Family Tree USA-January 2021

®
Bring treasured memories back to life!
Select Pick Save
Fast, Easy and Affordable software improves:
Color Black & White Sepia
Records Letters Documents
Improve legibility, add metadata notes, and archive.
Fix Transcribe Save
Vivid-Pix.com
FREE! GUIDE TO ORGANIZING RESEARCH $9.99 VALUE!
familytreemagazine.com
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 M A G A Z I N E
FREE TOOLS
ON ANCESTRY.COM
ɜSkills
¡ÊØ"Â«¼ú
)«ÜãÊØú SOCIAL SECURITY
RECORDS GUIDE
Detectives
Find Your
DNA TIPS Prussian Roots
Convincing US $8.99
CAN $9.99
Relatives to Test
Roundup: Tools for
US Census Research Display until February 16, 2021
contents J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 021
42
branchingout
out ɕɛ
18 Free 42 Prussian
E
Look for the green arrow and Easy Blues
throughout this issue Though a subscription website, Don’t let the lack of “Prussia” on
for hints to expanded
Ancestry.com offers several great modern maps get you down. These
versions, free downloads
and related products at features even for free users. Here are tips will help you find your ancestors
familytreemagazine.com! seven of our favorites. who lived in the former kingdom.
by Nancy Hendrickson by James M. Beidler
26 Helping Hand
Share your genealogy skills using
50 Security Measures
Cash in on the genealogical benefits
these tips for researching someone of your relatives’ Social Security
else’s family tree. documents.
by Andrew Koch by Sunny Jane Morton
ON THE COVER:
Free Tools on Ancestry.com 18
Family History Detectives 58
33 State Research Guides
Tips and resources for tracing
58 The Case of the Missing
Ancestors
DNA Tips 71 your ancestors in US states (and Nancy Drew has inspired genera-
Tools for Census Research 70 territories). tions of mystery-solvers. These eight
Social Security Guide 50 KENTUCKY 33 sleuthing skills from her adventures
Prussian Roots 42 by Nancy Hendrickson will help you find your ancestors.
PUERTO RICO 37 by Ellen Shindelman Kowitt
COVER PHOTO: STUDIO PORTRAIT CIRCA 1910
THISLIFE PICTURES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO by Laura M. Cruz
family t re emagaz ine.com 1

J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 021
everything’srelative ə
6 Tech News
Updates from the National Archives and the British Newspaper Archive
digitization projects, and other news from the world of genealogy tech.
by Sunny Jane Morton
8 Family
Lisa’s Picks
history faves from the founder of Genealogy Gems, LLC.
by Lisa Louise Cooke
10 10 Timeline
Our history of salad isn’t a mixed bag.
by David A. Fryxell
12 Family History Home

Save treasured family artwork with these expert tips.
by Denise May Levenick
14 Stories to Tell
A century-old tragedy brings one “black sheep” back into the fold.
15 Your Turn
Document the records you’ve found—and where you found them—
with our personal records inventory form.
12 treetips ɚɘ
65 Photo 70 Resource
PREVIOUS PAGE: BBSFERRARI/ISTOCK; THIS PAGE: TIMELINE: SARA REMINGTON/STOCKSY; FAMILY HISTORY
Detective Roundup:
Clothing and uniform clues Census aids
suggest a life story. But are by Sunny Jane Morton
they enough to tell this
couple’s tale?
by Maureen A. Taylor
71 DNA Q&A:
Convincing a relative to test HOME: SAMANTHA ESTRADA/STOCKSY; PHOTO DETECTIVE: MAUREEN A. TAYLOR
by Diahan Southard
66 Now What?
Expert tips on Union records,
delayed birth certificates and
Moroccan genealogy.
by David A. Fryxell
IN EVERY ISSUE:
Out on a Limb 3
Tree Talk 4
68 Website
65
Tutorial:
The Rest is History 72
Using WikiTree
Family Tree Magazine (ISSN 1529-0298) is published six times per year: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December by Yankee Publishing Inc., 4445 Lake Forest
Drive, Suite 470, Blue Ash OH 45242. Copyright ©2021 Yankee Publishing Inc., Vol. 22, No.1, January/February 2021. Subscription rates: one year, $36. Canadian subscriptions add $8 per year, other foreign subscriptions
add $10 per year for surface mail or $35 per year for air mail and remit in US funds. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Family Tree Magazine, Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32141. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati,
Ohio and additional mailing offices. Produced and printed in the USA.
2 FA M I LY T R E E M AG A Z I N E JA N UA RY/ FE B R UA RY 2021
out on a limb
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 / VOLUME 22, ISSUE 1
Editor Andrew Koch

Art Director Katharine Van Itallie
While the world keeps

Photo Editor Heather Marcus
Digital Editor Courtney Henderson
New Media Editor Rachel Fountain wrestling with the COVID-19 pandemic,
eLearning Specialist Amanda Epperson another bug is sweeping the globe. Like
Contributing Editors Lisa A. Alzo, Rick Crume, COVID, this infection keeps you isolated
David A. Fryxell, Nancy Hendrickson,
Sunny Jane Morton, Maureen A. Taylor
in your home for hours—maybe even
days—at a time, in an unending search
VP Production and New Media Paul Belliveau, Jr.
for answers. You may not see friends and
Production Director Dave Ziarnowski family for weeks, venturing out only for
Production Manager Brian Johnson groceries and toilet paper.
Senior Production Artists Jenn Freeman, Susan Shute I’m talking, of course, about a malady
Senior Ad Production Coordinator Janet Selle much less serious than the coronavirus:
New Media Designer Amy O’Brien the mystery bug.
Digital Marketing Specialist Holly Sanderson The mystery bug is contagious, and
eCommerce Manager Alan Henning its symptoms may include compulsive
searching and an overwhelming need to
EDITORIAL OFFICES: uncover truth about the past. You may
4445 Lake Forest Drive, Suite 470, Blue Ash, OH 45242
familytree@yankeepub.com have caught it from a school family tree
ADVERTISING: project, or from hours listening to an
Tim Baldwin, (248) 837-9293,
timbaldwinmedia@gmail.com
aunt or grandparent. Or maybe adventure
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:
stories about fictional sleuths like Nancy
U.S.: (888) 403-9002; international: (386) 246-3364; Drew (see page 58) or Encyclopedia
familytree@emailcustomerservice.com
Brown drew you in.
However the mystery bug “bit” you,
Visit FamilyTreeMagazine.com for more genealogy informa-
tion and products. we’re here to help. We listen to experts
Family Tree Magazine, published in the United States,
in the field to pull together the best
is not affiliated with the British Family Tree Magazine, “treatments”: resources and tools to
with Family Tree Maker software or with Family Tree DNA.
help you manage your chronic need to
find more ancestors.
FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE IS A DIVISION OF Solving mysteries can also take you to
YANKEE PUBLISHING, INC:
President and CEO Jamie Trowbridge long-forgotten places (such as Prussia;
VP Finance Sandy Lepple see page 42) and sources (such as Social
VP Human Resources Jody Bugbee Security records; see page 50). But you
VP Production and New Media Paul Belliveau, Jr. can also consult old standbys like Ances-
VP Consumer Marketing Brook Holmberg try.com (see page 18 for some of the site’s
VP Single Copy Sales Sherin Pierce free tools). And you can learn about more
VP Sales JD Hale, Jr. websites in each issue’s Website Tutorial
<www.ypi.com> column (page 68), which boasts a new,
expanded format this year.
Copyright © 2021 Yankee Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Family Tree Magazine is a registered trademark of Yankee
So never fear—your prognosis is good.
Publishing, Inc. With the right regimen, you can easily
manage the mystery bug. You might even
say it’s … elementary.

TREE TALK A furniture store. I found
We asked about unexpected
my great-grandfather’s
places you’ve made
obit. The furniture stores
genealogy finds. Here’s how
used to sell the caskets.
you responded.
And they had kept
records with obits of all
AúÂÊã¨Øʢ«Ãʢ¼ô¡ÊèÃ
that they had sold.
Õ«Ãã«Ã¢Ê¡¨Ø¡ã¨ØÜúÊèÃ¢
ÊúØ««Ã¢ÊÃØ¢ô«ã¨¨«Üʃ Linda Woodworth via Facebook
¨èÃ¢«Ãã¨ÊĜÊ¡ÃôÊãÊØ
Ü¨ôÃããÊÜʈa¨«Â¢ôÜ FOR ME IT WAS EBAY! I Googled my fifth-great-
Õ«Ããúô¼¼ʢ¹ÃÊôÃØã«Üã grandfather John Bromhall of Alrewas in Stafford-
«Ã9Ããè¹úÜÕØãÊ¡ÜØ«Ü shire. A valuation website stated a 250-year-old
document signed by John had been for sale on eBay.
Ê¡ʭØ¼¼«¡ʮÕ«Ãã«Ã¢ÜʃÃã¨ I had no idea, or I would have certainly bought it!
ÊãÊØôÜʓã¨Øã«ÜãʰÜʔÜÊÃʈ A digital copy was available to view.
I knew John’s father was a William Bromhall, but
Pamela Wilkinson Edwards via Facebook I couldn’t prove William’s baptism or parents. The
document was about an estate of an Ann Pocock.
John was entitled to his late sister Frances’ share of
the estate.
I posted a query on a message Who was Ann Pocock? I found her will on
Findmypast. She bequeathed to her grandchildren
board in 2000, and a distant cousin (including John and Frances), children of her
found it 10 years later. Our great- late son William Bromhall.
grandfathers were brothers. I had found John Bromhall’s paternal grand-
mother! Who’d have thought a document on eBay
Joyce Thompson via Facebook would help me solve a brick wall?
Amanda Webb via Facebook
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!
Our members-only online library <www.facebook.com/

of genealogy instruction <www. familytreemagazine>
SHOP familytreemagazine.com/
product/website-vip>
Genealogy how-to downloads and videos, plus @FamilyTreeMag
PDF back-issues of Family Tree Magazine <www.
familytreemagazine.com/shop> Family Tree Magazine
Free genealogy advice from host

@familytreemag
Lisa Louise Cooke and expert
guests iTunes / <www.
familytreemagazine.com/
PODCAST podcasts>
Detailed online courses and webinars full of expert
advice about key research subjects <www.family
treemagazine.com/course>
everything’srelative
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION
“HISTORY REMEMBERS ONLY THE CELEBR ATED. GENEALOGY REMEMBERS THEM ALL.”
Laurence Overmire reflects on genealogy’s inclusive range of study in One Immigrant’s Legacy: The Overmyer Family in
America, 1751–2009 (Indelible Mark Publishing). We at Family Tree Magazine share resources for finding all your ances-
tors—celebrated or not. Our tips for using Ancestry.com (page 18) and the US Social Security records issued to rich and
poor alike (page 50) will help you get started.

everything'srelative TECH NEWS
WHAT ’S NEW
NARA Volunteers Hit 1M Records

OVER A MILLION PAGES of National Archives Catalog content have been enhanced by
volunteer “citizen archivists,” who tag, transcribe and comment on records to make
them more discoverable. Between March and August 2020 (during pandemic stay-at-
home orders), volunteer efforts soared, hastening the site from about 634,000 to a mil-
lion enhanced pages.
As of writing, record sets targeted for enhancement include:
O the Nuremberg Trials
O naturalization petitions
O WWII diaries
O Naval courts-martial (pictured)
O the Pentagon Papers
Learn more about volunteering at <www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions> or
explore site content at <www.archives.gov/research>. (At the latter, note the fairly new
Record Group Explorer and Presidential Library Explorer.)
DOCUMENT: NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION; PARIS: ANTHONY DELANOIX ON UNSPLASH; EASTLAND: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,
French Database
Filae Grows
FRENCH GENEALOGY SUBSCRIPTION website Filae
<www.filae.com>, which launched an English-language
platform in 2019, continues to grow. Over 7 million users
PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION; NEWPAPERS: XANYA69/ISTOCK
have registered; many have created searchable family

trees. Public archives, local societies, specialty publish-
ers and other partners have contributed more than 100
million images of historical record collections dating to
the Napoleonic era. Among them are civil registrations
of births, marriages, and deaths; censuses; 18th-century
parish records; passenger lists; and military records.
Free registered users may create a family tree, search
record collections and view lists of search results. See an
English-language FAQ for further information
<assistance.filae.com/portal/en/kb/filae>.
LOC LAUNCHES NEWSPAPER
IMAGE SEARCH TOOL
The Library of Congress has launched an image search tool for its enormous
trove of digitized historical newspaper pages at Chronicling America
<chroniclingamerica.loc.gov>. With the Newspaper Navigator tool
<news-navigator.labs.loc.gov/search>, users can enter keywords to bring
up related photos. The system then runs a visual search for similar images,
which may not have been associated with the keywords in question.
Shown here is a search on Eastland, a ship that overturned in Chicago (see the
image above and page 14). Results can be filtered and sorted by publication
date, or I can select results (as indicated by the red outline at left) to update my
search to include similar images.
BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE

NEARS COMPLETION
In Fall 2011, the British Newspaper Archive <www.british
newspaperarchive.co.uk>, a collaboration between cloud-
servicing company Brightsolid and the British Library,
launched with the goal of digitizing more than 40 million
pages in 10 years. At time of writing, the database is inching
closer to completing that project almost one year ahead of
schedule, boasting pages from hundreds of UK newspa-
pers. (The site project reached its halfway point of 20 mil-
lion pages in June 2017.) Check out the archive’s blog <blog.
britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk> for weekly updates about new
titles being added. You can search the site’s papers for free, but Sunny Jane Morton
will need a subscription package to view unlimited pages. is a contributing editor for Family Tree
Magazine, content manager at Your DNA
Guide and industry expert on the giant
genealogy websites.

everything’srelative L I S A’ S P I C K S
Genealogy Resolutions
PHOTOS COURTESY LISA LOUISE COOKE
Lisa Louise Cooke V Family History on Display

is the founder of the
Over the years, I’ve acquired kitchen utensils from my mother, mother-
Genealogy Gems
website and podcast in-law and both grandmothers. I have fond memories associated with
<www.lisalouisecooke. many of them. To display these family homemaking heirlooms, I picked
com>, and host of the
up this old wire basket for a few dollars at a yard sale. Then I carefully
Family Tree Podcast
<www.familytreemag wired some of the items to the basket and hung it on the wall, making it
azine.com/podcasts>. into a nifty shelf ready to display the remaining items.
Research Tip Record Riches
V
The free FamilySearch Wiki <www. Our farming ancestors turned to almanacs
familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page> for information on what to expect from
provides thousands of articles on a weather, crops and the latest farming tools
wide variety of genealogical topics. and machinery. Publications included
Experts from FamilySearch and the Old Farmer’s Almanac (since 1792),
the Family History Library not only the Farmers’ Almanac (since 1818), the
supply this valuable information, Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs
but also update it regularly with and Cultivator Almanac (1855–1881),
links to new record collections. Use and the US Department of Agriculture’s
the Watchlist feature to keep up to Farmers’ Bulletin (1889–1913). Some
date with the latest in your areas local communities also published yearly
of research. Sign into your free almanacs that included listings of local
FamilySearch account, navigate to a businesses and residents. Many historical
topic, and click the star icon near the almanacs are available free at the Internet
search bar to add the page to your Archive <www.archive.org>. Run an
Watchlist and receive email updates advanced search on the word almanac and
when the page is updated. You can select the custom date range that suits your
manage your Watchlist items from area of research.
the Watchlist link at the top of the
page.
Sites to See
Who doesn’t love free stuff ? There are
plenty of free records to be had even at
subscription genealogy websites. Ances-
try.com has extensive collections of free
genealogical record collections and indexes,
which you can browse or search at once
at <www.ancestry.com/search/categories/
freeindexacom>. You’ll need to log into
an Ancestry.com account to view search
results and records. (Learn about more free
Ancestry.com features on page 18.)
Preserving and Sharing

