Debbie Jennings [email protected] "Following the footprints through time" -----Original Message----- From: judith jones [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 9:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [INSCOTT] A Matter of Some Levity I have a few I would like to add: 1. Don't trust your relatives' memory. People often remember what they want to even if it isn't true. 2. Don't trust the names given you by relatives. My grandmother not only reversed the first names of her grandfather's, but she did it on my great grandfather's death certificate making it worthless. 3. Don't jump to conclusions just because a name seems right. Make sure the dates and place match as well. Lots of people had the same names and with no middle name, you could be presueing a line different than your ancestoral one. 4. Be patient and if possible take a second job to pay for all the records you will have to request. Judith Jones [email protected] Debbie Jennings wrote: > Just for a matter of levity, but seriously folks this describes some of my > feelings toward my records of ancestors. > I kiddingly think my ancestors were a bunch of arsonists burning every court > house in every place they lived in!! > I particularly love the fourth and fifth one. > Enjoy > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > As genealogists, we are notorious for poking fun at ourselves. We joke about > our obsession with family history, our computer addiction, and about the > ploys our ancestors may have used to avoid our searches. But sometimes there > is a grain of truth hidden in these jokes, and if we really think about > them, we may discover a way around these truths. > > 1.My ancestors . . . > > (A) Must have swum across because I can't find them in any immigration > records. > (B) Were deposited here by aliens. > (C) Were abducted by aliens. > > So many times when we feel we have searched every record type, we may > believe there is a grain of truth in this joke, but it might just be that we > are looking in the wrong location. > > For instance, if you have an ancestor who you have found record of in New > York City, you might be tempted to assume that he came into the country > through the Port of New York or Ellis Island. But your searches of New York > City or Ellis Island immigration records may be in vain. Knowing the history > of the area can help. Historically speaking, in some cases, it was cheaper > and more convenient to enter the United States via Canada and the St. > Lawrence; in fact, around 1850 it was actually encouraged. > > 2**The page of microfilm where your ancestor's name appears is unreadable > and appears to have been filmed after a five-martini lunch. > > While it may be that the original filming of the document is the reason it > is unreadable, many microform copies are made from other microfilms and they > may be several “generations” removed from the original. For this reason, a > copy in one repository may be of better or worse quality than a copy in > another repository. Make a note of the film and page number, and when you > have the opportunity to visit another repository that has that film, you > might want to do a quick check to see if you have better luck there. > > 3.**The documentation you seek was . . . > > (A) Onboard the Titanic. > (B) Burned in a courthouse fire. > (C) Eaten by a dog. > > This is unfortunately often the truth. Records are often destroyed in fires, > floods, or natural disasters. > > After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, most of the city's records were lost. > Many people had to reconstruct records in order to get their lives back in > order. Millions of records had to be re-recorded to prove land ownership, > citizenship status, or other life events. For this reason, a search of court > records in later years can often yield substantial results. > > 4.**The courthouse clerk who holds your grandfather's naturalization papers > has just been insulted by another genealogist. > > This can all too often be the truth, and for this reason it is very > important for us to always be polite to the keepers of the records we seek, > no matter how frustrated we become. But sometimes we can change bad > impressions with a smile, a kind word, or a simple act of kindness. We will > catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. > > 5.**You work for years to find the missing link in your family history. When > you finally find it and tell your family, Uncle George says, "Oh, I knew > that!" > > This underlines the importance of interviewing all living family members > (I've tried interviewing the dead ones, but they don't always respond!). > Even if you had interviewed Uncle George, though, did you ask the right > questions? Many times those not familiar with genealogy may not realize the > significance of these tidbits. Let him know what exactly what information > will help you. > > Did you let him know what information you have? Sometimes by showing him a > chart or a brief summary of what you know, he may be able to help you fill > in the blanks. > > Have you kept him up to date with new information you have found? Sometimes > new information will help to jog his memory and bring to light new > information. > > 6.**You have finally located the marriage record for the John Smith in your > family, and you find that his wife's maiden name is Smith too. > > 7.**You know you are a genealogy addict when your dining room table has been > transformed into an office and the table has been pushed into a corner to > make more room for your files. > > Hey, who's been peeking in my window?! > > Debbie Jennings > [email protected] > "Following the footprints through time" > > ============================== > Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. > RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: > http://pml.rootsweb.com/