his Alabama roots. At a standstill with Mike, I traced the roots of Dee Suggs, a man Mike lived with in […]
Never Rely On Just the Census
Ah, the census. The glorious census. It’s such an important document in genealogy, I would venture to say even a foundational document. But its flaws are many. Those who rely on only the census to reconstruct their ancestral families do so at the risk of recreating a family inaccurately. Take for example the case of my ancestor […]
Verify Your Oral History
One of the first things we’re instructed when we begin our genealogy journey is to interview our elders. This is by far one of the most important things for us do. Our family members can provide information we may never find in documents. It has always been ironic to me that the time when most […]
Deed Record Bonanza
I’ve discussed deeds in this blog before and why they should be a cornerstone record in researching the lives of your ancestors. In this post, I show how using deeds connected a family from the 1850s through the mid-twentieth century. Levin Waters Levin Waters and other ancestors lived in Somerset County, Maryland in a little community called […]
Perry Simpson Found in Freedmen’s Bureau
Finally- I found a needle in a haystack. I found my 4th great-grandfather, Perry Simpson, in Freedmen’s Bureau records! I have probably looked through thousands of pages of these records through the years and that is no exaggeration. I found his name in a Register of Letters Received in the Field Office Records for Maryland […]