I’m always on the lookout for new
and creative ways to share family
history. The BlazingWaves store
at Etsy <www.etsy.com/shop/
blazingwaves> caught my eye with
their innovative Soundwave art.
Send them an audio file (perhaps a
PODCAST
recorded interview with a relative,
your grandparent’s favorite song, V Podcast
or a spoken story of your own), and Hear more great
they will burn a graphic of your genealogy finds
audio’s soundwave onto wood. from Lisa and
A QR-code in the corner allows other experts in
anyone viewing the art to listen our free monthly
E
Learn more about free records on subscription
to the audio (or watch a video that podcast <www.
sites <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/
includes the audio) from their free-genealogy-records-paid-websites>. familytreemagazine.
smartphone. com/podcasts>.

everything’srelative TIMELINE
Arcane Romaine
WHAT BET TER TIME than the New Year (when many resolve to eat
more healthfully) to celebrate the crunchy, vinegar-y history of sal-
ads? The Burpee seed company’s 1894 invention of the durable, much-
loved and -loathed iceberg lettuce (a staple for salads) was a giant step
for a food that dates to Egyptian times.
More recently, in 2015, lettuce even made the leap to outer space,
with an orbital-grown salad served aboard the International Space
Station. Ironically, the space-age greens were a variety of romaine—
the first lettuce eaten by the pharaohs.
2680 B.C. 1699

Earliest evidence of John Evelyn writes Acetaria (from the Latin for “salad”), the first book on
lettuce cultivation, salads published in English. Evelyn, a fellow of the Royal Society, described
in ancient Egypt. cleaning lettuce much as we would today and recommended dressing
Considered a sacred salads with “oil of a pallid olive green,” vinegar infused with flowers and
plant of Min, the god herbs, and sea salt. He gave detailed instructions for growing 35 different
of fertility, lettuce was types of greens, including romaine, spinach, endive and mache.
believed to boost virility.
The Egyptians developed lettuce from a prickly, bitter
wild plant, originally used for its oily seeds and milky
secretion (actually a type of latex). The Romans, who
learned about lettuce from the Greeks and Egyptians,
named it lactuca (meaning “milky”) for this white
sap—giving us our word “lettuce.”
| 70 | | | |
1800 1850
77 A.D. 1756
ROMAINE: WMASTER890/ISTOCK; 2680 B.C.: SUPERSTOCK; 77 A.D.: ZU_09/IISTOCK; 1586: ALAMY

Pliny the Elder describes several The French Duke of Richelieu (or
lettuce cultivars in his Natural his chef) invents mayonnaise
History. The Romans served it to celebrate the French capture
in an oily, salty dressing—which of Mahon, on the Spanish island STOCK PHOTO; 1756: MEDIAPRODUCTION/ISTOCK; 1800: FLOORTJE/ISTOCK
gave us the word “salad,” from of Minorca. More than 150 years
the Latin herba salata (“salted would pass before Richard
herb”). Pliny characterized salads Hellmann, a New York deli owner,
as composed of garden foods that 1586 began to
“needed no fire for cooking and saved Joachim Camerarius, a German sell his Blue
fuel, and which were a resource to store classical scholar, describes the three Ribbon
and always ready.” basic types of modern lettuces: Mayonnaise
head, loose-leaf and romaine (or cos). in 1913—
In medieval times, lettuce had often making the
David A. Fryxell been described as a medicinal herb, dressing
collected his favorite glimpses into the by writers such as Hildegard of Bingen. available to
past in a new book, MicroHistory By the late 16th century, more varieties the masses.
<www.microhistorybook.com>, avail-
able at Amazon. for gardens began to be developed,
especially in the Netherlands.
“Salad days,” referring
to a time of youthful
inexperience, was coined
by Shakespeare in Antony
and Cleopatra. Cleopatra
recalls her romance with
Caesar in “my salad days/
When I was green in
judgment, cold in blood.”
1894 1924
W. Atlee Burpee & Restaurateur Caesar Cardini
Company’s seed catalog invents the Caesar salad in
introduces iceberg Tijuana, Mexico. Most historians
lettuce, a variety of accept the story that Cardini
crisphead lettuce. created the salad on the Fourth
Sources differ on where of July weekend, when his
the “iceberg” moniker other food was running low.
originated—either for His improvised concoction of 1971
its crunchy texture, or leftovers included romaine, Richard Melman and Jerry Orzoff
for the beds of ice on which the lettuce garlic, croutons, popularize the salad bar. The
was shipped. Iceberg became the most Parmesan cheese, Chicago restaurateurs introduced
popular American salad green despite boiled eggs, the concept at their first eatery,
what critics deride as its lack of flavor olive oil and RJ Grunts, and went on to found
and nutrients. The noted restaurant Worcestershire Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
critic Mimi Sheraton once advised sauce—notably, (Other restaurants claim to have
readers who didn’t have iceberg lettuce not anchovies (a pioneered the salad bar as early as
for a recipe: “Substitute waxed paper.” later addition). the 1960s.)
| | | |
1900 1950
1884 1920s 1937

PAINTING: SUPERSTOCK; 1894: BURPEE; 1920S: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS
Salad and Salad Making Philip Roemer, Another restaurateur, Bob Cobb,
DIVISION, PHOTOGRAPH BY CAROL M. HIGHSMITH; 1924, 1937: ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; 1971:
by Emma Pike Ewing is the executive chef at invents the Cobb salad at the Brown
first American recipe book San Francisco’s Derby’s Hollywood location. Like the
devoted entirely to salads. Palace Hotel, creates Caesar salad, the Cobb was created
green goddess from leftovers—originally, avocado,
dressing. Roemer’s celery, tomato, chives, watercress,
recipe combined hard-boiled eggs, chicken, bacon and
mayonnaise, Roquefort cheese.
anchovies, tarragon
vinegar, parsley,
scallions, garlic and
other spices. He
named the dressing for a play, The Green
Goddess, a popular production of the
CHRISTINA SLATON
Broadway season; actor George Arliss, who

starred in the San Francisco performances
of the play, stayed at the Palace during its
run and praised its cuisine.

12
FA M I LY T R E E M AG A Z I N E
everything’srelative
JA N UA RY/ FE B R UA RY 2 021
FA M I LY H I S T O R Y H O M E
Saving Paper Artwork
PORTRAIT: MASSIMO MERLINI/ISTOCK; CHALKS: KYOSHINO/ISTOCK; PASTEL: KOSTIK2PHOTO/ISTOCK; CAMERA: ROCKARD/ISTOCK;

FRAME: RAMZIHACHICHO/ISTOCK; THERMOMETER: JONATHANSLOANE/ISTOCK; SILVERFISH: ILBUSCA/ISTOCK; DOG: SUPERSTOCK
1 Avoid smearing.
4 Store away from such as Gaylord <www.
garlordarchival.com>. Store
lights, heat, moisture and
Remember how, in grade unframed artwork in acid-free
pests. If indelicate handling
school, your crayon drawings folders placed inside an acid-
is Public Enemy No. 1 to your
would smear or turn brittle free box and in a cool, dark
sketches and artwork, Enemies
and brown? Tools like graph- closet. Avoid stacking too many
2 through 5 are light, heat,
ite pencils, crayons, charcoal items or having items slide
moisture and pests. Store in
and chalk are portable and around inside the box. Do not
shallow acid-free boxes from
grant wide possibilities for use plastic folders for storage;
a reputable archival supplier
color and shading. Unfortu- the plastic can develop a static
nately, these same features charge that will lift the media
make such artwork more from the background of the
likely to smudge or smear artwork, or smear its contents.
than photographs or oil
paints on canvas. Handle art
as little as possible, and only
5 Check regularly for
pests. Silverfish
by the edges. You should also and bookworms
avoid stacking pieces in such love paper and
a way that invites abrasion will happily make
or smearing, and don’t use their home in a
modern fixative sprays.
3 Frame artwork with dark, undisturbed
box or cupboard
safe materials. Drawings on
paper are best displayed under where they can feast
archival matting and framing, away. Make a regular date to
which will protect your art from check your archive for evidence
handling; cushion it against of pest damage and remove
moderate changes in tempera- any critters, dead or alive.
ture and humidity; and keep out
bugs, dust and air. All materials
should be acid-free, from the
backing board and mounting
hinge to hanging tape and win-
2 Digitize your artwork. dow mat. Metal is a good choice
for the frame material, and glass
Reproduce prints to share with
other family members. Note that or plexiglass UV-filtering glaz-
the glass bed of your flatbed ing will prevent light damage.
scanner can cause artwork to (Glass is the best choice for most
smear. For best results, use a pencil, charcoal or graphite art
digital camera or smartphone because the static charge cre-
to snap the picture in natural ated by plastic glazing can pull
light. Avoid a skewed image by the art away from the paper; see
positioning the camera to view No. 4.) Consider hiring a local
the artwork straight on. Use a professional experienced with
tripod if necessary. archival framing.
tip
Modern fixative sprays may cause the paper
or pencil to change color or darken, so avoid Denise May Levenick
using them on heirloom artwork. Instead, aka The Family Curator
<www.thefamilycurator.com>
store pieces of art in archival-safe materials
is the author of How to
and handle as little as possible. Archive Family Keepsakes
(Family Tree Books).

everything’srelative STORIES TO TELL
Running Toward Home

ÃãèØúʢÊ¼ãØ¢úØ«Ã¢ÜÊÃʭ¼¹Ü¨Õʮ¹«ÃãÊã¨¡Ê¼ʈ
Natalie Zett (right) felt a

personal connection to
her great-aunt Martha
(left), who died young in
a tragic accident. Below is
a clipping from a Chicago
Herald article about the
disaster (with a headshot
of Martha).
couldn’t take the combined weight of the lifeboats as well

as that morning’s at-capacity passenger crowd. The East-
land began to tip, crushing Marsha and more than 800
other passengers and crew.
A photo of young Martha struck Zett deeply. “She was
N
MARTHA AND HERALD CLIPPING: COURTESY NATALIE ZETT; NATALIE ZETT: COURTESY PAT BENINCASA
atalie Zett <zettancestry.wordpress.com> never felt with her friends, wearing men’s clothing and smoking a
she belonged anywhere, even among her family. cigarette,” she says. “She reminded me of me.”
That changed during the 1980s when the Cleveland Zett visited Martha’s grave in Chicago. The cemetery
native took a road trip. was enormous; she didn’t know how she would find the
“The feeling started in Chicago,” she says. “The more stone. But then Zett glanced next to her car. She had
I was in the Upper Midwest, the more I felt something parked literally right in front of the graves she’d been
pulling on my heart.” She moved to St. Paul, Minn. looking for: her great-grandparents, Martha, and her
After her father passed away in 1996, Zett’s aunt sent baby sister. “I felt like I had been led there, and I started
her a family history book. “Maybe because of my loss, crying,” she says.
I was more open to the idea of family,” she recalls. She Newfound living relatives in Chicago, Wisconsin and
read the book, and learned from it that she had ances- Minnesota “embraced me as if they had always known
tors in Chicago. me,” Zett says. She attended an Eastland commemorative
One story, in particular, moved Zett. In 1915, her Chi- event as her family’s official representative—strange for
cagoan grandmother gave her 19-year-old sister, Mar- someone who’d always felt like the “black sheep.”
tha, a ticket to an excursion on Lake Michigan aboard “It’s funny: I came to Minnesota to run away from
the Eastland. But the trip proved to be deadly. After the family,” she says. “Instead, I ran to a family I didn’t
Titanic disaster in 1912, regulations required vessels to even know existed. And I think Martha is the one
include lifeboats. The already top-heavy Eastland had just who guided me in.”
been furnished with them, and (in a cruel twist of irony) Sunny Jane Morton
GET ORGANIZED
Personal Records Inventory Form

Document the records you’ve found—and where you found them.
Name of person: _______________________________________________________________________
Birth date and place: ____________________________________________________________________
Death date and place: ___________________________________________________________________
RECORD SOURCE
In each issue, Your Turn offers a form that’ll help you preserve your family’s unique stories and organize your research. Tear out and use
the form or make a photocopy.

Online Course Calendar
Highlights from January 2021*
begins January 4th begins January 19th
begins January 25th begins February 1st
• Detailed guidance • Expert advice • Anytime online access

Each online course covers the best Consult with knowledgeable Learn on your own schedule, and
research tips and strategies using instructors, who are on-hand to from the comfort of your laptop
a mix of easy-to-understand text, answer questions and provide or smart device. Students have a
videos, slideshows and exercises. guidance. full year to view and download
materials.
Enroll Now
<www.familytree
magazine.com/course>
*Course schedule subject to change. Visit <www.familytreemagazine.com/course> for the latest.

branchingout
“I DON’T PROMISE TO FORGET THE MYSTERY, but I know I’ll have a marvelous time.”
GARY ALVIS/ISTOCK
Teenage detective Nancy Drew shrugs off her father’s request to set aside a case for the evening to enjoy a football
game and dance in Nancy’s Mysterious Letter, the eighth book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. One Nancy Drew
superfan shares what genealogists can learn from the long-running line of mystery novels on page 58, and you can do
some sleuthing of your own using our tips for researching someone else’s genealogy (page 26).

free&
&Üú Though a subscription website, Ancestry.com
offers several great features even for
free users. Here are seven of our favorites.
by NANCY HENDRICKSON
Ancestry.com for free?

