When I first saw FindMyPast I was particularly struck by the maps which show you the person’s location on that census. I could see many uses for that. And the census maps in FindMyPast would be useful — IF they were dependably accurate. But they aren’t. And there are too many I know aren’t to trust those I don’t know. Robert Downing arrived in Illinois and settled along Salt Creek in the center of the state in 1821. I know…
I’m not excited about the 1940 Census. I know. I know. It’s heresy to say that with all the hype that is going on. But it’s true. I know where all my ancestors and most other family members were in 1940 – same place they were in 1930 – and 1920. For the most part, same place they had been for the last 100 years. The only difference is in 1940 they will all be in one township instead of…
FamilySearch is constantly adding searchable records. I tested their records for Cook County, Illinois. I note you cannot right click and save a section but if you have Windows 7 you can use the snipping tool. If you hover over a name you get more information, perhaps spouse, parents and/or children. And if it is a vital record you can order a copy from the Cook County Clerk. It produced assorted birth, death and immigration records for the surname. I…
You’ve been scanning away. Time to organize. If you follow the outlines of this flexible system you will always be able to find your digital documents. Pictures are a separate topic. I use an external hard plugged into a USB port for my genealogy. It keeps my genealogy all in one place, can be easily removed and taken with me if needed and – this is important – it gets automatically backed up with my offsite backup procedure. It also…
In 1900 only 18 states [including future states] registered vital records. It was not mandatory in all of those, but it was encouraged. Thus you might find vital records in Vermont back to 1779, Massachusetts 1842, New Jersey 1843, Connecticut 1859, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Virginia 1853, Delaware 1861, Florida 1865, Michigan 1867, Arizona, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York 1880, Illinois 1887, Maine 1892, North Dakota 1893, Maryland 1898. Illinois did not mandate the registration of vital records with the…
The Census is often overlooked as an information source. It’s much more than a list of the names of the people who lived at a particular location. It is particularly useful for people researching ancestors 1870-1930 as those censuses contain more information than earlier censuses. Also, if your ancestors were immigrants information on immigration was collected beginning in 1900. For general census information, including the non population schedules, go to Dollarhide’s Census Book and read all about it. However, the…