GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: An 1870s Marriage Certificate Discovery with Connie Knox

 

Connie Knox from Genealogy TV joins me and the panel Melissa Barker, Laura Hedgecock, Shelley Murphy, and Mary Kircher Roddy to talk about the amazing find of an 1870s marriage certificate and how she researched and returned it to the family. 

Watch as Connie shares the steps she took to research the names on the certificate, discover the correct family and find a direct descendant of the couple. The process teaches a valuable lesson of applying sound genealogy research principles.

Have you ever researched to return a family heirloom home? We'd love to hear from you!

Links in This Episode: Genealogy TV 1870s Marriage Certificate Found in Thrift Shop: The Whole Story

Donate to Hope Harbor Home:

Hope Harbor Crisis Center: 310 Government Center Bolivia, NC 28422

Contact the Panelists:

Melissa Barker -A Genealogist in the Archives

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories

Shelley Murphey-The Family Tree Girl

Mary Kircher Roddy-MKR Genealogy

Cheri Hudson Passey-Carolina Girl Genealogy

 

Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode-please subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

Click Below to Share This Post!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Methodology Monday-The How and Why of Writing Sound Conclusions

GPS Element Number 5: Soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence.[1]

The fifth element in the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) can sometimes seem overwhelming. Maybe you are not feeling confident about your writing? 

Understanding what and how- plus some practice will help.

What is a Sound Conclusion and how do we write one?

 Writing about the process of answering our research question is simply sharing what we know and why we know it. Sound means that our writing makes sense and has the evidence to back it up.

Depending on what our research question was and what type of records and documents we have collected our written conclusion can be:

 Proof Statement-the answer to a research question easily with records that are credible with no conflict. These records would typically be original with primary information. When this is the case, a simple few sentences followed by source citations is all that is necessary. What was my question, how did I answer, and here’s my proof? Short and sweet.

Proof Summary -longer than a proof statement due to the number and types of records used to come up with a conclusion. The evidence for a proof summary should come from sources that include primary, original evidence with some being independent of each other.

There are different ways to write a proof summary. The conclusion can be written at the beginning or the end of the narrative. Bullet points can be used to show the reasons for your conclusion. 

Proof Arguments- used when a question that is harder to prove and a simple proof statement or summary is not enough to explain how you came to your conclusion. 

They usually involve complicated evidence with questions not easily answered.

• The beginning typically states the question, what is known about the person you are researching, and what you believe the conclusion to be.

• The middle will lay out all the information you have found and give the details as to why you have reached your conclusion. This should be easy for anyone to read and follow. For this section, you can use charts, maps, lists, or any other type of visual that will help to show the results of your research. The whole point of this section is to show that you feel you have answered the question and why. 

• The end will sum everything up and once again state the question and the conclusion 

For Each Type

Write clearly in a narrative format with foot or endnotes for our sources.  Many suggest a “write as you go” process. As you are consistent in writing where and when you searched, what you found and what your analysis shows, it becomes easier to plug this information into a written conclusion no matter the type.

To help you with your writing, read examples from genealogy journals such as The National Genealogical Society Quarterly

Look to see what else is available Nationally, State, or published by local societies.

The written conclusion is the last step in the Genealogical Proof Standard. In it, we show we have followed the other GPS elements and are working hard to do our best work. Other researchers can be assured that we have come to the best answers to our questions with the records available and know that they can trust our research.

Understanding these concepts and along with practicing by writing as you go will build your confidence in your writing and help you fulfill this element of the Genealogical Proof Standard.


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

---

[1] Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, second edition (Nashville, TN: Ancestry, 2019), 1–3.

Tuesday's Tips~Getting By with Help from Our Friends-Diana Elder

 This edition of Tuesday's Tips comes from our friend Diana Elder of Family Locket. Diana shares her tips on creating an objective to help focus our research.

3 Tips to Focus Your Research with an Objective

Have you ever been sucked into the whirlpool of internet record searches and after an hour or two surfaced wondering where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished?  It is so easy to get distracted by all the goodies that are available online: census records, birth certificates, cemetery records, and so much more.  How can you put some order into your research?  Try formulating an objective and watch your efforts come into focus.

An objective is simply a statement of what you want to accomplish. It can direct your research for an hour of web searching or it can keep you focused on a major project.  An objective will help you feel proactive with your family history efforts and even when you don’t find a record, you will feel successful.

Writing an objective is the first step in keeping a research log. Besides grounding a research log, a research objective can also guide you through a more involved project There are numerous goals we have as family historians and thinking through an objective and writing it down can help us achieve our goals.  Here are some tips to help you fine tune your research.

Tip # 1    Craft your objective with the end in mind

Decide what you really want to accomplish.  What is the end result of your research going to be?  Maybe you’re writing a family history or a blog post.  You could be working on a project for accreditation or certification. Perhaps you’re working on a brick wall research problem. Think carefully about the research project you want to tackle.