Yes—there is a way! For one thing, you can sign up for a free 14-day
trial, perfect if you’ve got two weeks to do research. Just don’t forget
to cancel your subscription before your trial is over. (Otherwise, your
card will be charged.)
RONNIE COMEAU/STOCKSY
But even outside of a free trial, the savvy researcher can take advantage
of Ancestry.com without having a paid subscription. Check out these
seven free features of Ancestry.com (and its sister sites).
Once you see the main
menu, click Search.
A dropdown box will
provide links to various
record types, such as
immigration, vital records,
military records, etc. You
ɕ
can click an option to
THE CARD CATALOG search just that record group. But for now, click
Before you subscribe, you’ll want to make on Card Catalog.
sure Ancestry.com has records relevant to Here, you’ll see a listing of Ancestry.com’s
your research. You can do that using Ancestry. 32,000-plus records collections. You can sort
com’s Card Catalog <www.ancestry.com/search/ them by date added, date updated, collection
collections/catalog>. Like the paper-and-ink title, or number of records. Click a collection’s
library card catalogs of old, this database lists name to learn more about it—you won’t need a
all the record collections in Ancestry.com’s paid subscription until you try to view results
arsenal. You can search by keyword or use from a record search.
filters to find collections that might contain Through the Card Catalog, you can also view
your ancestor. only collections about certain records and/
Finding your way to the Card Catalog (and or from specific places and time periods. For
into Ancestry.com, in general) without a trial example, suppose you have an ancestor who
subscription can be a challenge. Ancestry. you think might have died in Bergen County,
com’s home page often changes—sometimes N.J., in the late 1800s. Go to the Card Catalog
to reflect a sale on subscriptions or DNA, and put New Jersey in the Keyword box, and
sometimes because one of the site’s “cookies” click each of these filters:
flags that your IP address has visited before— O Birth, Marriage, Death
making it difficult to find the main menu. O USA
You should use the direct link in the previous O New Jersey (which becomes visible
paragraph if possible. when you’ve selected USA)
If the word Genealogy is in the site’s main O 1800s
menu, click on it to access that part of the site O Bergen (which becomes visible when
(including the Card Catalog). If not, you’ll have you’ve selected New Jersey)
to come in through the “back door.” Scroll Each filter returned a smaller number of
to the bottom of the home page. Among the collections, making them easier to examine.
menu items is Site Map. A site map is exactly With all these filters, Ancestry.com’s thousands
what it sounds like: an index to all of the major of collections have been whittled down to two:
categories on the site. At the top of this screen, Reformed Protestant Dutch Church registers,
you’ll see the same menu that you’d see if you and Bergen County marriage records. From
were an Ancestry.com subscriber. those results, it’s clear that you’re not going to
find a death record for your late-1800s Bergen
tip County ancestor.
If you’re researching a paid collection However, adding and removing filters
on Ancestry.com and think you have a will have a huge impact on your results. Play
record match for your ancestor, head on with various iterations of filters to fi nd if a
over to the free FamilySearch <www. different collection would work for you. For
familysearch.org> to see if that site has example, if you remove all of your filters
digitized the same record set (or a record except New Jersey as a keyword and Birth,
set that covers the same place and time). Marriage & Death, you’d have more than 600
collections to choose from.
20 FA M I LY T R E E M AG A Z I N E JA N UA RY/ FE B R UA RY 2 021
ɖ RECORD PREVIEWS
What happens if you find a collection
that you think includes your ancestor?
Simply put: Ancestry.com will show you
results if the collection is free, or give you a
record details. But the good news is you know
there’s a possibility that record mentioned
your ancestor. You may not get everything you
want from this Ancestry.com search, but you
can learn enough to check other free sites. And
sample of matching records if the collection is that, alone, can help you determine whether to
pay-only. Though you won’t be able to view the invest the money in a subscription.
full record in the latter case, you can at least Several of Ancestry.com’s collections are
determine whether or not your ancestor might free, so you will be able to view full details
appear in a collection. (provided you’re signed in to an Ancestry.
In this example, I search the “All New com account, which is free to create). Some
Jersey, Death Index, 1901–2017” for John highlights as of time of writing include the
Stevenson. That collection is behind Ancestry. 1940 US federal census, Find a Grave <www.
com’s paywall, so the site only (partially) findagrave.com> memorial listings and US
displayed the results. naturalization records. You can find a list of
If you try to click on any of your results, free-to-search collections (and search them
Ancestry.com will ask you to pay up. That’s the all at once) here <www.ancestry.com/search/
bad news—you can’t go any further, or view categories/freeindexacom>.
ɗ MEMBER TREES
Building an online
family tree through
Ancestry.com is free—as
are receiving the site’s
famous “shaky leaf” record
hints (though you’ll need
a subscription to view any
records that are behind the paywall). a profile for your ancestors—I searched for one
But Member Trees aren’t just good for of my ancestors, and found him in 41 different
recording your own research. They’re trees.
valuable tools in their own right. Ancestry. Note that you can’t see the full tree or contact
com boasts more than 100 million user- the tree owner without a subscription. But you
created family trees—most of them public can glean at least a little information, including
BACKGROUND: RONNIE COMEAU/STOCKSY
and searchable. With such a large dataset, it’s places and name of spouse. (Of course, you’ll
likely another Ancestry.com user has created want to verify any information you get from
secondhand sources such as other users’ trees.)
You can access Public Member Trees <www.
E
For more on finding free records collec- ancestry.com/search/collections/1030> (which
tions at subscription websites, see <www.
are technically in their own records collection)
familytreemagazine.com/premium/
free-genealogy-records-paid-websites>. via the Search tab of the main menu using the
same “back door” entry as in No. 1.

ɘ ANCESTRY ACADEMY
Another great free Ancestry.com offering is Ancestry Academy, a
library of quick-and-easy videos on important genealogy topics.
You can access the Academy at <www.ancestryacademy.com/browse>, or
by selecting it from Extra in the main menu. The Academy is also an app
for both iOS and Android.
The home page lists only a few, short standalone videos (“5 Minute
Finds”). But most videos are nestled under a topic category. For example,
the Methodology and Skills section has 16 videos just on the topic of
African American research. Others in that group include 13 videos
on Canadian censuses, 12 on cemetery research, and 11 on brick wall
research.
Whether you’re brand-new to research or have been doing it for a
lifetime, you’ll be surprised at the valuable tidbits found in the Academy
videos. All are accessible from desktop, phone or tablet.
óÃÊèãÜ«Ê¡¡ØãØ«¼ʃã¨Üóóú
ØÜØ¨ØÃã¹óÃã¢Ê¡ÃÜãØúʈÊÂ
ô«ã¨Êèã¨ó«Ã¢Õ«ÜèÜØ«Õã«ÊÃʈ
ə ANCESTRY.COM ON YOUTUBE
In addition to educational videos
on its own site, Ancestry.com has
several free videos on another platform:
YouTube, the world’s second-largest
search engine <www.youtube.com/user/
ancestrycom/videos>. Although you won’t
find specific records, you will find dozens
of helpful videos that include how-to’s,
historical recipes, craft ideas, success
BACKGROUND: RONNIE COMEAU/STOCKSY; VINTAGE PHOTOS: MASHABUBA/ISTOCK

stories and diaries.
By default, Ancestry.com’s video page
is organized by newest added. But you
can use the sort by function to reorder by
E
date (i.e., with oldest videos first) or most usually cover search techniques or tips for
Learn more tips
popular. Videos go back 10 years. using new Ancestry.com features. for Ancestry.
Using the top menu, you can also sort by If you’d prefer, you can search Ancestry. com research
Playlists, which are videos around specific com’s YouTube channel by keyword. with our collec-
topics that Ancestry.com has curated. For Find the magnifying glass on the right tion of articles
<www.family
example, the Irish & UK Roots playlist has side of the main menu, and type in a
treemagazine.
more than two-dozen videos on research phrase. For example, if you want a better com/ancestry>.
in those countries. understanding of how DNA matches work,
If you’re looking for longer how-to search for that phrase. You’ll find several
videos, select the ones done by Crista videos, including those on DNA Circles,
Cowan, the “Barefoot Genealogist.” These Native American DNA, and genetic
videos are marked with a special icon and genealogy case studies.
tip
If you subscribe to Ancestry.com,
consider upgrading (at least temporarily)
to the All Access membership, which
includes subscriptions to sister sites
Fold3 and Newspapers.com.

ɚ ANCESTRYDNA
Alright, so this feature isn’t “free,” per se. You’ll
need to pay a one-time fee to purchase and complete
a DNA kit. But you won’t need a paid Ancestry.com
subscription to view your results or contact matches.
In addition, you can download your AncestryDNA
raw data at no extra charge, giving you more flexibility.
Because other companies and services will allow you to
upload AncestryDNA results to their databases, a one-
time AncestryDNA fee can also get you record matches
at MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com>, Family Tree
DNA <www.familytreedna.com> and GEDmatch <www.
gedmatch.com>. Learn more at <www.familytreemagazine.
com/premium/download-raw-data-ancestrydna>.
Ancestry.com has even developed a free AncestryDNA
app for both iOS and Android, a great free tool in its
own right. The app shows DNA matches; your ethnicity
estimates; your profile; health, and wellness survey
questions; and more. You can also search for and filter
through your DNA matches.
Archives.com
Perhaps lesser known now than its sister sites,
Archives.com (an Ancestry.com property since
2012) boasts more than 11 billion digitized
records. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t seem
to have any that free users can search. You can
also keyword-search an index of vital records
for “free” from the home page, but you’ll need
to sign up for the free trial to view any results.
(Like Ancestry.com, Archives.com offers a
14-day free trial.)
However, you can review the site’s more
than 650 record collections for free <www.
archives.com/collections>, useful if you’d like to
ɛ
determine the site has records that will apply
FREE RECORDS ON AFFILIATE SITES to your research. Note that many of the site’s
Over the years, Ancestry.com has largest collections (e.g., Ancestry.com Member
expanded its reach to include a whole Trees and federal US censuses) are available for
family of genealogy websites. Some of its free on Ancestry.com or other sites.
assets (such as RootsWeb <www.rootsweb. The site has also put together a collection of
com> and Find a Grave <www.findagrave. free how-to articles that highlight important
com>) are free to use. But others require their genealogy research strategies and resources,
own subscriptions: Archives.com <www. both at Archives.com and across the web
archives.com>, Fold3 <www.fold3.com>, and <www.archives.com/genealogy>. For example,
Newspapers.com <www.newspapers.com>. from <www.archives.com/genealogy/records.
Like the mother site, each of these html>, you can view a list of Family History
subscription services offers some features for Centers for each state, plus key genealogy
free. Here’s a roundup. websites and Archives.com collections.
Fold3
Originally launched as Footnote, Fold3 focuses preview might be enough to tell you whether
on military records, with its name reflecting you should research the match at a free
the flag-folding ceremony that honors veterans. resource such as Elephind <www.elephind.
Fold3 has tens of millions of free records, com>, the Google Newspaper Archive
spanning from Revolutionary War Navy and <news.google.com/newspapers> or the
Marine Corps officers, to War of 1812 pension Library of Congress’ Chronicling America
files, to a bounty-land warrant applications <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov>.
index. You’ll even find free collections of Newspapers.com allows its users to create
casualties from the Persian Gulf War and “clippings,” which are essentially screenshots
records of those who died in the Civil War of newspaper pages that can be saved and
Sultana explosion. shared. You’ll need a subscription to create
But finding these free records can be a clippings, but don’t need one to view them.
challenge. Although it’s not immediately View and search a real-time list of clippings
obvious, you can find free records from the here <www.newspapers.com/clippings>. Or
home page. Scroll all the way down to the you can have a friend who subscribes send
bottom of the page to find List Records, under clippings to you.
Site Links. Click this to view a list of all the
site’s record collections. You can further Nancy Hendrickson is the author of the Unofficial
filter by conflict/war, and sort by name, date Guide to Ancestry.com and the Unofficial Ancestry.com
uploaded, our date updated. Free collections Workbook (Family Tree Books). You can find her at her
are marked in green. website <www.ancestornews.com>.
Here’s the catch, though. In some free
collections, such as “Brady Civil War Photos,”
you can view all photos without being asked
to sign up for a free seven-day trial. But on
others, such as the War of 1812 pension index, Ancestry.com Do’s & Don’ts
you can dig down into the collection until you
find your ancestor’s name. But you’ll have to Vanessa Wieland shares these tips for
sign up for a free trial to read the documents. making the most of Ancestry.com at
What’s the value if you can’t see the records? <www.familytreemagazine.com/websites/
Once you find a collection that includes your ancestry-help/ancestry-search-dos-donts>.
ancestor’s name (and possibly state of origin or
regiment), you can then either opt in for a trial DO
subscription or try to find the collection for SEARCH STRATEGICALLY: Use Advanced
Search options.
free somewhere else on the web.
SEARCH BY CATEGORY: Start wide, then narrow
your search.
BACKGROUND: RONNIE COMEAU/STOCKSY; AUTUMN LEAF: MARCEL/STOCKSY
Newspapers.com USE THE CARD CATALOG: Identify specific record

As its name implies, Newspapers.com collections that might include information about
features more than 600 million pages from your ancestor.
newspapers across the United States, with SEARCH WITH WILDCARDS: Replace letters in a
notable collections from the United Kingdom name with an asterisk (*) or question mark (?) to find
and Ireland. Browse the publications in misspelled (or alternatively spelled) names.
Newspapers.com’s database at <www.
DON’T
newspapers.com/papers>.
TAKE OTHER TREES AT FACE VALUE:
You can technically keyword-search
Always fact-check others’ work.
individual papers or papers from a specific OVERUSE FILTERS: You may weed out relevant
region for free. Though you can’t view full search results.
results without signing up for a free trial, GIVE UP: More records are added every day
you can see a thumbnail preview of the page
upon which your search result appears.
Depending on the nature of your search, that

Helping
Hand Share your genealogy skills
using these tips for researching
someone else’s family tree.
by ANDREW KOCH
“Can you research my family?” Because of my

job as the editor of this magazine, I occasionally field genealogy
questions from friends and relatives. And every once in a while,
I’ll take them on to keep my sleuthing skills sharp. (My wife’s
grandmother calls this a “postman’s holiday.”)
Though the research principles are the same, working on someone
else’s family tree has some key differences from working on your
own. For example, you don’t have the same information to build a
research foundation on, nor do you have a lifetime of family stories
to guide and inspire you. Because of that, it’s much easier to bark up
the wrong family tree when the ancestors aren’t your own.
My most recent “client” is a friend (we’ll call her Morgan) whose
family is scattered across the Eastern United States. She knew her
roots went back to Italy, but didn’t have much more information than
that. Another is May, who never met her birth father and wanted to
learn about her paternal ancestors who have long been a mystery.
Based on research for those and other “clients,” I’ve put together a
few tips for researching someone else’s genealogy that will help you
have a successful consult—whether you’re helping a spouse, friend or
paying client.
1. SET A GOAL O Timely/time-bound: Goals should
Creating specific, measurable goals for your have a deadline attached (Note: This may
research (both personal and for someone only be a factor if you’re doing paid client
else) will give you clear benchmarks. Your research.)
goal will naturally evolve as you gather more Some thinkers use different words to form
information (and you can modify it as you go), the acronym, such as “strategic” instead of
but you still need a jumping-off point. specific, “actionable” or “assignable” instead of
Work with your client to figure out what, achievable, or “realistic” instead of relevant. But
exactly, he wants to learn about his family. the key features of SMART goals don’t change.
This can be tricky, particularly if you’re Let’s look at an example. “Find more
working with someone who has limited ancestors” is not a SMART goal because it’s
knowledge about their family or doesn’t not measurable. There will always be “more”
understand how genealogy research works. ancestors to find, so how will you know when
Still, you should press beyond “I’m just you’ve accomplished your goal?
curious” or “I want to learn more about Likewise, “find all ancestors” isn’t a SMART
my ancestors” to determine what’s really goal either, because it’s not realistic. After all,
motivating your client. your client has an endless number of ancestors,
The SMART principle, which was first but (if you’re lucky, and assuming no significant
developed by business-management experts in record less) you’ll only be able to research those
the 1980s, is one popular guideline for defining who lived in the past 500 years at most.
goals. SMART is an acronym, with each letter In addition, neither of those two goals is
standing for a different criterion. Applied to particularly specific: What does “finding” an
genealogy, SMART goals are: ancestor mean? Discovering a name? Proving a
O Specific: Goals should be narrowly relationship?
defined, such as being about a specific Instead, here are some SMART goals that are
event, time period, ancestor or family similar to those above, but better defined:
branch O Determine names and birth dates for all
O Measurable: Goals should have a 16 great-great-grandparents.
concrete way of being evaluated and a O Name all direct-line ancestors who were
defined “end” point alive in 1865, and where they were living at
O Achievable: Goals should be attainable the time.
and realistic, taking into account limited O Trace all members of the Smith
time and access to records household from the 1900 census to the 1910
O Relevant: Goals should be related census, and find death records for any of
to family history—i.e., something that them who passed away between the two
genealogy research can uncover enumerations.
Other potential SMART goals include: ,ãʰÜÂè¨Ü«ØãÊØ¹èÕã¨
O Recover the name and location of the
ôØÊÃ¢¡Â«¼úãØô¨Ãã¨ÃÜãÊØÜ
Smith family’s ancestral town in England.
O Determine maiden names for all eight ØÃʰãúÊèØÊôÃʈ
great-grandmothers.
O Find WWI draft records for all male
ancestors who were of fighting age in the but having even the skeleton outline of a
1910s. tree to base your research off of can save
you valuable time. Many families have an
unofficial keeper of old documents and
photos—see if your client can get you in touch
with the one in theirs, if possible.
3. LOOK TO NEW RESOURCES

