I had a 3rd great-grandparent mistake due to careless sourcing. I discovered, and corrected, the mistake thanks to a DNA match.
Online Research Blog Posts
Social
I follow at least 20 genealogy groups on social media. These social groups have helped me to further my research.
Negatives
While researching brick-wall ancestors, I often have negative results. Research negatives are frustrating, but can be put to positive use.
Spell That
My Koontz ancestors probably often heard, “How do you spell that?” I have identified at least 26 variations during my research.
Females
How do you find records for females who lived before the last century? Here are a few of the strategies I have successfully employed to find my female ancestors.
Courting
Court records are an invaluable source of information about our ancestors. I have successfully used court records to discover family associations, personal property descriptions, information about crops and livestock, financial details, and names of neighbors.
Landed
Land records are particularly helpful for locating where my ancestors lived. In 1785, surveyors adopted the rectangular method of platting land using Ranges, Townships, and Sections. For this week’s prompt, I will describe using online resources to locate where my ancestor lived in Ohio more than 180 years ago.
Maps
Maps can give context to our ancestors’ lives, flesh out a family story, or document a family’s migration. This week I describe how to use online maps and directories to find historic addresses on modern maps.
Branching Out
I am branching out the search for my unknown 4th great-grandparents and am attempting to use DNA. As a result, my family tree is also branching out! Identifying common ancestors between myself and my DNA matches requires adding MANY people to my tree.
Curious
I am curious, how do others research common surnames. I am working on: Smith, Gilbert, Russell, and Gillespie. Another I am researching has a number of spelling variations. What techniques are successful when it comes to common surnames?