Genealogy how tos with Michael John Neill
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first cousin of my great grandfather that I forgot I had. Will post
updates if there are any major discoveries.
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Michael John Neill
Weekly How-to Column Casefile Clues
http://www.casefileclues.com
Casefile Clues is written by a genealogist for genealogists. As a result, focus on research is our top priority and I'm usually aware of what works and what doesn't. Our proofreader also is a very highly experienced genealogist. Neither of us are new to research. I've been researching my family history long before I ever started writing ( I was 13 when I began my family research). For me Casefile Clues and my writing began as a way to hone my research skills and share my research experiences with others.
Casefile Clues accepts no advertising and isn't selling anything either (other than back issues). Consequently there are no advertisers I have to worry about keeping happy. I don't have to mention certain products or services every so often, nor do I have to plug specific websites, books, etc. If I mention a site, book, etc. it is because I actually used it, not because someone told me to. Not having sponsors is very freeing.
In many ways Casefile Clues is a one-person show, but there are exceptions.* I don't have anyone with minimal genealogical experience looking over my shoulder, approving content, making suggestions,telling me what to do, telling me what to write about, etc. Decisions about content, style, etc. are made by me. There isn't anyone else from whom I have to get approval, permission, etc. when I decide to write about something. Some genealogy "how-to" magazines have non-genealogists making content and editorial decisions. That's not the case at Casefile Clues. *The exception is the fact that Sue H. is a great help as my proofreader and she is a great asset (interestingly enough, we've never met in person). We also get help from R. M. which is greatly appreciated.
Casefile Clues is reliant on reader support to spread the news. I know there are several who have helped us by telling others about the newsletter. That is greatly appreciated.
We've got some interesting things coming up over the next few months. Join us and get in on the fun. ¶ 8:09 AM 0 Comments
Subscribe now and I'll start your subscription off with issue 28. More interesting things are on the way. ¶ 8:03 AM 0 Comments
In honor of crossing this milestone, we're offering Fans the chance to subscribe at the old annual price of $15.00 this weekend. This offer ends Saturday (6 February 2010 at 11:59 CST). The offer can be accessed by clicking here to make a credit card payment.
If you need other payment options, email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com
Thanks for all the support guys...I appreciate it. ¶ 5:53 PM 0 Comments
- 21-25 click here
- 21-26 click here
- 21-27 click here
- other sets, let me know at mjnrootdig@gmail.com
- Sources--Some weeks Casefile Clues focuses on a specific source or type of record, discussing how that source can be accessed, researched, and interpreted.
- Methodology--Some weeks Casefile Clues works on one of Michael's problems. Many times these problems are "in progress," and Casefile Clues reflects that by explaining what was researched, why it was researched, and where to go next (and why).
- Case Studies--Some weeks Casefile Clues focuses on a specific record on a specific person and analyzes that record, discusses what it says (and what it does not) and where to go next based upon that person and the specific record.
- Citations--Casefile Clues includes citations of sources and records. Articles can easily be read without them, but we include citations for those who prefer to have them and we do try and model citations in the style of Evidence Explained.
- Reasons--Casefile Clues tries to give you insight into why certain research avenues were pursued over others. Often the genealogist simply does not have time or money to locate every piece of paper available. Sometimes it is necessary to go with what likely will give us the "most bang for the buck."
- Readable--We work very hard to make Casefile Clues readable. Columns are not "fluff" or generic "how-to" pieces.
- Coverage--Casefile Clues covers all American time periods and records. All families discussed come from the ancestry of Michael's children who lived in a variety of states and countries. All examples are from actual families on which Michael has worked or is working. If you are subscribing when Casefile Clues begins discussing Philip Troutfetter, you'll see that you just can't make this stuff up.
Upcoming
We have several topics coming up over the next several months:
- Continuation of our "hiring a professional" series.
- Discussion of whether Michael should get pension, bounty land, and service records on three War of 1812 veterans.
- Continuation of Michael's search for the parents of Ira Sargent, born ca. 1846 in Canada and dropped off by the UFO into Illinois in 1880.