No two family trees are the same, and the
databases and strategies that’ve worked for
your own research might not work for someone
else’s. Others’ family trees will likely lead you to
new places and force you to consult new kinds
of records.
For example, both Morgan and May have
relatives who served in the military, but I
have yet to find documentation of any of my
ancestors who served. Researching their
Tips for Collaborating with

2. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Since you’re not researching your own family
Other Researchers
If you decide you want to tag-team a friend’s research problem
(who you likely knew quite a bit about already),
with another genealogist, consider these tips from Contributing
you’ll essentially be starting from scratch.
Editor Sunny Jane Morton and host of the Family Tree Podcast
Given this challenge, you’ll need as much
Lisa Louise Cooke:
PREVIOUS PAGE: HAND: CACTUS CREATIVE STUDIO/STOCKSY; MEETING: JOHNNYGREIG/ISTOCK; THIS
reliable information as you can get to jump-

start your research.
To begin, interview your client to get some 1. Choose a buddy: Find a collaborator who shares your inter-
est about a topic or who has key knowledge about the subject.
PAGE: GOAL: WHYFRAMESTUDIO/ISTOCK; QUESTION MARKS: MAREKULIASZ/ISTOCK
basic details. Our list of questions will get

you started <www.familytreemagazine.com/ 2. Be purposeful: Agree with your partner on common objec-
premium/interview-questions>. Be sure to ask: tives, and set parameters for the project.
O When and where were you born?
O What were the names and birthdates of 3. Work a plan: Brainstorm important questions and discuss
your parents? any leads or evidence. Create to-do lists for next steps.
O At what locations was your family
4. Put your heads together: Use research forms and tech tools
known to have lived?
like Evernote <www.evernote.com> and Google Drive <drive.
Write down everything, and ask your client
google.com> to stay in touch and track your progress.
for all he knows (and is willing to share) about
family members. This will save you time in the 5. Share discoveries with technology: Upload findings to
long run, plus help you better understand the shared cloud storage, such as Dropbox <www.dropbox.com>
scope of your client’s family tree. You can read the full article at <www.familytreemagazine.
Also be sure to ask what research your com/premium/team-genealogy> or in the December 2013
client has already done. You’ll want to verify issue of Family Tree Magazine.
any names, dates and locations with sources,

families brought me into contact with Korean quick, four-page summaries walk you through
War service records and WWI veterans’ benefit each state’s history, key record types, and tips
applications, two record sets I knew existed but for vital-records access. Each issue of Family
had no reason to work with previously. Tree includes two updated guides; you’ll find
Likewise, whole new countries might open Kentucky (page 33) and Puerto Rico (page 37)
up for you. My ancestors are almost exclusively in this issue.
from Germany and the United Kingdom, but
researching Morgan’s family took me to the 4. CHECK IN OFTEN
shores of Napoli. With that new location came a As you research, touch base with your client
need to understand a new country’s key records periodically. You want to make sure you’ve
and access guidelines. been researching the right individuals in the
The FamilySearch Wiki <www.familysearch. right locations, particularly if your client has a
org/wiki/en/Main_Page> has detailed how-to common last name.
articles for thousands of genealogy subjects, Checking in can also help springboard
including record types in different countries. more memories. Even if you didn’t get much
In addition, Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com> information initially, you’ll be surprised by how
has subject-level directories for just about every much your friend remembers once you find
genealogy topic you can think of. the right trigger. Perhaps all he needed was
How-to books can be helpful, as well. a name to jog his memory and remind him of
For Morgan’s Italian research, I consulted something an aunt used to say. That, in turn,
The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide by can lead you to new records and ancestors.
Melanie D. Holtz (Family Tree Books). The Lead off with statements like “I found the
book outlined the most important types of name John Smith in my research. Does that
records, plus key websites and archives for sound familiar?” Bring along photos of people
finding them. and places, if you’ve found any. Ask follow-up
Even something as simple as researching in questions to tease out details that you can apply
a different US state can require you to pivot to your ongoing research.
to new resources. Due to differing privacy
restrictions and research agreements, a website 5. SHARE WHAT THEY
may have thoroughly digitized and indexed one WANT TO KNOW
state’s records, while having next to nothing of Research turns up all sorts of information. In
another state’s. fact, you may find yourself with more details
For example, I’ve come up dry looking for and records than you know what to do with.
my Ohio ancestor’s naturalization records at Genealogists can manage all that data and sift
Ancestry.com. But I found Morgan’s great- through it to find the most important nuggets,
grandfather (who lived in Pennsylvania) on the but your client is likely not so savvy.
site with hardly any trouble. May, for example, is something of a luddite.
Our collection of state research guides Presenting her with the dozens of digitized
<www.familytreemagazine.com/product/state- records that I found of her mother, aunts and
research-guides-entire-u-s> will help you take uncles, and grandparents would have quickly
your research across the United States. These overwhelmed her. Instead, I focused solely
on records (and information) relevant to our
goal—identifying her birth father’s parents and
grandparents.
What’s In It For Me? It’s your job to determine what information
By researching someone else’s genealogy, you’ll open yourself up to is the most important to share with your
new resources and better hone your skills. To track down records of client—and not to overwhelm them with
another family tree, you’ll likely encounter a kind of record you haven’t the rest. Of course, you’re not attempting to
researched, or learn how to tackle a problem you haven’t seen before. censor anything or keep your client in the
Plus, you’ll be using your skills and passion to help someone else. dark. Rather, you simply want to summarize
Genealogy is all about collaboration! your key findings and continue moving
toward your research objective. Start with
what’s most relevant to the goal(s) you ,ãʰÜúÊèØ¶ÊãÊãØÂ«Ãô¨ã
«Ã¡ÊØÂã«ÊÃ«Üã¨ÂÊÜã«ÂÕÊØãÃããÊ
established in No. 1.
Having said that: You might consider sharing
information you know will be meaningful to Ü¨Øô«ã¨úÊèØ¼«Ããʈ
your client, even if it’s outside the scope of your
project. For example, I found a high school
yearbook photo of May’s mother, which I a “right” to participate in conversations about
thought she might enjoy. She had never seen a sensitive family matters.
photo of her teenaged mother, and appreciated Keep this in mind as you present your
being able to see her at such a young age. findings. Put yourself in the other person’s
shoes—How would you feel if you were just
6. TREAD LIGHTLY. discovering this information about your
Family history is incredibly personal, and you ancestors? If possible, consult with someone
never know what potential landmines you else in the family ahead of time to learn if any
might unearth in your research. ancestors or subjects are considered taboo or
The fact that you’re not personally impacted too emotional to discuss.
by discoveries is a double-edged sword. On the This is especially true when embarking
one hand, you, as a dispassionate, third-party on genetic genealogy, since DNA is adept
researcher, can provide an objective view of a at unearthing long-buried family secrets.
family’s history. And, in most cases, you won’t DNA expert Diahan Southard recommends
be as emotionally involved as a family member. deciding with a client ahead of time what
PRATHANCHORRUANGSAK/ISTOCK
You can more logically investigate fraught kind of information they want to know, and
situations, such as unexpected adoptions, forewarning them about the potential for new
infidelity and “black sheep” ancestors. (even shocking) details.
But, on the other hand, you’re also
something of an outsider. As a non-family Andrew Koch is the editor of Family Tree Magazine and
member, you may be perceived as not having his friend group’s resident genealogist.

Five-Step Research Plan Worksheet
A research plan helps you stay focused on accomplishing a specific objective—whether you’re researching your own fam-
ily or someone else’s. Use this worksheet to map out the five key steps of a solid research plan that will save you time and
produce concrete results:
1. Identify your objective. Be as specific as possible. 4. Note the sources that could provide the information
you need.
2. List known facts related to your objective.
5. Outline your strategy, listing the exact steps you
3. Develop a working theory.
need to take.
Objective
Known facts
Working theory
Sources to consult
Research strategy/next
steps
STATE GUIDE
KENTUCKY
by NANCY HENDRICKSON
ALTHOUGH IT’S KNOWN for the genteel world of thorough- tucky County. You may need to extend your records search
bred horses and mint juleps, America’s 15th state has a into those areas, as well as Virginia’s Montgomery County,
more rough-and-tumble legacy than you might think. one of three counties to succeed Fincastle in 1777.
Frontiersmen including George Rogers Clark and Daniel Another point to keep in mind: since Virginia at the time
Boone blazed paths over the Appalachians into the Ken- encompassed everything west of its modern boundaries,
tucky wilderness, and legions of Americans followed them. your early “Kentucky” ancestors may have lived in what’s
Whether your Bluegrass State ancestors arrived with these now Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, or Ohio.
early birds or later on, our guide will have you galloping up
your family tree. RACE FOR LAND
Kentucky finally became a state in 1792. All the hand
OUT OF THE GATES changing makes land records there somewhat complicat-
Before white settlement, Shawnee Indians (from north ed. It’s mostly a state-land state with a small bit of public
of the Ohio River) and Cherokee and Chickasaw (from land, and early land patents could list Virginia or Kentucky
south of the Cumberland River) fought for control over the as the grantor. You’ll find plenty of land title litigation in
rich Kentucky hunting grounds. But when settlers came the Bluegrass State due to a proclivity for do-it-yourself
from the East, drawn by rich game and richer soil, Indian surveying, settlers’ tendency to move in and out during
attacks turned on the new outposts. In 1763, England tried the Indian wars, and Virginia’s granting land so far away
to stabilize relations with the Indians from its central government. Even
by forbidding colonists from settling after Kentucky statehood, Virginia
west of the Appalachians. FAST FAC TS gave away Kentucky land in the form
Treaties eventually opened Ken- of military bounty warrants.
tucky to settlement, and in 1775, Boone Statehood: 1792 Start your Kentucky land record
and the Transylvania Co. blazed First federal census: research at the excellent Land Office
Boone’s Trace (later the Wilderness 1810 (1800 census largely missing) Services Index <web.sos.ky.gov/
Road) from western Virginia through Statewide birth and death land>, which offers a wealth of online
the Cumberland Gap. Once word about records begin: 1911 records, indexes and even background
the “Kentucky Paradise” got out, a on property laws. Among these are
land rush was on, despite numerous
Statewide marriage records
records on military and nonmilitary
begin: 1958
Indian raids on Boonesborough, Har- land patents awarded by Virginia and
rodsburg and other early settlements. State-land state Kentucky, and a database and scanned
Boone himself was captured in 1778, Counties: 120 images of the “West of Tennessee
but he escaped a few months later, in River” patents (a portion of western
time to warn Boonesborough of an
Contact for vital records:
Kentucky acquired in 1818). You also
Office of Vital Statistics, 275 E. Main
impending attack. St. 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621, (502) might consult the Library of Virginia
The Virginia legislature annexed 564-4212, <chfs.ky.gov/agencies/ website, which has pre-1779 Virginia
Kentucky in 1772, stashing it in Fin- dph/dehp/vsb/Pages/default.aspx> land patents <www.lva.virginia.gov/
castle County. In 1776, it became Ken- public/guides/opac/lonnabout.htm>,

KENTUCKY
Newport
Covington
Burlington Fort Thomas
Erlanger
Florence Alexandria
Boone
Independence
Kenton Campbell
27
71 Crittenden Augusta
Warsaw
Gallatin
Ohio R. Grant
Carroll Falmouth Brooksville
Trimble Carrollton 127 Jonesville Williamstown 22
10
Bedford 227 Pendleton Bracken

Mason Maysville
Port Royal Owenton 62
Henry Berry Mount Olivet
Corinth Sardis
Ke
Robertson
ntu
42 421 Harrison
cky
75 Lickin
R.
Owen g R.
New Castle Sadieville Cynthiana 32 Fleming
La Grange 68 Fleming
Scott
Oldham Pleasureville 227
Carlisle 32
Hills
Shelby Stamping Ground Nicholas
Louisville Saint Matthews Shelbyville Georgetown Paris Sharpsburg R
Franklin
Pleasure Ridge Park ShivelyJeffersonJeffersontown
Bourbon
Frankfort Fayette Owingsville
Woodford
Meade Oh
io R
.
841 Hillview Spencer
Lawrenceburg Versailles Lexington 627
Mount Sterling Bath
Mooleyville Brandenburg Shepherdsville Taylorsville

Anderson
Winchester
Muldraugh Bullitt 55
62
27 Montgomery
Fre
Clark
Irvington Belmont 402
Hawesville Chaplin Wilmore Nicholasville Clay City
Menifee
Ohio R. Henderson Hancock Cloverport
60 Mercer 127 Stanton
Radcliff Bardstown Jessamine
Uniontown
Henderson 60 Owensboro Hardinsburg 65 Nelson Harrodsburg
68
388 Powell
Furnace
Corydon Hardin Washington Burgin Richmond 402
Daviess
Niagara nR
. Breckinridge Saint John Elizabethtown Springfield Irvine Estill
56
Gr
ee Sutherland Whitesville Garrard Madison
Morganfield 150 Danville
Union Sebree
McLean
431
Fordsville
McDaniels K e n t u c k y Loretto Lancaster
Lee
Dekoven Webster 81
Hodgenville Lebanon Boyle Berea Drip Rock Beattyv
109
Sturgis Calhoun 231
Stanford
Dixon 62 Buffalo Marion
Slaughters Livermore Leitchfield
54 Larue Bradfordsville Conway Boon
109 Hartford
Ohio Grayson Clarkson Upton Lincoln
Hustonville
Jackson
Tolu 41 Caneyville Hobson McKee
Providence 150 Brodhead Owsley
McHenry Bonnieville Pike View Taylor Casey R.
Crittenden 60 Bremen Gre
en Mount Vernon Buc
Marion Madisonville
85
Cromwell Campbellsville
259
Hart Green 25 Annville
To
R.
Livingston Central City

ll
70 Butler
Munfordville Liberty Eubank 11
Ohio
Salem Edmonson Greensburg Rockcastle

Clay
Birdsville Fredonia
Hopkins
Morgantown Elrod
Saint Charles Nortonville 62 Brownsville Pierce Dunnville
Greenville Cane Valley Pulaski
Smithland
Caldwell 70
Cave City Mancheste
68 80 London
Kevil Paducah Eddyville Princeton Muhlenberg
Sugar Grove
Warren Knob Lick Columbia 80 Somerset Laurel Lake 421
Crofton Russell Springs 80
McCracken 109 Toll 80

Ballard Grand Rivers Clifty Lewisburg Bowling Green Glasgow Adair Burnside Keavy Fount
Freemont
Christian
Edmonton Jamestown
Wickliffe Kentucky L. Cerulean Springs
62 Symsonia Lyon 24
Todd 31E
63 Russell 90 Corbin 25E Er
45 L. Barkley 68 Lucas Metcalfe
Bardwell Benton Cadiz Hopkinsville Logan 90
Carlisle Russellville Woodburn Allen

Barren 127 L. Cumberland
Parkers Lake Barbourville Walli
Fancy Farm 68 Trigg
Canton 41 Elkton 231 Mount Hermon Cumberland Monticello
Arlington 80 Marshall
Pembroke McCreary Knox
80 Hardin Olmstead Simpson 65 Scottsville
100
Burkesville
Graves Mayfield
90 92 Williamsburg Pinevi
Franklin Wayne
Hickman
Linton
79 Tompkinsville Clinton
Albany Whitley City 92
Oakton Clinton Calloway Lafayette Oak Grove Shipley Bell
Wingo 94 Guthrie Gamaliel Monroe Dale Hollow L. Sunnybrook Whitley
92
Murray Pine Knot Middlesborough

Hickman 51
Water Valley New Concord
Fulton Fulton
Hazel
and Ancestry.com <ancestry.com>, which has a database of

Kentucky land records spanning 1782 to 1924.
The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
(KDLA) <kdla.ky.gov> has microfilmed deed books. The
Family History Library (FHL) <www.familysearch.org>
has digitized some records. Search the Catalog for Ken-
tucky, then filter by Any, Online, or those available at a
Family History Center.
CONTESTED FINISH
The Bluegrass State remained in the Union during the
Civil War, but loyalties were torn in this border state. The
state legislature pledged loyalty to the Union, but South-
ern sympathizers attempted (and failed) to form their own
government as part of the Confederacy. Confederate forces
moved into southern Kentucky, while Union troops occu-
pied Paducah. More than 30,000 Kentuckians fought for
the Confederacy; about 100,000 served the Union.
t i mel i ne
1750 1769 1774 1794 1811 1836
Thomas Walker According to leg- James Harrod Gen. “Mad The first steamboat The Kentucky
explores Kentucky end, Daniel Boone founds a perma- Anthony” Wayne’s on the Ohio River Historical Society is
through the Cum- sees bluegrass from nent settlement at victory at Fallen stops at Louisville established
berland Gap a distance atop Harrodsburg Timbers, Ohio, ends
Pilot Knob Trail Indian attacks in
Kentucky
KENTUCKY
Concord 10
Greenup
e
10 Vanceburg Greenup 23
Lewis
Whether your Bluegrass State ancestors arrived

Flatwoods Ashland
59
Smiths Creek
sburg
Carter Catlettsburg
Grayson Boyd
Olive Hill
with these early birds or later on, our guide will

boro
64 60
7
Rowan Morehead Bruin Fallsburg

e Lawrence
have you galloping up your family tree.

