I had a 3rd great-grandparent mistake due to careless sourcing. I discovered, and corrected, the mistake thanks to a DNA match.
research Blog Posts
Social
I follow at least 20 genealogy groups on social media. These social groups have helped me to further my research.
Document
I have yet to find a document that names the wife of my ancestor Thomas Gillespie. The difficulty is the lack of document creation during the time period in which she lived.
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.
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.
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.
Future
For 2022 I plan on doing more research, specifically focusing on my 4th great-grandparents who are brick walls. I still plan to participate in Amy’s challenge, but I will document my brick wall research for many of the weekly prompts. Even if they do not precisely match the prompt.
Shock
I recently uncovered some unexpected information and it was a bit of a shock. Now, though, I am not certain I have all the information to form the correct conclusion. The person at the center of the revelation had the surname Shock, so, you see, it aligns well with this week’s prompt.