This story is several months old. I had to let the emotions subside to think clearly enough for a post. I was aware of the amazing discoveries some people made through DNA testing in recent years. Last summer, my AAHGS chapter (shout-out to Central Maryland) had a series of introductory sessions on the topic. I’d […]
You are browsing archives for
Category: Records, Resources and Tools
Who’s Your Daddy? Bastardy Records
One of the hidden gems inside court records are the aptly named “Bastardy Bonds.” These records, like much in genealogy, are another reminder that human behavior hasn’t changed much. Anything that happens now also happened in the past. Children born out of wedlock, like today, was a common occurrence. People also had kids with other people while […]
Follow the Witness: They May Have the An...
Many of our artificial brick walls are caused by our inability to extract every clue from each source. One of my favorite suggestions is to tell people to Follow the Witness. Many of the most common sources we use, such as deed records, probate records and marriage records, are legal documents that in many cases needed […]
A Walk Through County Court Minutes
Have you ventured into the waters of county court records yet? I am a big fan of court records. Today, I’d like to show you what you can find in these records. As I’ve mentioned before, court records are an intermediate/advanced resource. I wouldn’t recommend them for beginners because of their complexity. It’s better […]
Researching U.S. Colored Troops
For many years now, I’ve been interested in researching U.S. Colored Troops who served in Union forces from the communities where my family lived. Almost 200,000 black people, slaves and free blacks, served in the Union Army and Navy. The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation began the process of large-scale recruitment of black men into the service as […]
Are You Using Your Genealogical and Hist...
Your local Genealogical and Historical (G&S) Society could be holding the key to important pieces of your research. Although the web has certainly enabled us to find things we may have found otherwise, the truth remains that the bulk of genealogical records are not online and likely never will be. This example illustrates how the […]
Tips on Using World War Draft Registrati...
World War Draft Registrations (World War I and World War II) are some of the most valuable records in genealogy research. These records are especially helpful for researching men born in the late 1870s or 1880s. The lack of a 1890 census record makes that 20-year-gap hard to cross. Read the Details It’s important to […]
Freedmens Bureau Jewels: “They are a rat
Familysearch released three more sets of Freedmens Bureau Field Office records recently.Now, the Bureau field office records for all southern states are online, free for viewing! Sign in at Familysearch.org, click on “Browse the records,” and then type “Freedmen” in the search box and the links for each state will appear. I cannot overemphasize how valuable […]
The Application for a Marriage License
This summer I discussed the little known record called Petition for Letters. This record often names all known heirs of a deceased individual. A similarly useful record is the Application for a Marriage License. We all seek out marriage records for our ancestors, but here’s one we may have missed. I have previously discussed the kinds […]
Slave Research in Community Papers
Slave research can be frustrating, but there are an endless array of records in which to uncover the lives of our ancestors. Many are little known and uncommon, but still filled with possibilities. What Are Community Papers? The private records of local citizens is one kind of valuable source. These are usually stored in the […]