Elliott
Sandy Hook Louisa
32
7
enchburg Flatgap
West Liberty 23
e Lic
kin
gR Johnson Inez
Morgan .
Paintsville
Wolfe
Campton Salyersville Martin
402
Mountain Valley 114

Prestonsburg
Names of soldiers from both sides are in the Civil War

Magoffin
ville Jackson Martin Huddy
Breathitt Floyd
Decoy Pike
eville 30
Talbert 80
Wayland
Pikeville
Paw Paw Soldiers and Sailors System <nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-
Knott
ckhorn
Perry Hindman
Pippa
Belcher 460 and-sailors-database.htm>. KDLA has more Civil War
Elkhorn City
Panco
80
Hazard Passes
23 resources, such as microfilmed service records for those in
ll
To Hyden
er
Whitesburg 119
Jenkins
state units, as well as records for Kentucky militia mem-
Hoskinston
Leslie
Cumberland
Letcher
bers from earlier wars. Service records for soldiers from
Helton
rose
Harlan federal units are available through the National Archives
Harlan Dizney
ins Creek
and Records Administration <archives.gov/research/
421
lle
order>. Fold3 <fold3.com> has abstracted records of Con-
federate and Union soldiers; search a free index to these at
FamilySearch.
The Civil War and other events resulted in several
“burned” courthouses. See a list at <kdla.ky.gov> (find it
under the Researchers tab). Don’t give up if your ancestor
lived in one of those counties. Some records might have
been spared, and you can use substitute sources such as
newspapers, church records and military records. Look for
records in parent and neighboring counties—sometimes a
courthouse in another county was closer to your relative.
RUNNING THE NUMBERS

Kentucky didn’t take any statewide censuses, but US cen-
suses for the state are available starting in 1810. Use tax
lists, on microfilm at KDLA and the FHL, to substitute
for the 1790 and 1800 censuses. Indexes to these are on
Ancestry.com as “Kentucky, Tax Lists, 1799–1801.” Some
are in Early Kentucky Tax Records (Genealogical Publish-
ing Co.). Depending on the county, tax lists may be avail-
able up to 1840.
Horses grazing at a
Kentucky farm Kentucky mandated that its counties record births and
deaths beginning in 1911. Request post-1911 records from
1875 1884 1941 1944 1987

Aristides wins the Hillerich & Bradsby, Mammoth Cave The Tennessee Toni Morrison’s
inaugural Kentucky the maker of the National Park is Valley Authority novel Beloved
WSFURLAN /ISTOCK
Derby at Churchill Louisville Slugger established completes the Ken- tells the story of a
Downs bats, is founded in tucky Dam on the Margaret Garner, an
Louisville Tennessee River escaped slave from
Kentucky

KENTUCKY
TOOLKIT
the state vital records office (these include delayed birth
Websites records filed in 1911 or later). KDLA holds pre-1911 birth
and death records from the cities of Louisville, Lexington,
Cyndi’s List: Kentucky <cyndislist.com/us/ky>
Covington and Newport, and the whole state’s 1911-to-1957
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer <www.kyatlas.com> death records. (You can buy these record sets on micro-
film) for a reasonable fee on the KDLA website.) There are
Kentucky Digital Library <kdl.kyvl.org> overlapping Kentucky vital records collections at Ances-
Kentucky Genealogy <kentuckygenealogy.org> try.com (births, 1911–1999, and deaths, 1852–2000) and
FamilySearch (births, 1839–1960 and deaths, 1843–1970).
Kentucky GenWeb Project <www.kygenweb.net> Statewide registration of marriages and divorces in
Kentucky began in 1958. For earlier records, contact the
Kentucky Historical Society <www.kyhistory.com/
county clerk where your ancestors married. Find multiple
digital>
Kentucky marriage indexes on Ancestry.com (1802–1914,
Kentucky Virtual Library <www.kyvl.org> 1973–1999) and FamilySearch (1785–1979). Divorce records
are with the county circuit court clerk’s offices.
Finally, you can submit research requests to KDLA in
Publications census schedules, vital records, court and property docu-
ments, and military records. Fill out a request at <kdla.
Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian
ky.gov/researchers/Pages/recordsrequestforms.aspx>.
Kentucky and Virginia by Brian D. McKnight (University
Press of Kentucky)
DIGITAL DERBY
The History of Kentucky by Thomas D. Clark (Jesse Stuart Several websites offer faraway researchers the inside
Foundation) track to Bluegrass state knowledge. The Kentucky Digi-
tal Library <kdl.kyvl.org>, a digital repository for several
Index to the 1810 Census of Kentucky by Ann T. Wagstaff regional archives, is worth browsing for historic newspa-
(Clearfield Co.) pers, yearbooks, directories, photographs, oral histories,
Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and obituaries, maps and more.
Historical Research by Roseann Reinemuth Hogan Likewise, the Kentucky Historical Society <www.
(Ancestry) kyhistory.com/digital> has maps, postcards, community
history collections and more. And the University of Lou-
The Kentucky Encyclopedia by John E. Kleber (University isville Digital Collections <digital.library.louisville.edu>
Press of Kentucky) emphasize Louisville-area history. The diverse collections
include oral interviews, which have been transcribed at
A New History of Kentucky by Lowell H. Harrison and
<ohc.library.louisville.edu>. Finally, the Kenton County
James C. Klotter (University Press of Kentucky)
Library in Covington has a Local History & Genealogy page
Pioneer Families of Eastern and Southeastern Ken- that has records you can search online <www.kentonlibrary.
tucky by William C.Kozee (Genealogical Publishing Co.) org/research-learning/research-history-genealogy>.
This inside track gives you an edge, whether you’re at
the starter’s gate or near the finish line of your research.
Archives & Organizations Go ahead and bet on your own success in filling out your
Kentucky family tree.
The Filson Historical Society <www.filsonhistorical.org>
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

<www.kdla.ky.gov>
Kentucky Genealogical Society <www.kygs.org>
Kentucky Historical Society <history.ky.gov>
National Archives and Records Administration at

Atlanta <www.archives.gov/atlanta>
RESEARCH GUIDE
PUERTO RICO
by LAURA M. CRUZ
PUERTO RICO, ALSO KNOWN as The Isle of Enchantment, to 600,000, but most scholars believe the population was
is a melting pot of cultures. In Pre-Columbian times, the closer to 50,000.
island was inhabited by the Taíno people. After the island The Spanish enslaved many Taíno, while others suc-
became a Spanish colony in 1493, Europeans arrived and cumbed to smallpox and illnesses brought to Puerto Rico
imported slaves from the western coasts of Africa. Then by the Spaniards. The population loss was thought to be
the island came under US ownership in 1898, beginning a so great that Taíno DNA went extinct, but recent DNA
new, complex relationship. research has revealed present-day Puerto Ricans have a
Researching Puerto Rican ancestry will challenge your high percentage of Taíno genes.
language skills and may present you with a brick wall or As the number of Taíno decreased, Black slaves were
two. The island’s long and multifaceted history provides brought in. Beginning in the early 1500s, thousands of
an invaluable lens through which you can understand slaves were brought to Puerto Rico from western Africa.
Puerto Rican ancestry. This research guide will give you Slaves were tasked with work in silver and gold mines, and
historical context and clues that will help you make the (as the mining industry died down) slave labor was used on
most out of your search. sugar cane plantations. Slavery peaked in the 1840s, before
being abolished in 1873. Many coastal towns, such as Loíza,
ENCHANTING PEOPLE still exhibit a strong African influence through their festi-
The Taíno, an indigenous people of the Caribbean, inhab- vals, food and music.
ited Puerto Rico since as early as the seventh century. In 1898, at the end of Spanish-American war, Spain ceded
The Taíno name for Puerto Rico is Borikén or Borinquén, Puerto Rico to the United States. Once the island became a
which is believed to mean “land of the US territory, Americans started mov-
valiant lords” and “island of crabs.” A ing to Puerto Rico. In return, begin-
FAST FAC TS
“Boricua” is a person from Borinquén, ning in the 1930s, a significant number
and to this day many Puerto Ricans Added as US territory: 1898 of Puerto Ricans started moving to the
use that term to refer to themselves. United States.
On his second trip to the Americas, First federal census: The majority of Puerto Rican peo-
1910
Christopher Columbus stopped in ple live in the San Juan area. Today,
Puerto Rico and claimed it in the name Birth and death Puerto Rico has a governor and a non-
of Spain. The island was dubbed San records begin: 1885 voting representative in the US Con-
Juan Bautista (for St. John the Bap- Marriage records begin: 1885 gress, and Puerto Rican residents are
tist), and its main port called Puerto US citizens.
Rico (“rich port”). Over time, the
Contact for vital records:
Registro Demográfico de Puerto
names were exchanged so the island Rico, Fernandez Juncos Station, SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
was named Puerto Rico and its capital, P.O. BOX 11854, San Juan, Puerto Being a Spanish colony for nearly 400
San Juan. Rico 00910, <www.salud.gov.pr/ years left a permanent mark on Puerto
The number of Taíno in Puerto Rico Servicios-al-Ciudadano/Pages/ Rico—and a wealth of documentation
in 1493 is still hotly debated. Esti- Registro-Demografi co.aspx> for those who lived there. The Span-
mates range anywhere from 30,000 ish government has a vast archive of

PUERTO RICO
110
112 113
107 2 Quebradillas
AGUADILLA
459 Arecibo
QUEBRADILLAS
130 10
ISABELA 113
112 HATILLO
ARECIB
111 CAMUY
110
Centro Puntas San 129
historical records, and has made a small portion of them 115
AGUADA
MOCA
125 Sebastian
453 123
RINCON 125
available online. Spain’s General Archive of the Indies 134
111
(Archivo General de Indias) <www.culturaydeporte.gob. ANASCO
109
SAN SEBASTIAN UTUADO
Utuado 140
es/cultura/areas/archivos/mc/archivos/agi/portada.html> 406 LAS MARIAS
LARES
129 123
124
go as far back as the 1500s, and collects documents related
120 10
Mayaguez
to Spain’s overseas territories. Many of the records dis- 106
MAYAGUEZ
119
Castaner ADJUNTAS
105
cuss taxes imposed on overseas territories, but the more MARICAO
HORMIGUEROS SAN GERMAN
120
interesting ones include travel permits, accounts of slaves 119
518
123
362 YAUCO
freed prior to the 1873 abolition of slavery, and accounts of 100
102 San German 128 PENUELAS
local events. The website and records are in Spanish; for CABO ROJO SABANA
GRANDE
Yauco 132
a refresher on Spanish terms, take a look at Family Tree 101 2
385
LAJAS 116 GUAYANILLA
Magazine’s Spanish glossary <www.familytreemagazine. 301
GUANICA
116
Ensenada
com/freebie/spanish-glossary>. 324
Catholicism arrived with the Spanish in the 15th cen-

tury, and it’s the religion with the largest number of fol-
lowers on the island. Parish records can give researchers
an opportunity to find ancestors in Puerto Rico as far back to Puerto Rico. In the decades that followed, immigrants
the 1700s. These records include baptism, death/burial and from England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and many
marriage information. Most of these records are found in other European countries settled in the central moun-
large volumes with an index of contents in the beginning or tains of Puerto Rico. The Family History Library contains
end of the volume. In some cases, indexes are kept as sepa- several microfilmed records for foreign immigrants, and
rate documents, and may be the only portion remaining of a one online census: “Extranjeros (Foreigners in Puer-
specific year. FamilySearch has digitized a large collection to Rico), ca 1807–1880” <www.familysearch.org/search/
of Catholic parish registers (registros parroquiales) <www. collection/1919700>.
familysearch.org/search/collection/1807092>. Finally, an important remnant of Spanish influence
Slaves were a major part of Puerto Rican labor for exists in last names. In most Spanish speaking countries,
most of the time Spanish occupied the island. Two 19th- people keep two last names: their paternal last name,
century slave censuses are freely available on FamilySe- followed by their maternal last name. In older censuses,
arch: the 1867–1876 slave registry (“Registro de esclavos, you may see these two last names separated by y (mean-
1867–1876”) and the 1872 Slave Schedule (“Registro cen- ing “and”).
tral de esclavos, 1872”). Both of these are valuable tools for Additionally, married women don’t change their last
anyone looking to learn more about enslaved ancestors in names after marriage. In censuses, you may see a married
Puerto Rico. The documents contain names, ages, parents’ woman’s name followed by de, followed and her husband’s
names, marital statuses, physical descriptions and details last name.
about the enslavers. Complicated? Yes. But last names are an invaluable way
In an effort to increase population and promote loyalty to figure out someone’s ancestors, descendants and spouse.
to Spain, the Spanish Crown approved the Royal Decree You can learn more about Spanish surnames through
of Graces of 1815 (Real Cédula de Gracias). This encour- Family Tree Magazine <www.familytreemagazine.com/
aged Spaniards (and, later, other Europeans) to emigrate premium/how-to-list-spanish-surnames>.
t i mel i ne
1493 1510s 1539 1849 1873 1898
Christopher Colum- Spain authorizes Construction Manuel Alonso Slavery is abolished The United States
bus lands in Puerto the importation of begins on “Del Pacheco publishes in Puerto Rico wins the Spanish-
Rico, dubbing it African slaves to the Morro” citadel in El Gíbaro, one of American war and
San Juan Bautista Antilles San Juan; amend- the first works to acquires Puerto
and claiming it for ments continue for define Puerto Rican Rico
Spain the next 200 years culture
PUERTO RICO
681
BARCELONETA VEGA BAJA
165
1 187
204 Barceloneta 2 DORADO
Vega Baja
TOA BAJA CATANO 36 Loiza Aldea 187
BO
MANATI VEGA
San Juan 3
LOIZA
140 160 ALTA

