>Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 >From: NGroves@aol.com >Subject: [GEN~TIPS] Ancestral catch-22 > >I recently attempted to obtain the death certificate for my husband's >great-grandfather. I know when and where he was born and died, but nothing >about his parents. I was hoping to learn their names from the death >certificate. However, I was informed that without knowing his mother's maiden >name and, preferably, the father's name as well, the search could not be >performed. Since that's what I was trying to find out, I'm stuck. He lived >from 1810 or 1812 to 1902. What other records or information sources might be >useful in locating his parents? Would any census records from the early 1800s >list the complete family? I already know that there were many families in the >area with the same or similar surname, so just finding someone with the same >name is not a guarantee of kinship. > >I've thought about looking for an obituary but am not sure where to request a >lookup or search. He lived in New Jersey, and I'm in Georgia, so it would be >next to impossible for me to do any research in libraries or county offices >in the county where he lived. > >I'd appreciate any suggestions on where else to look to trace this family >back another generation. > >Nancy Groves Nancy, I would definitely look for him in the censuses. In 1850 when everyone's names began to be recorded, he'd be about 40, and his mother might be about 60 to 70, if she was living. Many widowed mothers lived with their children, so his could be living with him or one of his brothers or sisters, and if not, look in 1860. The census would also give a clue as to both parents' birthplaces (although sometimes one census doesn't agree with another one). In fact, I would write down every family in the area in 1850 with the same or similiar name, & try to trace each individual through the censuses. A bit time consuming, but you could at least eliminate some people, and narrow down your search, and you might find some interesting info. I was able to infer (but not yet prove) who the parents were of one ancestor by doing this. You can also go backward to previous censuses. Even though they don't give names, they indicate how many were in the family (not necessarily all were related) and you can deduce things from them. You could also join a surname list, or an area list. New Jersey has county lists, and you can ask questions; often the list owner is very knowledgeable. Go to RootsWeb for this. Your husband's great-grandparent's marriage record may list their parents. Also, engaged couples had to post banns in those days. Sometimes the adult who guarantees the wedding will occur is a parent. Baptismal records would also list parents. Their gravestone might, and nearby gravestones may be relatives. Their obituaries may name the parents, or surviving siblings, and the siblings' obituaries may also name the parents. Whatever county your h's ggp lived in, find out what records they have in the courthouse. Everton's Handybook for Genealogists gives this info for every county in every state, and most public libraries have it. It has gone through at least 8 editions. Newspapers would have information, and by 1880 are very gossipy. They may be on microfilm and available to interlibrary loan through your local public library. New Jersey may not have been able to look for the death certificate because the state didn't start keeping official death records until well after 1902 probably. I can't find my list right now (anyway it's old and outdated), but the US Government Printing Office (probably still) publishes a list of how to find birth, marriage, & death records for each state, where to write, what years records started being kept. It's very useful, and cheap. You can send for it from Pueblo, Colo. I don't know the address. There's probably a Web site for government publications. To find what records can be sent for from NJ, do some research at your public or college library, and on the Internet. Look for the NJ State Archives, the State Historical Society, the county historical and genealogical societies. Get county courthouse addresses and phones. I read once that NJ is hard to get info from, but maybe they've improved since then. Cheryl Wray, jw90013@navix.net