Add 'Bits and Pieces'



Working on your family and history can take many hours of research and work. Yet, doing just a few ‘bits and pieces’ of shorter research and collection can quickly expand your family tree. Here are a few ideas — short activities, try to do at least one and see how much your can gather.

Check the Federal and State Censuses for each ancestors and extended family member. You may have already done each for the years they were alive but did you really go over the details? If alive in 1900 census, did you check person in the household for their birth month and year. There could be a few surprises. Many individuals, including the mother, did not remember for sure the birth month of each child, especially if there were many births. Even an individual may not or want to reveal their age by stating the actual birth year, instead selected to make-up a year. Tied with that is the listing of mother of how many children she had given birth to by 1900 and how many still alive by that date. Possibly some interesting new information right there.  

Place the needed phone calls for ordering or requesting information from a hometown courthouse. This can help to find out if a specific records is available, if so order it on the phone and you can provide a credit card number to cover the cost.

An hard to find ancestor, try using Google search placing the name (try different variations of spelling or using initials) and see what might turn up. Someone else, a distant cousin could have placed a question on a genealogical mailing list or established a web site of family members. Even if you did this awhile back, things and databases do get updated, so try again.

Go through a small patch at a time of family photos. Add any comments or names and locations if not done so yet. If time, scan a few also until all are done.

Recheck the free online FamilySearch.org site for the newest databases added. There just might be an additional for a family hometown that could prove helpful.

Facebook sites have general genealogical information and sources. Start checking out one or more for extra techniques or the newest databases. One would be ‘Genealogy & Historical Databases‘ and another Genealogy Tips‘.

Photos: Phone calls, 1930 Federal Census; FamilySearch.org; and Facebook Genealogy.

Related FamilyTree.com blogs:

Family History Ideas

Genealogy Tips

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