TOA ALTA
Rio Grande
155 3
633 Bayamon 66
RIO 987
FLORIDA 165 CAROLINA
20 TRUJILLO GRANDE LUQUILLO
SAN JUAN
159 Corozal 167
ALTO Fajardo
174 GUAYNABO CULEBRA
MOROVIS 164
146 COROZAL 185 976 250
149 164 1 181
BAYAMON 186 FAJARDO
CIALES 173
GURABO 191
CANOVANAS 979
155 AGUAS BUENAS
152 971 CEIBA
156 NAGUABO
533 157
779 Comerio Juncos
141
Orocovis BARRANQUITAS Caguas 30 LAS 31
Maguabo 3
156 COMERIO 172
564 156 JUNCOS PIEDRAS 192
144 CAGUAS
JAYUYA OROCOVIS 155
924
775 173
787
San Lorenzo
175
162 CIDRA 3
143 60 200
VILLALBA AIBONITO 171 763 SAN LORENZO Humacao VIEQUES
139 14 201
155 COAMO 162
Cayey HUMACAO 994 997
181
149 150 1 YABUCOA 3
PONCE CAYEY 184 182
138 52
Coamo 15
14 PATILLAS
759
179
Ponce JUANA DIAZ
SALINAS Maunabo
133 153 GUAYAMA
Santa
Understanding
1 SANTA ARROYO MAUNABO
3
ISABEL Guayama
Isabel 53
the island’s
long and
multifaceted
history provides
an invaluable
lens through
which to
understand
Puerto Rican
Pier in San Juan
ancestry.
I LIKE TO BE IN AMERICA Island residents have participated in the decennial cen-
Puerto Rico was first enumerated by the United States for sus since 1910, as well as in a special 1935 social and popu-
the War Department in 1899, following the Spanish-Amer- lation census. You can find digitized, indexed federal cen-
ican War. This first census does not contain much informa- suses on sites such as FamilySearch, Ancestry.com <www.
tion on individuals, but provides a look on the state of soci- ancestry.com>, and MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com>.
ety when Americans arrived. Likewise, only US military Of special note is that some census responses were
installations were included in the 1900 federal census. answered in Spanish, and digitizing software does not
1917 1926 1929 1952 1973 2017

Puerto Ricans Puerto Rican Women who can A constitution Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria
HAIZHANZHENG/ISTOCK
become US historian Arturo read and write are approved by PR Roberto Clemente causes over $90
citizens by an act Schomburg sells his granted the right voters and the becomes the first billion in dam-
of Congress collection of Black to vote; the literacy US Congress Latin American ages and numerous
literature and his- requirement is establishes PR as a inducted into the deaths
tory to the NYPL lifted in 1935 commonwealth baseball hall of fame

PUERTO RICO
TOOLKIT
always account for multiple languages. A recurring exam-
Websites ple of this is that in some cases, the census field is misin-
terpreted. A census taken may have entered B for “Blanco”
Caribbean Genealogy Research <candoo.com/
(white), but software interprets the B as for Black.
genresources>
The close relationship with the mainland United States
Cyndi’s List: Puerto Rico <www.cyndislist.com/us/ created an influx of Puerto Ricans to the States, specifi-
puerto-rico> cally New York. Many Puerto Ricans were in search of the
American Dream, and sought it on the mainland. Some
FamilySearch Wiki: Puerto Rico <www.familysearch. moved to the Chicago area, and others as far away as
org/wiki/en/Puerto_Rico_Genealogy> Hawaii, where the sugar industry was in full force.
Genealogía Nuestra: Our Caribbean Genealogy Ship and airplane manifests can help you find ances-
<www.genealogianuestra.com> tors that suddenly disappeared from the island. Ances-
try.com has one such collection: “Puerto Rico Passenger
Genealogy of Puerto Rico Facebook Group (Gene- and Crew Lists, 1901–1962” <www.ancestry.com/search/
alogía de Puerto Rico) <www.facebook.com/groups/ collections/2257>.
aidatorres>
PROUD TO SERVE
Puerto Rican men—newly citizens—were drafted into
Publications World War I. Puerto Ricans have been part of every major
engagement of the US armed forces since then, so look
History of Puerto Rico: A Panorama of Its People by
for your ancestors in US military records of 20th-century
Fernando Picó (Markus Wiener Publishers)
conflicts. WWI and WWII draft registration cards, for
Puerto Rico: A Political and Cultural History by Arturo example, are available through FamilySearch and Ances-
Morales Carrión (W. W. Norton & Company) try.com, and contain key information on the draftee’s
emergency contact and location of work, plus a physical
Puerto Rico Past and Present: An Encyclopedia by description of him.
Serafín Méndez-Méndez with Ronald Fernandez (Green- You may consider researching colonial military records
wood Press) as well. Some Spaniards arrived to the island while serving
Sugar, Slavery, and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century in the Spanish army; FamilySearch has online records of
Puerto Rico by Luis A. Figueroa (University of North them from 1793 to 1800 (“Hojas de Servicios Militares de
Carolina Press) América: San Juan de Puerto Rico”).
LIVING LA VIDA BORICUA

Civil records were taken under both Spanish and US gov-
Archives & Organizations ernment, and all records are in Spanish. Both Ancestry.
com and FamilySearch have civil registration indexes from
Archivo General de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico General
1885 (when registration began) through 2001. As noted
Archive) <www.icp.pr.gov/archivo-general>
earlier, church records begin much earlier, as far back as
Biblioteca Digital Puertorriqueña (Puerto Rican Digi- the 1600s for some municipalities.
tal Library) <upr.contentdm.oclc.org> More-recent vital records can only be procured through
the Registro Demográfico (Demographic Register) in the
The Hispanic Genealogical Society of New York commonwealth’s department of health <www.salud.gov.
<www.hispanicgenealogy.com> pr/Servicios-al-Ciudadano/Pages/Registro-Demografico.
National Archives at New York City <www.archives. aspx>. Only select individuals (generally, those involved in
gov/nyc> records and their heirs) can request records.
Now that you understand all the influences that make up
Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES; Spanish Archives a Boricua, you have all the tools needed for your genealogy
Portal) <pares.culturaydeporte.gob.es/inicio.html> research. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía (Puerto
Rican Genealogical Society) <www.genealogiapr.com>
Make your home more comfortable than ever
“To you, it’s the perfect lift chair.

To me, it’s the best sleep chair I’ve ever had.”
— J. Fitzgerald, VA
NOW
also available in
Genuine Italian Leather
(and new Chestnut color)
Three Chairs
in One
Sleep/Recline/Lift
Pictured: Italian Leather chair ACCREDITED

chestnut color. Chestnut color also BUSINESS A+
available in DuraluxTM fabric
You can’t always lie down in bed and sleep. back pressure relief, to prevent back and muscle
Heartburn, cardiac problems, hip or back pain. The overstuffed, oversized biscuit style back
aches – and dozens of other ailments and and unique seat design will cradle you in comfort.
worries. Those are the nights you’d give anything Generously filled, wide armrests provide enhanced
for a comfortable chair to sleep in: one that arm support when sitting or reclining. It even has
reclines to exactly the right degree, raises your feet a battery backup in case of a power outage.
and legs just where you want them, supports your White glove delivery included in shipping
head and shoulders properly, and operates at the charge. Professionals will deliver the chair to
touch of a button. the exact spot in your home where you want it,
Our Perfect Sleep Chair® does all that and unpack it, inspect it, test it, position it, and even
more. More than a chair or recliner, it’s designed carry the packaging away! You get your choice
to provide total comfort. Choose your preferred of Genuine Italian leather, stain and water repellent
heat and massage settings, for hours of custom-manufactured DuraLux™ with the classic
soothing relaxation. Reading or watching TV? leather look or plush MicroLux™ microfiber in a
Our chair’s recline technology allows you to pause variety of colors to fit any decor. New Chestnut
the chair in an infinite number of settings. And color only available in Genuine Italian
best of all, it features a powerful lift mechanism Leather and long lasting DuraLux™.
that tilts the entire chair forward, making it easy Call now!
to stand. You’ll love the other benefits, too. It
helps with correct spinal alignment and promotes The Perfect Sleep Chair®
1-888-757-0112
REMOTE-CONTROLLED Please mention code 113899 when ordering.
EASILY SHIFTS FROM FLAT TO
A STAND-ASSIST POSITION Chestnut
Genuine Italian Leather
classic beauty & durability
Chestnut Burgundy Tan Chocolate Blue
Long Lasting DuraLux™
stain & water repellent
Burgundy Cashmere Chocolate Indigo
Footrest may
vary by model
MicroLux™ Microfiber
breathable & amazingly soft
46552
Because each Perfect Sleep Chair is a custom-made bedding product, we can only accept returns on chairs that are damaged or defective.
© 2020 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.
Prussian
BLUES
Don’t let the lack of PAINTING: FRIEDRICH WILHELM WEIDEMANN: PORTRAIT OF FREDERICK I OF
“Prussia” on modern maps

get you down. These tips
will help you find your
ancestors who lived in the
PRUSSIA (1657-1713), PUBLIC DOMAIN
former kingdom.
by JAMES M. BEIDLER
Many things are said Wave of German immigrants to Colonial Left: King Frederick I,
to be a “state of mind.” For genealogists America (who were often lumped together the first King in Prussia,
seeking 19th- and early 20th-century ancestry as “Palatines”), the Second Wave of German ruled in that role from
in what was then the largest German Empire immigrants may have been grouped together 1701` to 1713.
state of Prussia, “Prussian” is a kind of a as the overly broad term “Prussians.” The Above: Hohenzollern
state of mind. The term’s meaning differed misleading label may belie their actual Castle, in modern
greatly during the half-millennium in which identities: Pomeranians, Rhinelanders, Baden-Württemberg,
the Hohenzollern family wielded power Hanoverians and more. was the ancestral seat
in Central Europe, many of its members However, an “attitude adjustment” will for the royal family that
CASTLE: BLUEJAYPHOTO/ISTOCK
crowned “Kings of Prussia.” help you solve your Prussia problems. This ruled Prussia and (later)
For researchers with German ancestry, the guide goes through the kingdom’s complicated all of Germany.
word “Prussia” can be a stumper—and the history and shifting boundaries, plus the best
fact that there’s no such political unit with Prussian genealogy records and a rundown
that name in present-day Europe is just the of the kingdom’s provinces that may help you
conundrum’s starting point. Like the First pinpoint your ancestors’ origins.
43
UNDERSTANDING PRUSSIAN HISTORY Holy Roman Emperor (who the Prussian
Throughout history, “Prussia” could refer to king nominally held allegiance to), Prussia’s
several states of varying sizes and levels of monarch secured the title “King in Prussia.”
autonomy. Let’s take a quick walk through The odd coinage stemmed from the tradition
the state’s history to better understand what of the Holy Roman Empire not allowing for the
Prussia was and what lands may have been rank of king among the empire’s constituent
considered part of it. states. As a result, the Hohenzollern ruler was
The name “Prussia” itself originated in the styled “Elector of Brandenburg” inside the
Middle Ages when pagan tribes inhabited empire and “King in Prussia” outside of it.
the area adjoining the Baltic Sea between During the whole of the 1700s, the
Pomerania and Lithuania. These tribes Hohenzollerns embarked on a mission
were conquered by the Roman to unite its scattered territories
Catholic Order of the Teutonic into one contiguous land mass.
Knights in the 1200s, who Along the way, the long-
organized the territory into a reigning Frederick the Great
fiefdom of Poland. (1740–1786) conquered
The region was ruled by Silesia from the Austrians in
a succession of the Knights’ the 1740s. Then, Prussia—
grand masters for the next along with the Austrian and
few centuries. But when Russian Empires) dismantled
Albert I of the Hohenzollern the Polish-Lithuanian
family became the Knights’ Commonwealth, a state
grand master, he converted large in land area but weak
to Lutheranism. He recast in military. The final result
the Teutonic States as the connected the family’s
secular Duchy of Prussia in Prussian holdings with
1525, becoming the first major the rest of its territory—and
Continental ruler to break from wiped Poland off the map of
the Catholic Church’s authority Europe for more than 100 years.
during the Reformation. As a consequence of this
Prussia became the crown jewel Prussian coat of arms increase in power, the King
COAT OF ARMS OF THE KINGDOM OF PRUSSIA 1873-1918: GLASSHOUES, CC BY-SA 4.0; MAP: JAMES M. BEIDLER
of the Hohenzollern family. The “in” Prussia designation grew
Hohenzollerns first held a tiny territory in into the King of Prussia in 1772. At that point
southern Germany, but gained substantial “Prussia” (Preussen in the German language)
land in the east in 1415 when it acquired and “Prussians” came to be the shorthand for
Brandenburg (including the city of Berlin), all Hohenzollern possessions—much to the
notable for being part of the Holy Roman chagrin of many the kingdom’s later conquests.
Empire’s electoral college. The addition of Like most of Europe, Prussia was rocked by
Prussia in the 1520s greatly expanded the French Emperor Napoleon I has he stormed
family’s eastern holdings, and the whole across the continent in the early 1800s,
Hohenzollern state became known as capturing some territories Prussia had gained
“Brandenburg-Prussia” in the 17th century. during the partitions of Poland. Prussia
The Hohenzollern’s acquisition of Prussia cemented its status as a major European power,
coincided with the later stages of German however, when the Congress of Vienna in 1815
speakers moving into the area—the so-called returned the lands Napoleon had captured.
Ostsiedlung. This strengthened bonds across The Congress of Vienna also rewarded
the disparate German states, with the mighty Prussia with western German territories from
Prussia significantly bolstering its strength and the recently dissolved Holy Roman Empire,
influence by the 17th century. such as the Rhineland and Westphalia. And it
Prussia was declared its own kingdom— also formed Prussia and several disparate states
outside the boundaries of the Holy Roman into the German Confederation, a “kind of, sort
Empire—in 1701. Out of deference to the of” continuation of the Holy Roman Empire.
e
k
g M
B
h
A
L i
j
f
C
d
This map shows Prussia’s territorial expansion in the 19th century. Pink indicates its boundaries as of 1807, while green and yellow mark land
annexed (or reclaimed) after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Regions in orange were acquired during the reign of Wilhelm I (1861–1888).
Prussian C: Hesse-Cassel (Hessen-

