records
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An Ancestor’s Cause of Death
May 21
You have gotten several relatives official death certificates. Of special interest would be what was written for the person's cause of death. What might be written can be hard to read or even difficult to know what it is. What you may have missed is a special number that comes from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), or the Interna...
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Between 1880 and 1900 Federal Censuses
May 1
Only a few states took part in 1885 in the semi-decennial census suggested by the Federal government in 1879. It was for most states and territories to do their own state census, but unfortunately ... they did not. They would not realize how important the 1885 state census would be in the future. With the fire nearly destroying the 1890 Federal Cen...
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Digital State Archives
Mar 25
A good resource to investigate is what is available in the ancestral home state archives. The longer an ancestor lived in a specific state the more likely there can be quite a few records to search. Even if the relative lived but a few years in a certain state, do check that state's archives to see if anything is present. The variety of items in a...
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FamilySearch – Italy
Mar 11
There are many Italian immigrates who came to America all during the late 1800s and into the 1900s. There may well be family branches still living in Italy, that would be fun to locate. A good starting point in research relating to databases for Italy is the free FamilySearch.org on the nation of Italy. Here there are some 42 different dat...
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FamilySearch – England
Mar 9
Many people have ties to England, part of the United Kingdom, especially since America was a British colony before 1776. Yet, many will have ancestors who came to America all during the 1800s and into the 1900s. There may well be family branches still living in England, that would be fun to locate. A good starting point in research relating to dat...
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Plymouth Archive Research
Feb 11
There is online the Plymouth Archive covering 1620 to 1691 with some items beyond those dates. You'll find court records, colony laws, 17th-century journals and memoirs, probate inventories, wills, town plans, maps and fort plans, all relating to the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts. The site is laid out like a research room: Click the area you wa...
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Pennsylvanian Civil Marriages 1677 – 1950
Feb 9
This state was part of the original 13 American / British colonies and has a very long history. Many different ethnic groups eventually settled in the colony of Pennsylvania. Even after it was a state, it was home to millions of people, many may have been your ancestors. FamilySearch.org site (free to use) has 1.1 million images covering 1677 to 1...
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Useful Ideas when Searching on Google
Jan 25
Google is a great search engine for finding just about anything, but not necessarily your family tree. However, here are a few ideas to improve your chances of finding more about a hometown, a business or an ancestor using Google. First, narrow the search. Place quote marks (") around the names or keywords you are searching. If it is a person's na...
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Investigate 1880 US Federal Census
Jan 19
If any ancestors on your family tree lived any part of their life in the United States (including territories) in the month of June 1880, you need to make sure you have completely examined all the questions asked on that census. It is a wealth of information. The US President in 1880 was Rutherford Hayes. Especially since the next census done in 18...
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Avoid Unintentional Booby-Traps
Jan 11
You have worked on researching your family history and have a good start on the creation of the family tree. Yet, even the most experienced researcher can fall into an unintentional booby-trap. Normally a 'booby-trap' refers to a set up by someone to scare or harm someone else. The following instead are unintentional booby-traps that were unknowing...