Genealogy Gold by Ancestral Findings

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GC-017: What Years Have Census Records? Apr 29, 2019

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Beginning in 1790, the United States took a census of the entire country every ten years. This tradition is still continuing today. The census records are divided by state, then county, then city or town. However, this does not mean the exact census you are looking for will be available. Many counties and entire states have had their records lost in the earliest censuses, usually the ones between 1790 and 1830. And, of course, there is the infamous case of the entirely vanished 1890 census, which was destroyed in a fire in the 1930s, leaving family historians across the country with a frustrating 20-year gap in their research records. Also, federal law prohibits census records from being released to the public for 72 years after they were taken, to protect individual privacy. So far, all records that exist from 1790 to 1940 have been released. The 1950 census is scheduled to be released to the public on April 1, 2022.

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AF-244: Tips for Using Birth Records to Ensure Success in Your Genealogy Apr 26, 2019

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There are dozens, even hundreds, of different records you can use to compile your family history when doing genealogy research. Each one tells a different story about your ancestor. When you put them all together, resolve any discrepancies between them, and use your genealogical skills to read between the lines, you get a fuller, richer picture of your ancestor's life and times. That's the ultimate goal of the advanced and/or professional researcher. Discovering as many records as you can that mention your ancestors is key to getting every last possible detail about their lives.

While you may think it's a basic thing to use birth records in genealogy, these records can be useful for advanced researchers in entirely new ways. Every genealogist should start with using the basic birth, death, marriage, and census records pertaining to their ancestors. Here are some tips for how advanced researchers can use birth records to ensure success in their genealogy.

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GC-016: Call the County Clerk, City Clerk, or Church that Manages the Cemeteries Apr 25, 2019

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It is often easy to make a good guess as to where your ancestor's burial location may be. They are typically in one of the cemeteries closest to where they lived, or on the property of the church, they belonged to. Of course, there are exceptions, such as people who were buried on family farms, or in far away locations when they died while traveling, or if they wanted to be buried near relatives who didn't live nearby. But a cemetery close by is generally your best bet as far as guesses go.

Cemeteries that are still managed by a city, county, or church usually have records as to who is buried in them and where. You can often get the exact burial location, whether it is marked or not, just by calling the entity that manages the cemetery. If you decide to go visit it, the management can give you directions to the location of the burial, or provide you with a map so you can find it on your own.

If the cemetery is a really old one and is no longer managed by any entity, you may still be able to get burial records for it by going to the local archives or historical society.

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AF-243: Free Genealogy Resources to Bring Your Ancestors to Life Apr 24, 2019

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It's wonderful that we live in an age where a lot of genealogy research can be done online. We don't have to drive long distances and pay large sums of money to get access to many different record sets anymore. While there is no substitution for in-person research to find ALL of the available records concerning your ancestors and to get the true story of who they were and how they lived, you can still find out so much online. While many of the best-known genealogy websites are subscription-based, it doesn't mean you are forced to pay large amounts of money to do online research. There are some really good free genealogy websites that can give you some excellent information that will help you get to know your ancestors better. These are some of the best free genealogy websites for bringing your ancestors back to life in your research and writings.

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GC-015: Check for an Obituary Apr 23, 2019

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If you can't find a death certificate, such as if your ancestor died before his or her county or state started requiring the issuance of them, look in the old newspapers of the area to see if you can find an obituary. The time and place of the funeral, as well as the burial location, are often revealed in obituaries, even quite old ones. Once you have the name of the cemetery, finding the burial location is usually a simple matter.

Many old newspapers are now online, both on free and membership genealogy websites like GenealogyBank.com, Newspapers.com, and others. You can search for obituaries on those websites. If the newspapers from your ancestor's area are not online, you can always go to the local historical society and see if they have records of old newspapers on microfilm. If you don't live close to the historical society, you can call them and see if they will do a lookup for you. Many of them will. You can also try contacting the newspaper itself to ask where it keeps old issues and how you can search them.

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AF-242: Why It's Important to Preserve Ancient Family Traditions Apr 19, 2019

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Every time period and every family has its traditions. Often, the two mix. Sometimes, they are separate. They are all important to our understanding of our families and our heritage. That is why they should be preserved. Part of your genealogical research should always be to find out about the traditions of the times in which your ancestors lived, and any special family traditions, and then record them for posterity. If you don't, these important historical details may be lost, and our understanding of our families and of the past may suffer because of it. This is your genealogical responsibility.

The good news is that it is fun to learn about traditions from the past. The traditions we celebrate as a society and as individual families today have changed from practices that may have been far different from what we know now. Tracing the traditions of such holidays as Easter and Christmas, for example, shows how they started, the way they changed with the times, and the way they got to be what they are today. Knowing these things helps us understand the world in which our ancestors lived much better, and gives us a stronger idea of what kind of people they were, as well as what their beliefs and values most likely were. These are rich and important details to add to any family history and are particularly important if you are turning a family history into historical fiction. Even if you're writing nonfiction, details on traditions can flesh out the book and make the people in it more real to your audience...

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AF-241: 3 Genealogy Societies Every Serious Genealogist Should Join Apr 17, 2019

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Even if you just do genealogy casually, you should join a few genealogical societies in order to learn about the newest research collections, research methods, and to read stories of genealogical successes that can inspire you. If you do genealogy professionally or as a serious amateur researcher, you probably need to belong to several societies in order to keep on the cutting edge of the profession/hobby. Whether you are a casual or professional/serious genealogist, these are the three genealogical societies you should definitely join, at a minimum. Everyone who does genealogy on any level should belong to these groups.

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AF-240: Family History Questions You May Not Have Thought to Ask Apr 12, 2019

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Are you getting ready to do family history interviews with your older relatives? Don't forget to ask these important questions.

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AF-239: Some Free Genealogical Resources You Might Not Have Considered Apr 10, 2019

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There are plenty of free genealogical resources to use online. Some are well-known, others less so. Today, I'll give you eight little-known free online genealogical resources that you can use to build your family tree without breaking your bank or wallet.

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AF-238: How to Locate Hidden Genealogical Gems on FamilySearch.org Apr 09, 2019

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FamilySearch.org is the most popular free genealogy website online, and often one of the first ones new genealogists use. Their collection of records is impressive… it's the largest in the world. However, billions of its billions of records are still not indexed. Today, I'll talk about how to find some hidden gems on the website, even without the benefit of indexing.

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