Kassel) and Hesse-
1815; mostly in the modern
Lander of North Rhine-
J: Silesia (Schlesien):
Southeastern region along
Provinces Nassau (Hessen-Nassau): Westphalia (Nordrhein- Czech and Slovak border
The Kingdom of Prussia Neighboring states in central Westfalen) and Rhineland- seized by Prussia in the 1740s;
(Königreich Preuβen) was Germany annexed by Prussia Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) now mostly part of Poland
divided into regions, each in 1866; modern Land of
Hesse (Hessen) G: Pomerania (Pommern): K: Schleswig-Holstein:
called a Provinz. Many Provinzen
Northern region conquered Northern region on Danish
had distinct historical and D: Hohenzollern: Small
by Prussia in stages; split border conquered from
cultural identities, which your German state on the
between Poland and the Denmark in 1864; most
“Prussian” ancestors (and even German-Swiss border, where
German Land of Mecklenburg- territory makes up German
their descendants today) may the dynasty of the same
Western Pomerania Land of the same name, but
have identified more strongly name held its first land; part
(Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) some is now once again part
with over Prussia. Here’s a of modern German Land of Denmark
rundown of each Prussian Baden-Württemberg H: Posen: Eastern portion
Provinz in 1871, with German L: Westphalia (Westfalen):
Prussia annexed from Poland;
names in parentheses: E: East Prussia (Ostpreuβen): Central-western region
now is once again part of
The original Duchy of Prussia awarded to Prussia after
A: Brandenburg: The area Poland
along the Baltic Coast, with the Congress of Vienna;
around Berlin; most is still land added from the Polish I: Saxony (Sachsen): Central now part of the Land
part of modern Germany in partitions; most now part of German region annexed North Rhine-Westphalia
the Land of Brandenburg, Poland, with Russia holding between 1815 and 1866; (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
while the eastern portion is the northernmost portion as modern Lander of Saxony-
part of Poland the Kaliningrad Oblast M: West Prussia
Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) and
Thuringia (Note: The Kingdom (Westpreuβen): Annexed by
B: Hanover (Hannover):
F: Rhineland (Rheinland): of Saxony along the Czech Prussia from Poland in the
North-central region
Western region of small border remained independent late 1700s; now in Poland
conquered by Prussia in
1866; modern Land of Lower states, assigned to Prussia of Prussia, and today makes up
Saxony (Niedersachsen) at the Congress of Vienna in the Land Saxony/Sachsen)
The town of Soon afterward, Prussian King Frederick tip
Bacharach, William III decreed a union of the kingdom’s Leave no stone unturned in trying to find
a Prussian village of origin. Look—not just
in modern major Protestant denominations, the
in your immigrant ancestor’s marriage
Rhineland- Lutherans and the Reformed (Calvinists), into
records—but in marriage records for their
Palatinate, came Evangelische, the name under which the vast
children as well. If you have an obituary
under Prussian majority of today’s Protestants in Germany will from an English-language newspaper,
control after be found. search for a German-language one.
the Congress of Before then, most Prussian commoners were
Vienna. Lutherans, but the Hohenzollerns and much
of the nobility had been Calvinist since the in the 1871 declaration of the Second German
early 1600s. (Some congregations dissented Empire. The King of Prussia assumed the
from the union and became known as the “Old additional title of Emperor of Germany, and
Lutherans,” even emigrating to the United Prussia became the pre-eminent state in a
States to avoid persecution.) federal German empire.
During the 1800s, Prussia dominated the Along its way to the top of the German heap,
smaller and weaker constituent states of Prussia became synonymous with militarism.
BACHARACH: NSTAMATICS/ISTOCK; WILLIAM II: ILBUSCA/ISTOCK
the Empire, continuing its drive toward a The German Empire was dissolved after its
contiguous territory with several stages and defeat in World War I, but Prussia remained
drawing it into conflict with Austria (the other a state of the interwar Weimar Republic. It
prominent German-speaking power). First, wasn’t until after World War II that “Prussia”
there was the “soft” solution of forming a was erased from the map of Europe.
customs union (Zollverein) with other German But all that history—including the
states that excluded Austria. Then Prussia 20th-century decline of “Prussia” as a nation-
outright annexed Hanover and parts of Hesse state—doesn’t change how natives of the
after the two states sided with Austria in an land were referred to in the many documents
1866 war. referencing Prussia from the 1800s and
Prussia also led the charge against the early 1900s. (Aside, of course, from giving
French in the Franco-Prussian War, resulting researchers some mental anguish!)
FINDING A TOWN OF ORIGIN William
In many cases, the first reference to Prussian (Wilhelm) II,
ancestry that you see will be from an German Emperor
American record. You might even be happy and King
to see that detail rather than the even more of Prussia
generic “Germany”—until you look at the map
and realize how big Prussia had become in
the 19th century. Prussian genealogy research isn’t
Two related pieces of information can come
to your rescue. Some US records may yield always easy. But with the right attitude,
the gold standard of immigrant genealogy «ã«ÊÃʃÃãÊÊ¼ÜʃúÊèÃăÃ
research: an exact village of origin. Or, at least,
a record might identify a Provinz (province; your ancestors who lived within the
plural is Provinzen) to narrow down the search limits of the former kingdom.
to a particular area of Prussia.
Here are some of the US records most likely to
reveal your Prussian ancestor’s town of origin. memorial information, but there are still many
offline sources such as marker transcripts in
Church and Vital Records county historical and genealogical libraries.
While every record of an immigrant, spouse
and children has some potential for a Federal Censuses
specific village name, church records are Fortunately, many US censuses inquired about
far and away the most likely to include such the respondent’s place of birth, making them
information. You can find large collections a possible source for your ancestor’s Prussian
of ethnic German-American congregational origins. Questions varied by census year—and
registers on the free FamilySearch <www. didn’t guarantee that the enumerator would
familysearch.org> as well as major subscription follow the proper instructions—but may still
sites Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com> and provide some insight:
MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com>. (US civil O 1850: Enumerators were to use “the name
vital records, too, might have specific place of the government or country if without the
names, but this is less likely.) United States.” Many used “Germany,” even
A team led by German genealogy scholar though that was not yet technically a country.
Roger P. Minert continues to compile the But you might still see references to Prussia
valuable book series German Immigrants or smaller contemporary German states such
in American Church Records (Family Roots as Hesse.
Publishing). Minert has published more than O1860 through 1880: Instructions
20 volumes to date, each with an abstract said that “Germany” was too general of a
showing origins written in the more commonly response, and requested that the enumerator
used church registers (baptisms, marriages gather what state within the region if
and burials) but also harder-to-find record possible. (From the 1860 instructions: “To
E
groups such as membership lists. In addition insert simply Germany would not be deemed
Read more
to the individual volumes, which you can find a sufficiently specific localization…the of James’s
in libraries that have substantial German particular German State should be given—as recommenda-
genealogy collections, Minert has created a set Baden, Bavaria, Hanover.”) tions for Ger-
of consolidated indexes to the first 14 volumes, O 1900: The instructions reverted back to man geneal-
which you can find in libraries with large less-specific country/region, encouraging ogy websites
<www.family
German collections. Germany over Prussia or Saxony. treemagazine.
In addition to church records, tombstones O 1910: Germany wasn’t mentioned, but com/premium/
(often more detailed in earlier eras than they the instructions seemed to encourage more german-
are today) will sometimes have villages of origin specificity. For example, the enumerator was genealogy-
carved on them. Find a Grave <www.findagrave. to distinguish between the different parts of websites>.
com> has become the leading site showing partitioned Poland (i.e., “German Poland”

instead of just “Poland”) or the two main the Kingdom of Hanover that was annexed
constituent countries of Austria-Hungary. by Prussia in 1866.
O 1920 through 1940: Enumerators were O Pommerscher Verein groups were
asked to distinguish between (in 1920) the formed by descendants of emigrants from
provinces of dissolved empires like Germany. the Prussian province of Pomerania. One
Similarly, in 1930 and 1940, enumerators such group, Pommerscher Verein Central
were to ask what country the person’s Wisconsin <www.pvcw.org>, has a library of
birthplace was in as of 1930 and January 1, difficult-to-find church records.
1937 (respectively), taking into account recent
border changes. MAPPING YOUR ANCESTRAL TOWN
Even once you have a town name, you might
Immigration and Naturalization Records not be able to simply type it into Google and
US passenger arrival lists often give birthplace locate it on a modern map of Germany. Perhaps
(or place of last residence) data. But for the the name is misspelled in a record or has
many Prussians who left via the port of multiple names. Or maybe there are too many
Hamburg, embarkation lists show even more villages with the same name to pin down your
detailed information. These embarkation lists ancestor’s—like how there’s a “Springfield” in
(as well as handwritten indexes for them that nearly every US state.
might be needed as a workaround for bad When you face one of these problems, your
handwriting) are available on Ancestry.com. first stop should be the Meyers Gazetteer, the
Naturalization documents are especially leading geographical dictionary of German
important if your ancestor became a citizen lands published in the Second Empire period
(which you can determine by examining federal and available online at <www.meyersgaz.org>.
censuses). For most, naturalization was a The online version of “MeyersGaz” includes
two-step process that required a declaration of the original gazetteer’s detailed information on
intent followed by a petition for naturalization. each town, then supplements it with interactive
Both contain valuable information about modern-day and historical map overlays.
origins; make sure you look for both document Specifically for Prussian areas that are now
types. (Note: Naturalization documents contain in Poland, Kartenmeister <www.kartenmeister.
uniform information after the process was com> gives loads of information about the
federalized in 1907, but details will vary in villages east of the Oder and Niesse rivers
earlier records.) (the current boundary between Germany
You can also find geographic-specific and Poland). The profile for each town name
databases of emigrants relating to Prussian includes both German- and Polish-language
areas. For example, the Schleswig-Holstein place names, as well as what districts and
Rootdigger group <www.rootdigger.de/emi.htm> parishes the villages belonged to.
has more than 100,000 emigrants documented, Another valuable tool can be the “Prussia,
while the website Ahnenforschung im Municipality Gazetteer, 1905” (Gemeindelexikon
Internet—Raum Rheine <www.rheineahnen.de/ für Königreich Preussen) on Ancestry.com
listdoc/auswand.htm> has hundreds of emigrant <www.ancestry.com/search/collections/34415>.
names from the Rhineland. This gazetteer can be helpful in determining
which Catholic and Protestant parishes a
Societies village belonged to—information not found in
Once you have some more direction about your the Meyers Gazetteer. (Kevan Hansen’s Map
ancestor’s province, consult resources created Guide to German Parish Registers series, found
by individual societies and genealogy groups in many libraries that have German collections,
about “Prussians” who came from a particular can also give this information.)
region. To give just two examples: You also won’t want to miss the Germany-
O The Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of based supersite CompGen <www.compgen.
America <www.ogsa.us> has an emigrant de>, which hosts research-aid primers
database listing some 30,000 people from for all of the former Prussian provinces, a
Ostfriesland (East Frisia/Friesland), part of historic gazetteer (GOV), and links to many
regional groups. Though its home page is in Catholic records, respectively. Charlottenburg
German, the site has an English-language Prussian civil registration dates to 1874 in Palace in
interface called Genealogy.net. I wrote about most places, and (for the most part) are kept Berlin was
CompGen in more detail in the October/ in the civil registry office (Standesamt) where commissioned
November 2018 issue of Family Tree Magazine the event occurred. Some local groups are by the wife of
<www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/ transcribing them, but you’ll need to write to Friedrich I, King
tracing-german-ancestry-compgen-de>. the office to get records from most places. in Prussia.
“Sandesamt” I” in Berlin holds duplicate
FINDING PRUSSIAN GENEALOGY copies of civil registries in eastern Prussian
RECORDS territories now in Poland or Russia <www.
Once you’ve found your ancestral town of berlin.de/labo/buergerdienste/standesamt-i-in-
origin and located it on a map, you can consult a berlin>. Ancestry.com has a collection of these
few different resources for Prussian records. records: “Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany
The Family History Library has large [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874–1945”
volumes of microfilm containing births, <www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60749>.
marriages and deaths from historical Prussia. Other record groups haven’t survived
Many of these have been digitized and indexed; the region’s tumultuous 20th century.
look at FamilySearch’s list of collections Most military records, for example, were
<www.familysearch.org/search/collection/ unfortunately destroyed in WWII bombing
list> to see what’s available for “Prussia” or the (though documents from independent Hanover
modern German/Polish state your ancestor’s have survived). Likewise, early German
town of origin is in. (See the sidebar on page 45 censuses were thrown away, though some
for more on Prussian provinces.) remain in local government archives.
Some of these collections are also on Prussian genealogy research isn’t always
Ancestry.com and MyHeritage, since the two easy. But with the right attitude, dedication,
companies helped fund some of FamilySearch’s and tools, you can find your ancestors who lived
digitization projects. within the limits of the former kingdom.
Church archives themselves are digitizing
records from their congregations. Archion.de James M. Beidler has authored three books on
BENEDEK /ISTOCK
<www.archion.de> and Matricula German genealogy. None of his ancestors would have
<data.matricula-online.eu/en> have growing liked being called Prussian; they were from Westphalia,
browsable databases of Protestant and Wittgenstein and Hesse-Nassau.

50
SE AS
ME
CU UR
RIT ES
Y
Cash in on
the genealogical
MONEY: SHIKHAR BHATTARAI/STOCKSY; CAPITOL HILL: FRANKVANDENBERGH/ISTOCK
benefits of
your relatives’
Social Security
documents.
by SUNNY JANE MORTON

A
For years, Peggy Ash of Mesa, Ariz., tried
to solve a family mystery. Her grandmother was a twin,
but the two sisters’ tombstones have different birthdates—
according to family story, the sister was born eight hours
later, on the next day. For years, some relatives blamed
the birth delay for the serious mental impairment that
afflicted the twin sister all her life.
“But when the birth certificates became available online,
they told nearly the opposite story,” Ash says. “The first
twin born was her sister, shortly after midnight, and my
grandmother was born four hours later, on the same day.”
That made Ash question whether the family’s version of

the story was true: that the girl’s medical problems began
as a toddler.
Then at a genealogy conference in 2019, Ash learned
about Social Security-related records and began ordering
them for her family. The Social Security application form
(SS-5) for the twins’ father, Leonard Banks (image A),
confirmed his 1879 birth details and parents’ names—well
before birth records were kept in Utah Territory.
Even better, the SS-5 revealed his employment with the
Union Pacific Railroad, which in turn led Ash to a thick
pension file that provided more details. According to a
report in the file, her grandmother’s sister was “besieged
with convulsions at age 3. She continued this way until
age 7 […] when a chiropractor treated her and convulsions
stopped.” The report also discussed her mental and
physical states, which seemed to rule out the possibility
that the delayed birth was their cause.
Thanks to records from the Social Security
Administration (SSA), Ash was able to solve a long-held
family mystery. And whether you want key genealogical
data or other biographical clues, you may benefit from
finding Social Security-related documents.
The late 1800s and early-to-mid-1900s can be a
challenging era for US research. The legacy of slavery
lingered. Government birth records were spotty.
Immigration was its peak. And the 1890 census was
almost entirely lost.
Given that, you should secure as many Social Security-
related resources as you can for each qualifying relative.
Here are the records you’re looking for—and a little
context to help you fit them into your family’s timeline.
MONEY: JUAN MOYANO/STOCKSY
A HISTORY OF SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935,
during the Great Depression. Its purpose was to fund
unemployment and old-age benefits by taxing workers’
wages. Anyone under the age of 65 as of 1 January 1937—
including immigrants—could apply for a Social Security
number, which tracked employee
B
contributions and benefits eligibility. The
SSA assigned numbers according to a
system that factored in location and year;
see the sidebar and Stephen P. Morse’s
One-Step Tool for decoding them <www.
stevemorse.org/ssn/ssn.html>.
Tax collection began in 1937, and
benefit payments started in 1940. By this time, spouses
and minor children had been added to the plan. Over the obituary, coroner’s report or statement by a funeral
next few decades, Social Security expanded dramatically, director or attending physician). Certain details—like the
culminating with the launch of Medicare in the mid- names of parents or employers—might be redacted if the
1960s. Many people over age 65 who hadn’t already SSA can’t confirm they’re also deceased.
signed up scrambled to do so. Use the order-by-mail option if you need to submit any
So which of your relatives may have a Social Security evidence. Provide all information requested—including the
paper trail? Any US resident in 1937 or later, especially Social Security number, if you have it—to be sure you get
those who worked a tax-paying job or were married to the right record. Copies of SS-5s aren’t cheap, so confirm
someone who did. Look for applicable people in the 1940 the applicant’s participation in Social Security before you
census, if they’re listed. request them by consulting other records mentioned in
Better yet, if, to the left of your relative’s entry in the this article.
1940 census, it says “SUPPL QUEST” (supplemental If your request seems unjustly redacted or denied,
questions), look to the bottom of the page. Questions 42 appeal it. Provide copies of tombstone images, parents’
through 44 were about their Social Security participation; census entries showing ages, and other evidence to
my great-grandfather John Felix’s responses are indicated strengthen your case.
in image B. In addition to the SS-5 form, you’ll also see an option
for something called a Numident record. Though the
SOCIAL SECURITY APPLICATIONS (SS-5S) Numident is cheaper to order, it contains less information
Those applying for Social Security had to fill out an SS-5 than the full SS-5 and thus isn’t as useful. Besides, the
form. Though the application forms varied throughout the Numident extracts you want may be freely available at
years, they typically required: the National Archives’ Access to Archival Databases
O Full name at birth, including a woman’s (AAD) <aad.archives.gov/aad> (Genealogy > Civilians >
maiden name Numerical Identification Files). There you’ll find multiple
O Mailing address and age at last birthday searchable indexes to SS-5s, grouped alphabetically by
O Date and place of birth surname. Not all SS-5s are indexed here, such as many
O Parents’ full names, including mother’s completed prior to 1973, or those for births after 1908. Files
maiden name for living people are excluded. The SS-5 Numident extracts
O Race/color may include a person’s name(s), sex, race, birth data,
O Current employer’s name and address parents’ names, alien registration number and more.
O Dated signature Additionally, the Social Security Applications and
Through the SSA website <www.ssa.gov/foia/request. Claims Index, available on subscription websites Ancestry.
html>, you can order copies of SS-5 applications for com <www.ancestry.com> and MyHeritage <www.
deceased people or, with their written permission, for myheritage.com>, provides information extracted from
the living. SS-5s for millions of people, such as full names, race, birth
Whether your request for a deceased person’s SS-5 dates and places, and parents’ full names. This index is
is successful depends on two factors: how long ago the much easier to search than the AAD databases, but may
applicant was born, and whether the SSA has sufficient not include all details in the free Numident file (and vice
evidence of his or her death. The SSA’s instructions versa). Search both, if you can.
are a little confusing on the subject beyond that. As
written, they indicate that you’ll receive information CLAIM FILES
if the applicant was born more than 120 years ago, or Over the course of a lifetime, Social Security participants
if the applicant was born more than 100 years ago and accumulated claim files with additional documentation.
you provide proof of death (such as a death certificate, These often included copies of (or transcribed evidence