- A continuation of our series on the Frame/Apgar-Demar family of Chicago, including name changes, "evaporating husbands," and more.
- Work on Sarah [---] Willis Hudson Rush Turberville who died in Orange County, Virginia, in the 1760s.
Join us and get in on the fun! An annual subscription to the weekly Casefile Clues is only $15. Casefile Clues is delivered weekly to your email inbox as an attached PDF file. Casefile Clues is unique and won't break your genealogical piggy bank!
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This originally appeared in the Ancestry Blog on 24 February 2008
The Baby is Thick and Fat: Clues in 1880s Letters to Nebraska
Local gossip. Worries about money. News about the children. The content of the letters is not all that extraordinary. But when they are written by your relative in 1887, they take on additional significance.
A cousin sent me digital copies of three letters written by my ancestor Lina Ufkes in the late 1880s. Like any record, they need to be fit into my ancestor's life. And they need to be analyzed for additional clues.
Written to Whom?
It would have been easier if Lina had specifically named the letter’s recipients, but the greeting on each letter is "Dear brother-in-law and sister"--no specific salutation. To determine the likely recipients, I had to look at the families of both the writer and her husband.
Lina Ufkes had no sisters of marriageable age in the late 1880s. This eliminated her family. Her husband, John Ufkes, had only two living sisters in 1887--one in Nebraska and one in Germany. Since the letters mention relatives known to have been in Nebraska in 1887 and indicate that greetings should be passed on to them, it seemed reasonable the Nebraska sister was the intended recipient.
In addition, the individual who sent me the letters obtained them from her grandmother who had cared for an unmarried son of the Nebraska sister (from whom she suspected her grandmother got the letters).
From all this I came to the conclusion that Lina was writing the letters to John and Antje Ufkes Harms who were living in Franklin County, Nebraska in 1900s. My reasoning and conclusions about the letter’s recipients are included in my transcriptions of the letters, and in my genealogical software package.
Getting a Date
Of the three letters, only one is dated (20 September 1887). One of the undated letters mentions the birth of a son, Bertus, on the 10th of March--"a thick and fat baby." This same letter also mentions the recent marriage of the pastor (unnamed) and the engagement of the pastor's sister to a neighbor, Tonjes Goldenstein. By learning the dates of these events, I was able to narrow the date of this letter to 1887 or 1888. One letter remains undated.
Who Is Mentioned?
Lina mentions several people in her letters. I already suspected who several of them were, but in order to reduce the chance of incorrect conclusions, I referred to information already known about Lina and John's family. In the letter mentioning the birth of her son, Lina actually mentions all her children. Son Johann (age eleven or twelve) is helping his father on the farm; Trientje, Lina, and Hinrich are going to school. Gerhard is too young for that, but does attend Sunday School and son Eilt has been sick for the past month.
In the apparent second paragraph of this letter, Lina asks the Harmses to send greetings to “Uncle Rolf” and to “Eilt and Trientje and Hinrich Habben.” The last three individuals mentioned are nephews and a niece of John Ufkes, children of his sister Christena Ufkes Habben. They were easy to figure out. Her husband was named Rolf and is apparently the “Uncle Rolf” mentioned in the letter.
I was confused. Why did Lina refer to Rolf as “uncle” when he was clearly John's brother-in-law? Did she make a mistake? Was the translation done? It turns out both Lina and the translator were right. It was I who very nearly jumped to the wrong. Rolf Habben did marry John's sister, Christina; but she was his second wife. His first wife was the sister of John Ufkes’s mother. This was why Lina referred to Rolf Habben as an “uncle” instead of a "brother-in-law." This is a good reminder to never attempt to “fix” a document by correcting it while transcribing.
In a future column, we’ll discuss a few other items Lina mentions and indicate how those items were researched. In the meantime, getting the letters was a real treat for me and analyzing them caused me to revisit some research that I had not looked at in quite some time.
General Suggestions
Here are some tips regarding family correspondence:
¶ 1:34 PM 0 Comments~ Review the family structure of the letter writer, including extended family and family by marriage. Some individuals may only be mentioned by first name.
