Death Certificates Can Be Wrong!

I thought I'd share a quick helpful tip today concerning death certificates.  One of the biggest things we learn as genealogists is to document everything and to write down the sources.  Those sources should typically be as reliable as possible, such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, etc.  However, not every piece of information on these items will be 100% reliable.

Grandma's Death Certificate
When my grandmother passed away, I was not at her home.  Instead, my mother and my aunt were there to answer questions and fill out any necessary paperwork.  My aunt was considered the informant, therefore, her information was placed on the death certificate.  She was also the one giving certain answers, such as who my grandmother's parents were and where she was born.  The only problem with this was that my aunt was convinced that my grandmother was born in Fredericksburg, PA, which is what was written down on the death certificate.  However, my mother decided to call me to double check (I had seen my grandmother's birth certificate once or twice before to get the information down for my family history).  I told my mother that my aunt was wrong and the proper birth location was Swatara Township (Jonestown to be specific).  Luckily, my mother was there to tell my aunt the correct location when the obituary was being written.

This is just one of many examples.  The best place to get the birth information is on the birth certificate.  The best place to get the death information is on the death certificate.  This is the same for marriage applications.  There are birth locations, as well as lots of other information on them, but they might not all be true.  The marriage applications are the best place to get any information regarding to the actual marriage (date, etc.)

Don't rule out the information found on the death certificate completely!  It can still be used as a great jumping off point to find ancestors or a better source to prove the information.  For example, on a marriage application, it might have that a woman was married before and her husband died in 1890.  Her previous husband may or may not have died in 1890, but you now know that she had at least two husbands.  Broaden the search for deaths from 1890 to two years before and two years after (1888-1892).  Keep in mind that the first husband could have also been MIA in a war and was only declared dead.

That's all for this time.

Research Binder and Organization

When I first started researching my family, I had notes EVERYWHERE! I was completely disorganized.  Sources weren't with their documents.  Surnames were with my philosophy homework.  It was a mess.  I decided to keep everything in one central location--a research binder.  It was around this time that I also decided to start using a genealogy program, Legacy Family Tree.  The biggest thing I liked about Legacy was that it allowed you to print out family group sheets (though I'm sure other genealogy programs allow you to do that as well).  These sheets were then placed into my research binder, along with a document for US Censuses.

Now, the only thing that goes into my research binder are things that are definite for the families.  When I'm trying to figure out a family connection, I keep the information in file folders (one for each surname) and a notebook.  For example, right now I'm working on Hartranft.  I have some people that may be related, but I do not have proof or a source to confirm so I keep the information in the Hartranft file folder and continue my search.

This system might not work for everyone, but it keeps me VERY organized now.  Try folders, notebooks, binders, etc. and just see what works for YOU.  That's all for this time.

Tips for Archival

Whether you are just starting out with genealogy or have been at it for years, we could all use some helpful tips.  Recently, I came into some old documents after the passing of a family member.  Once I sorted through all of the items, just to see what was all there, I took some steps to ensure they were well preserved.  First, I document everything on a list for the individual.  For example, the items I received were for my grandmother so at the top of the page I would write my grandmother's name.  Then, I would write what each document was and where I got it from.

Next, if the documents are able to be scanned without being ruined, I scan everything onto my computer.  Again, I create a separate folder for each individual or group, such as maternal grandparents, paternal aunts/uncles, etc. Once these are scanned onto my computer, I create a backup of the files on my flash drive.  (Look for cheap flash drives with a large amount of space during the holidays or Black Friday at Staples, KMart, etc.).  I have had computers crash before, losing all of my information, therefore I cannot stress enough how important it is to back everything up!

After everything is scanned onto the computer, place each document into its own ACID-FREE page protector.  Acid-free is the way to go because it ensures that what's written on the pages will be legible in the future, along with other benefits.  Make sure to check on everything you use when dealing with older documents for acid-free.  Glue dots, scrapbook pages, and page protectors are just a few items that can be found to be acid-free.

The last step is optional, but I tend to then place my page protected documents into family binders.  Be sure to check back in the near future for an example of one of these finished binders.

That's all for this time.  In the next post, we will be discussing research binders and organization.

First Post

I've been working on my family history for about 2 1/2 years, and I figured it was about time I started a blog on this topic.  On my father's side, I've been working on the following surnames: Andrews, Englehart, Hartranft, and Meckley.  On my mother's side, I've been working on the following surnames: Blair, Stichler, Brandt, and Deitzler.

I have found, typically, I always manage to hit a brick wall with each family line around the early 1800s.  It's most likely because the US Censuses become a little harder to understand.  The best way to crush through this wall is to reach out to family and see if they know of any family stories.  Though family stories tend to become exaggerated, some facts due remain in tact.  For example, my grandmother would always tell me the story of my great-grandfather dying at a local hotel.  She even remembered the name of the hotel--Stratford.  She said that he had been mugged and fell down a flight of stairs.

I had known that my great-grandparents were separated so it would make sense that he would be at some other residence.  When looking through the census, I found one for the Stratford Hotel.  Sure enough, on the paper was my great-grandfather's name.

My great-grandfather could have, at some point, been mugged at the hotel, but he died of other ailments.  However, I probably never would have never found my great-grandfather without the help of my grandmother's story.  Sometimes the name of a place, or even a hunch is all you need to find another ancestor.
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Sources:

"United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQDX-JF6 : accessed 11 Sep 2012), John S Blair, Ward 5, Lebanon, Lebanon City, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 38-27, sheet 82A, family , NARA digital publication T627, roll 3540.