 Tip #2    Break up large objectives into smaller pieces

A large objective like writing a four generation report on your family would need to be broken up into several small, doable objectives, such as “Discover the military service of John Smith, born 1774 in Caroline County, Virginia and died 1804 in Green County, Georgia.

In crafting a research objective, consider whether you’d like to identify a person, discover a relationship, or find event information. Once you’ve decided what the focus of the research project will be, create an objective using key identifiers such as the full name, birth, and death dates and places, or marriage information.

After your objective is written, view it from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know your family. Could they perform acceptable research from the details you included? No need to include all background information on the research question in the objective, just the basics.

Tip # 3  Record your objective

What’s the use of crafting a useful objective if you can’t refer to it, again and again, to keep you on track?  Put it at the top of your research log or research notebook page.  Include it in the opening paragraph of your family history or research report.  Type it out and put it on your wall for the book you’re writing. As you’re researching, stick to your objective and resist the temptation to hop websites.      

Creating an objective is the first step in the “Research Like a Pro” process. The next steps are:

– Review your research with new eyes by creating your own timeline analysis.
– Construct a locality guide to direct your research.
– Create a plan to keep your research on track.
– Style source citations, giving your work credibility.
– Set up a research log to organize and track your searches.
– Write a report detailing your findings and ideas for future research.

Interested in knowing more? Check out several more blog posts on the subject at FamilyLocket.com.

Bio

Diana Elder AG® is a professional genealogist, author, and speaker. She is accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Diana graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education and has turned her passion for teaching to educating teens and adults in proven genealogy techniques. Diana is the author of Research Like a Pro: A Genealogists Guide and creator of the “Research Like a Pro” study group. She writes regular articles for FamilyLocket.com, the genealogy website created by her daughter, Nicole Dyer. She presents regularly at genealogy conferences, sharing the methods she uses every day to solve challenging genealogical problems.

Thanks so much, Diana, for your great tips on creating an objective to help us stay focused!



Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Thank you Crista Cowen!

  Tuesday, I took a few minutes to sit down, relax and watch Crista Cowen, on Ancestry.com Livestream, as she talked about Correcting Mistakes in Your Family Tree. If you've never watched Crista and her fun tips about genealogy research and Ancestry.com, I would encourage you to do so. You can watch the Livestream broadcasts whether or not you have an ancestry.com subscription. They are archived if you can't tune in on Tuesdays.
 I do need to say that although I have an ancestry.com banner on my blog, I have never received any compensation from them, nor will I for this post!

 I have been using Ancestry.com since it came on line so I thought I was using the features as well as I could...until Crista showed this drop down box under Tree pages. This box is right next to your ancestry,com on line Tree Name. 

Screen Capture:Tree pages Drop Down Box -Ancestry.com

The drop down box leads to this when clicking on Tree Overview: A detailed page of all the comments, pictures, hints, etc. that you have on your tree! 

Screen Capture: Tree Overview page Ancestsry.com

WHY hadn't I noticed it before?! OK, I am sure everyone else who uses Ancestry.com already knew it was there!

Looking at the right side of the page, I noticed this list:

Screen Capture Hints on Tree Overview page Ancestry.com

Oh, my goodness! Hints listed in a manageable way! Instead of looking at that Shaky Leaf at the top of my Home Page and feeling a bit overwhelmed, I could have been coming here and looking for specific types of Hints.

 I started with photo's first. Skimming through a list of only 385 seemed reasonable. It didn't take long to find these pictures.

Screen Capture Picture Hint Results Ancestry.com

 The links were for two of the sisters of Arthur Wellington Baker (1857-1940),  my Paternal Great Great Grandfather. 

Mary Ellen Baker Richardson (1853-1946)
Picture Courtesy Sarah Fulton, Ancestry.com

Laura Montgomery Baker (1858-1948)
Picture Courtesy Sarah Fulton,Ancestry.com

   Next, I clicked on the Stories link and found these. 

Screen Capture Stories Results page Ancestry.com

  Susan Rebecca Thames Beatson (1853-1940) was the daughter of my 3rd Great Grandparents, Thomas Lemuel Thames (1827-1863) and Rebecca H. Stukes (1830-1870).  The links led me to information about Rebecca, her parents and her brother Benjamin Thomas Thames (1854-1931). my Paternal Great Great Grandfather.

Story submitted by fordafunofit Ancestry.com

Story Submitted by cbcabler Ancestry.com 

    In an hour, just by finding one tab that I didn't know was there, I was able to find pictures and stories about my ancestors and their families. I have reached out to the submitter of each and asked to be able to share information with them. Hopefully they will respond so that I can get source information that will tell me how accurate the stories are and make sure the pictures are who they are reported to be.
In any case, I have more clues to go on and a new understanding of tools to help me with my research.
  So, thanks Crista Cowen! I will be watching again next week!

©Cheri Hudson Passey