~ If the letter is in a foreign language, consider getting more than one translation, particularly if the handwriting is difficult to read.
~ Try and place every person in the letter--even those that are not relatives.
~ Do not “correct” the document. Comments about potential errors can be added separately where they clearly do not appear to be part of the document itself.
~ Never give up hope. I had been researching Lina for more than twenty-five years before I learned of the existence of these letters.
~ Try and track down your own extended family for such materials. These letters were sent to me by a relative who descends from one of my great-great-grandfather’s sisters.
The following items from the Cook County, Illinois, area (highly summarized here) are a part of the research contract:
- William Frame name change petition
- Real estate documents for three Chicago area addresses
- Pullman Collection research on several family members
Two items have been partially researched with some success. Updated details will be published in future issues of Casefile Clues. ¶ 7:32 AM 0 Comments
Subscribe today and I'll start your subscription with this issue. ¶ 8:54 AM 0 Comments
Andrew sold some of his land and allowed the buyer to only pay half the amount and mortgage the rest. The mortgage was recorded directly after the deed. Some research will continue on the mortgagee to see if he is a potential relative. ¶ 12:21 PM 0 Comments
Here are somethings we are working on for future issues:
- An update on my "hiring a professional researcher" article. We'll take a look at parts of the contract, my expectations, her expectations, etc. I'll discuss why certain records were or were not included. And we'll discuss times (briefly as we've done some of it before) when to hire a professional, when to have a consultation, and when a "lookup" may be all you need.
- An update on Ira Sargent---one reader re-subbed her quarterly subscription because she wanted to know what happened to Ira. Well, I don't know all that much more about him than what has been written about him and his family in earlier editions of Casefile Clues. My road trip to Rockford, Illinois, where his likely father died, hopefully will come off in the next month or so and I'll have a report to make.
- An update on Andrew Trask--our focus in issue 27. I've followed up on some of the suggestions in that issue and have made some headway on this native of Massachusetts born in the 1810s.
- A transcription of one War of 1812 pension. Two sets of records I received have "issues" and I need to get them again so I can compare the two sets of copies---then they will be discussed in an upcoming column.
- Ira Sargent was put in an Illinois state mental hospital. I have information on the process, just need to get it started. Maybe some Casefile Clues readers will nag me until it gets done (grin!).
- Occupational records on members of the Frame and Demar families from the Pullman Car Company in Chicago. Those may answer some of the questions discussed in previous issues on those families.
- A discussion of a will from the 1760 era in Virginia.
Subscribe now and get in on the fun. Suggestions are always welcomed.
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In Andrew's case, his first marriage took place relatively shortly after his migration across the country. Because of that, it has the potential to contain clues to his origins "back east." His second marriage, a few years later in a different location, doesn't have quite that potential. The reasons why and how I know both guys are the "same one" are discussed in issue 27.
Subscribe now and get in on the fun. Issue 27 has not been sent yet and subscribers who join before it goes out will have their subscriptions begin with that issue. I have some ideas on Andrew Trask that are being followed up for future issues. ¶ 3:19 PM 0 Comments
I've just copied an email from a reader in Florida who shared with me her research experience with Google Books.
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Must tell you, Michael, after receiving the current newsletter. I read it bright and early Fri. morning and started trying to make some "hits" but no luck until I put the names of my great grandparents in the search.
Well, I had no idea where they came from in Ireland. I only have info on the US side of the family. Up came the partial message that was placed in the Irish immigrants advertisements in the Boston Pilot. I got the Vol. # and name of the book. Our library had only 4 volumes and I needed # 7. That afternoon we went to the library in Bradenton, looked up vol. 7 and there was the ad, giving the parish name and city in Ireland. I wondered how I was ever going to find out where they came from. Well, now I have a starting place to continue searching. In one short day from getting your newletter I was able to find out something about the Irish relatives. Now to look at the FHC film.
-------------------Hopefully others have had good luck as well. ¶ 2:00 PM 0 Comments
Down the road, I'll be analyzing some of the items I found in Google Books and hope to have even more information and ideas to discuss. ¶ 1:41 PM 1 Comments
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