Getting Started
Written By: mic
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Oct•
05•12
Mic’s Philosophies of Genealogy
1) No Record Group in the United States Was Ever Created for Genealogical Purposes.
2) Absence of Proof, Is Not Proof of Absence
3) Seek Information, Not Affirmation
4) Follow the Money!
History of Genealogy
Just how many ancestors do you have?
Nobility-Titles-Primogeniture, Inheritance
1840’s
1890-1920’s
1930-1940’s
1950-1960’s
1970 (Roots 1976)-1980’s
1990’s Computers
1995-Internet
2000’s Digitalization
History vs Genealogy vs Family History
History-study of events
Genealogy-study of one’s family members
Family History-Study of one’s family members especally in the context of the life
history and current events experienced by that family member
PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH
Names: Given Names
Biblical Names used in both North and South
Names of qualities used in New England and by Quakers:
Faith, Hope, Charity, Mirth, Mercy, Silence, Remember
Children often named for grandparents, parents, etc
Children named for a grandparent when a previously born child with that name died.
Often children not named at all for a given period of time due to high rate of death
among children.
Nicknames/Pet Names
Nancy=Ann
Agnes=Nancy
Margaret=Peggy, Maggie, Mitzi, Meg
Martha=Patsy, Patty
Mary=Molly, Polly
Abigail=Abby
Elizabeth=Betty, Beth, Lizzy, Liz
Tom/Tommie/Tommy=Thomas
Bill/Billy/Billie=William
Bob/Bobby/Bobbie/Rob/Robin=Robert
Surnames
100 Most Common Surnames in the US and their meanings
Last name meanings and origins
Handwriting
Look a like letters
I & J; L & S; T & F: U & V; e & o; n & u; a & o;
Double SS, FF, PP
Abbreviations of words and names
Ditto, Do; deceased, dec’d; said, sd;
George, Geo; Washington, Washtn; Senior, Sr, Sen; Pettypool, PPool, Pool, Petty.
Archaic words-
Ye/the/thou
Latin terms:
Anno Domini, AD
Circa, about;
sine prole (d.s.p.) died without issue;
et alii, et. al
and others; etcetera, etc;
Punctuation
Use of upper and lower case letters throughout documents with commas, periods either present or non existant.
Frederick Nance LWT example; Charlotte Jane Blanton
No standardized spelling prior to Webster’s dictionary people wrote phonetically
Name spelling-common to see the same name spelled two or different ways in the same document.
Spelling of names:
Barnet, Barnett, Barnette, Bernard, Barnard, Burnett
Farr, Pharr, Fair
Felts, Feltz, Phelps
Jones, Goens
Goings, Goynes, Guynes
McCown, McCowan, McKown, McKowan, McQuen, McKeown
Deciphering Old Handwriting
Cursive Writing In The US
Relationships
Jr/Sr=Younger/Older
In-law/step relations= could be “by-law” meaning a “step” relationship
Cousin=a relationship outside the immediate family circle
Brother=may be a religious connotation-Puritan, Quaker, Baptist, etc
German/Germane=especially, Brothers, Sisters or Cousins Germane. This means the brother and sisters had the same parents or the cousins had parents who were siblings of the same parents
Niece/Nephew could be Latin for (neptis) grand daughter or (nepos) grandson
My now wife= often used in a Will to protect rights of the current wife in case there is a future spouse. There may or may not have been a previous wife.
Cousin Relationship Chart:
Titles
Esquire=in early England one titled Esq was able to bear arms and next in social precedence to a knight. Today this title is frequently used by attorneys.
Gentleman=signified gentle birth but a rung down from Esquire.
Colonel=often honorary
Mr or Mrs=a title, not necessarily signifying marital status
Goodman or Goodwife= means head or mistress of a household
Royal Ranks and Titles
Colonial Society
Colonial American Social Classes
Calendars/Dating
Julian Calendar changed to Gregorian Calendar in 1752 in Britain and her colonies. Other countries began Gregorian calendar in other years.
Under Julian (Ecclesiastical) calendar the year began March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) which is 9 months prior to Christ’s birth (December 25).
Double Dating: March 20, 1720 should be written March 20, 1720/1 as it falls between Jan 1 and March 24 prior to 1752
Evidence
Primary-best evidence. Usually an original record of evidence by an eye-witness near the occurrence of the event.
Secondary-created at a later time not necessarily by an eye witness
Direct-best evidence. (Direct) Evidence supplied near time of event by an eye witness
Circumstantial-(indirect) evidence that may infer or may appear to be correct
Collateral-evidence found in a source having nothing to do with the purpose being researched
Hearsay-based on what one has heard from another source.
Weight (and power) of the Evidence
Writing Queries That Demand Replies
http://ancestry.com
http://www.Rootsweb.com
In Subject line-
Give a short eye-catching title- usually names and places
In the Body-
Ask a question-Seeking; Looking For; Who Was?
Capitalize and Bold surnames
Do not use all caps or small letters
Be sure to use Names, Dates and Places
Use close knit associated names
Keep query short
Keep query focused on one person, family, place
Offer to pay or reimburse expenses
Keep query relevant to where (name, place, subject or mailing list or publication) query is posted
If mailing query to a traditional paper publication follow instructions set by that publication
If mailing query to a person using snail mail, include a SASE
Some Suggested Books:
Ancestry’s Red Book-Out of Print-Chapters available on Ancestry.com
Board for Certification of Genealogists. Genealogy Standards, 50th-anniversary edition. Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2014.
Everton’s Handybook for Genealogists-Out of Print
Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000.
Jones, Thomas W. Mastering Genealogical Proof. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2013.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown, editor. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001.
Szucs, Lorretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy
Thorndale, Richard and Dollardhide, William, Map Guide to the United State Censuses 1790-1920
Essential Forms and Travel Tips
Family Tree Magazine Genealogical Essentials and Trip Packing List
Dallas Area Libraries with Genealogical Collections
National Archives Records Center 501 West Felix Street Bldg 1, Fort Worth, TX 76115 http://www.archives.gov/southwest/
Dallas Public Library 1515 Young Street Dallas, TX 75201 http://Dallaslibrary.org
Grand Prairie Public Library 901 Conover Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75051 http://www.gptx.org/library/
Family History Centers-World Wide
Dallas Area Genealogical Societies
Garland Genealogical Society-disbanded 2001
Search Engines
Genealogical Software Comparison
Genealogical Forms
Free forms are available at rootsweb.com and Family Tree Magazine as well as many genealogical software programs
Forms From Rootsweb.com
Types of Forms You Will Find in sites listed above:
Family Group Sheet
Pedigree/Lineage/Ancestral Chart
Census Forms-US, UK and Canada
Census History Chart
Correspondence Record Chart
Research Calendar
Research Extract Form
Source Summary Form
Genealogical News
Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogical Column http://eogn.com
Helpful Websites You Can’t Live Without:
Websites
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