Today's Tips come from Lisa Lisson from the blog Are You My Cousin?.
Rabbit Trails, Dirty
Laundry and Second Looks
Genealogy Tips to Move Forward in
Your Research
Genealogy can be a solitary pursuit. We sit behind our
computers or in quiet archives silently tracking our ancestors.
But it doesn’t have to be!
Getting together with genealogy friends is just plain fun.
Who else understands our excitement over an 1811 tax record?!
Besides the comradery, the tips and skills I learn from my
genealogy friends are invaluable.
Today I’m sharing three tips I find many of us (myself
included!) sometimes overlook.
1. Avoid the Rabbit Trails - Write
Out Your Research Plan.
Before sitting down to research your ancestors, do you know
what you are looking for? Specifically?
Are you searching Wake County, NC marriage records of George
Harward and Elizabeth Sugg? Are you searching the estate records of George
Harward for evidence of his wife’s name?
Or….
Are you searching for Harwards in North Carolina?
You will be much more successful in your search if you know
specifically what you are looking for and where you have already looked. This
will help you stay off those interesting rabbit trails you invariably find in
the records.
2. Read the Court Records – Better
Than Reality TV!
Court records are frequently not online, so I go after these
specifically when I research on-site. Some cases may be too long to read in
their entirety on-site, so get a copy to take home. If your ancestors were litigious (as mine
seem to have been!), they will air their family’s “dirty laundry” in court.
For example, Marion Talbot of Halifax County, VA along with
his siblings sought to sue their father Langley Talbot for land that was their
mother’s (Sarah Blanks). At her death,
the siblings believed they were entitled to it as their inheritance. (The court agreed.)
That one 70-page court record provided the following
information on the Talbot family. This was one brick wall that was obliterated!
·
Langley Talbot & Sarah Blanks never married.
·
Sarah’s first (and only legal) husband and child
from that marriage were named
·
Sarah’s death date was given
·
Sarah and Langley’s children were named
including three previously unknown children who had left the area.
·
Clues for Sarah’s maiden name were provided
·
Oh yes, and the discovery of insanity in the family.
Have you searched for
your ancestors in the court records?
3. Take a Second Look at Previously
Researched Databases
This sounds counter intuitive, but let’s think through this
genealogy research tip.
Much of our genealogy research is done on the computer. We are so fortunate to be able to have such a
plethora of resources online. But, you
have heard it before….
Not everything you need to research your ancestors is
online. In fact, most is not!
The good news is more and more genealogical records are
coming online. Older databases are being
updated and new records added. After a
year of checking, the above Halifax County court records mentioned above became
available online. Since the project of digitizing all of the Halifax County
court records is not completed, I continue to check back and search any newly
added records.
Periodically, go back
to previously researched databases and see what is now online.
Yes, sometimes we need a little help
from our genealogy friends! What are your best genealogy tips?
Lisa Lisson is the genealogist and blogger behind Are You My Cousin?.
Lisa believes researching your genealogy does not have to be overwhelming. All you need is a solid plan, a genealogy
toolbox, and the knowledge to use those tools. Passionate about genealogy
research and helping others find resources and tools to confidently research their
genealogy, Lisa can be found at LisaLisson.com,
Facebook,
and Pinterest.
Thanks for the tips, Lisa!
I once found a child on a census that I missed the first time!
What have you discovered when going back over your previous research? We'd love to hear from you!
Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.
Together we can find our people.
Thanks so much for stopping by!