had a Social Security number, generally only including
Websites with the SSDI deaths reported to the SSA beginning in 1962 (though a
few include deaths prior to that year). At time of writing,
VIEW SSDI SSN NOTES the SSDI cuts off at 2014.
WITH FREE INCLUDED? The SSDI isn’t as detailed as the SS-5. But you should
USER LOGIN still find the person’s full name, birth date, death date, state
where the number was issued, and last known residence
Ancestry.com No Yes Can be attached to (down to the ZIP code). And it’s widely available—you don’t
(if death >10 online family tree
years ago) need to request transcripts from the SSA.
Some websites include additional details in their SSDI
FamilySearch Yes No Calculates estimated databases that can help when you’re trying to distinguish
age at death; can be
between similarly named individuals (see table). You
attached to online
family tree can search the SSDI for free at FamilySearch <www.
familysearch.org>, Findmypast <www.findmypast.
Findmypast Yes No Can be attached to com>, GenealogyBank <www.genealogybank.com>
online family tree or MyHeritage; you’ll need a subscription at Ancestry.
com. You can also visit Stephen P. Morse’s webpage for
Genealogy Yes No Calculates exact age searching the SSDI across multiple websites <www.
Bank at death (if exact stevemorse.org/ssdi/ssdi.html>.
dates provided) plus It’s only fair to warn you that SSA indexes (including
coordinates for last
known residence the SSDI) are not always complete or accurate. You might
see any of the following:
MyHeritage Yes No Can be attached to O Initials, nicknames or middle names instead of
online family tree full names
O Birth dates appearing only as a year, or not at all
O Names or dates that are entered incorrectly, such as
from) birth or death records, infant baptismal records, 2 November (11/2) instead of 11 February (2/11)
family Bible entries, delayed birth records, passports, O Names that drop internal punctuation: OMalley or
marriage records, military records or a spouse’s SS-5. Omalley instead of O’Malley
There might be requests for changes in records with name O Women’s paperwork filed under an unfamiliar
changes, such as for women who married or divorced. married or maiden name (you may not have found
Applications for benefits could be multi-page documents every surname she used)
with family, work history and other data. O Unfamiliar places of issue, residence or last known
Unfortunately, claim files aren’t kept permanently. “We benefit (people could apply from anywhere, and
ordinarily destroy claim files several years after the final you may not know every place they lived)
decision on the claim,” states the SSA on its website. “To O If needed, run several searches with different
request a copy of a deceased person’s claim file, please combinations of names, dates and places.
visit your local office. Sometimes we can recall a claim Explore all possible results, even partial matches.
file from our program service center or a Federal Records It may take a while to accumulate enough bits and
Center.” Information about living (or possibly living) pieces of evidence—from Social Security or other
individuals will be redacted, and fees may vary. documentation—to identify a correct entry.
The good news is that some information from claim

fi les survives in indexed form. The AAD has searchable COMMON ROADBLOCKS
indexes of many (not all) claim fi les. Claim fi le data You may be surprised at the patchwork paper trail you
also appears in the aforementioned Ancestry and find for any given person. Perhaps you’ll find no SS-5,
MyHeritage collections. but you discover a claim file extract; the SSA estimates
THE SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX (SSDI)
E
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a valuable Former Editor Diane Haddad shared reflections on the role
government plays in genealogy research in our Septem-
record set that comes from the SSA’s Death Master File,
ber/October 2020 issue <www.familytreemagazine.com/
which the SSA uses to track withholdings and survivors’ premium/genealogy-government-records>.
benefits. The SSDI doesn’t include every person who ever
Show Me the Money
Would you like to know how much earnings your rela-
tives reported to the government during their working
lives? The SSA knows the answer. Unfortunately,
under most circumstances, they won’t tell you. But if
you’re a qualifying next-of-kin or heir, you can order a
deceased relative’s statement of earnings.
You’ll need the person’s Social Security number and
proof of your qualifying relationship to order earning
information. Use the SSA 7050-F4 form at <www.ssa.
gov/forms/ssa-7050.pdf>. Choose the option for yearly
totals of earnings, or a more-expensive report that
includes employers’ names and addresses. (You’ll have
to explain why you need the latter information.)

c
that’s the situation for many records. Conversely, millions

of SS-5s and claim file numbers don’t seem to have
corresponding death files. While it might be disappointing
to not find everything, don’t let one missing record type
deter you from looking for others.
Conflicting information can also be a problem.
Remember, each type of record may have been created at
a different time, under different circumstances, and even
by different people. Over a lifetime, a person might report
her own birth date differently for a variety of reasons.
Some Social Security records could be filled out by others,
such as death benefit paperwork by a beneficiary.
Secondhand information and evidence gathered long
after the fact are generally less reliable than firsthand
information supplied closer in time to an event. Again, you
may have to compare lots of different records, including
the Social Security records, and consider how likely they
are to be right.
Consider the case of Henry Fox of Pueblo, Colo. In his
SS-5 application in 1937 (image C), he said he was born
in 1887. His WWI draft application and the 1940 census
agree. But his WWII draft registration states a birth year
of 1890, which also appears in the AAD claim file database
and the SSDI. And a recently unearthed divorce record for
his parents in 1897 says Fox was 8 years old at the time,
putting the birth year about 1889 (the same year as his
parents’ marriage).
NEXT STEPS
Your search for Social Security-related documents might
lead you to additional resources. Among them may be:
Delayed Birth Certificates

Many Social Security participants applied for delayed
birth certificates if original government records of their
birth weren’t available. Supporting evidence cited in the
record could include affidavits by those who personally
How to Decode a As Ash learned, rail workers drew on separate
Social Security Card government pensions—not from Social Security—and
their pension files can be packed with family history.
1. Area number: Geographical region Search for railway employees in the Midwest
issued, with lowest numbers in the Genealogy Center’s free index at <quicklook.
Northeast and highest in the midwestgenealogycenter.org> (select the U.S. Railroad
West (except for Railroad Retirement Retirement Board collection); Ancestry.com has this
Board, 700–728) index, too.
If you find a relative, read more about ordering pension
2. Group number: Administrative files at <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/
codes for filing purposes now-what-workin-on-the-railroad>.
3. Serial number:
Assigned consecutively Federal Employment
During the 1930s and 1940s, the federal government
Note: The above guidelines apply employed workers through the United States Employment
only to numbers issued before Service, the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Projects
2011, when the SSA changed its Administration (WPA) projects, and other initiatives. A
methodology in an effort discerning researcher might spot clues to this work in
to make Social Security numbers relatives’ SS-5 records.
more random. In 1937, Fox’s SS-5 provided a US Employment Service
number, hinting at prior association. On a hunch, I entered
the name of Fox’ employer in a database of WPA projects
<www.livingnewdeal.org/advanced-search> and learned that
the contractor built a high school between 1936 and 1939
1 2 3 south of Flagstaff, Ariz., where Fox was living.
000 00 0000 Explore more WPA resources at <www.

familytreemagazine.com/premium/good-works-wpa-
projects>, and order civilian employee records before
1951 (including WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps) at
<www.archives.gov/st-louis/civilian-personnel>.
CONCLUSION
Like Ash, once you start exploring Social Security
documentation, you may find yourself tracking it down for
every possible deceased relative. She especially loves the
SS-5s. “I really enjoy having that original piece of history,
knew of the birth, copies of family Bible pages, or infant even if it doesn’t provide new genealogical information,”
baptismal records. Ask at state or local vital records she says. “I like to see when they applied and how that fit
offices about the availability of delayed birth records, into their life at the time.”
which may be with court records rather than with other Ash also realizes that, though these records are
vital records. Learn more at <www.familytreemagazine. currently preserved by the SSA, they may not be around
com/premium/delayed-birth-certificate>. forever, whether because of changes in record retention
or access policies or because of the passage of time.
Railroad Retirement Board Pension Files She’s especially glad she didn’t delay in ordering her
Railroad employees were assigned Social Security grandmother’s application. “My grandmother’s card
numbers that start with numbers ranging from 700 to showed enough damage that I fear if they had waited too
MONEY: JUAN MOYANO/STOCKSY
728. (Ash’s great-grandfather Banks’ starts with 712.) much longer to image it, there wouldn’t have been much
left of it.”
E
Learn more about SS-5 forms <www.familytreemagazine. Sunny Jane Morton, contributing editor for Family Tree, thanks
com/premium/document-detective-ss5>. Michael L. Strauss <www.genealogyresearchnetwork.com> for
contributing tips to this article.

ĝ
ÜÊ¡ã¨
Missing
Ancestors Nancy Drew has
inspired generations of
mystery-solvers. These
eight sleuthing skills
from her adventures
will help you find your
ancestors.
by ELLEN SHINDELMAN KOWITT
For more than 100 years, mystery books have ignited a
love for problem-solving in children while also introducing them to the basics
of genealogy research. An army of writers under pseudonyms penned popular
series such as Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, injecting their stories with key
skills used by family historians every day.
The parallels are striking. Mystery-solving sleuths like Nancy Drew
interview persons of interest, document findings, and analyze
evidence to come to conclusions. They tap many of the same
records and institutions as do genealogists: photographs, maps,
newspapers, libraries and cemeteries. Their adventures are
story-based and sometimes involve travel, interacting with people
from around the world, and learning about the deceased. And,
like genealogists, sleuths and the mystery novels about them are
universal and have ongoing, multi-generational appeal.
Generations of readers have found those resources and processes in
the text of the classic Nancy Drew Mystery Stories:
The Clue of the Black Keys (1951): Nancy describes working with a
genealogist who traces family trees and has stacks of records.

The Clue in the Old Album (1947): Nancy searches genealogy records
herself as she tries to find mention of a fictional Henrietta Bostwick.

The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (1964): Nancy researches her own
maternal roots.
In fact, Nancy is a model for determined researchers. Though she drives a
GRAVEYARD: SHARAN BEKAL/ISTOCK; SILHOUETTE: MOHAMED HASSAN/PIXABAY; BOOK: RICHARD LEVINE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
vintage speedy roadster and is a fashionable dresser (as compared to the modern
genealogist, stereotypically working in pajamas), Nancy shares sage wisdom for
today’s researchers.
Though much of the technology has changed since the first Drew title was
published in 1930, the core research principles remain the same. Here are eight
research strategies that genealogists can take away from the Nancy Drew series.
1. SEARCH CEMETERIES
Nancy visits cemeteries in at least three of her jewishgen.org/databases/cemetery>. There, you’ll
adventures, and any genealogist knows the find tombstone images, plus indexes to the
importance of researching ancestral tomb- genealogical data on them.
stones and burial grounds. In cemeteries, you’ll Though nothing replaces the experience of
find not just death information, but also clues seeing your ancestor’s tombstone in person,
to your ancestor’s birth date, relationships, reli- all that data makes these websites crucial
gious beliefs, economic status and more. go-to’s, both before and after your trip to the
Fortunately, volunteers have uploaded cemetery. (Or they can be a nice substitute,
cemetery information to websites such as Bil- if health, distance or money keeps you from
lionGraves <www.billiongraves.com>, Find a visiting in person.)
Grave <www.findagrave.com>, Interment.net Search each digitized cemetery collection
<www.interment.net>, and JewishGen’s Online individually; content can vary between the
Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) <www. sites, so you don’t want to rely on only one.

published in the country (regardless of if and
where they’ve been digitized).
If you can’t find a digitized publication at
either of the two above resources, consider
commercial websites. Newspapers.com <www.
newspapers.com> and GenealogyBank <www.
genealogybank.com> are the two most prominent
with historical newspapers, but you can also
find newspapers at Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.
com>, MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com>,
Volunteers don’t all visit the same locations or NewspaperArchive.com <www.newspaperarchive.
record the material in the same way. For exam- com> and (through your library’s subscription)
ple, names and dates on Jewish tombstones ProQuest <www.proquest.com>.
found at Find a Grave or BillionGraves might
not be translated from Hebrew into English, as 3. EXPLORE MAPS
they are on JOWBR. By studying maps in The Clue of the Broken Locket
You can also go “old-school” and contact a (1934), Nancy was able to conclude that Pudding
cemetery office or local historical society for Stone Lake and Misty Lake were actually the
more details. Officials there might add infor- same place. Identifying and locating places that
mation about other relatives buried nearby, are no longer around or that have changed names
the owner of the plot, or any municipal death can be a challenge in any time period, and maps
certificates on file. Remember to check back can help you solve those mysteries.
for updates. Spelling or transliteration errors, the use of
multiple languages, or identical names in differ-
2. STUDY HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ent locations add complications. But research-
In Mystery of the Glowing Eye (1974), Nancy ers can take advantage of web-based historical
used a newspaper file—back then, researchers map collections such as:
had access only to physical copies of newspa- The David Rumsey Map Collection <www.
pers. And those who enjoy the smell and feel of davidrumsey.com>, in conjunction with Stanford
aged, hard-copy clippings can still find them in University, began more than 30 years ago and
the collections of local history libraries. now contains more than 150,000 digital maps.
But technology has simplified access to obit- The collection has tens of thousands of down-
uaries, probate notices, and articles contain- loadable historical maps, including rare maps
ing the names of ancestors. More newspapers from the 16th through 21st century.
continue to be digitized and made available on Maplandia <www.maplandia.com> hosts
a variety of free and commercial websites. the Google Maps World Gazetteer, a searchable
The free Ancestor Hunt blog <www. database of more than 2 million place names
theancestorhunt.com>, compiled by Kenneth based on Google Maps <www.google.com/
Marks, makes finding digitized newspapers maps>. You can also browse by region.
easy, with a directory of US and Canadian Ebay <www.ebay.com> isn’t just for bidding
newspapers that’s organized by state or spe- on Nancy Drew collectibles! You can browse
cialty (such as ethnicity, language or publish- and bid on historical maps and reproductions.
ing institution). Mapire <www.mapire.eu/en>, the result of
Another valuable free resource is the Library a collaboration between archives and librar-
of Congress’s Chronicling America website ies from several countries, specializes in
<chroniclingamerica.loc.gov>. The database cov- 19th-century maps of Europe. Here, you’ll find
ers a wide swath of the United States’ historical European military surveys, plus Habsburg
newspapers, dating from 1789 to 1963. Chroni- cadastral maps.
ANDREYUU/ISTOCK
cling America hosts many digitized papers on Moll’s Historical Map Collection <mapy.
its site, but has also compiled the U.S. News- mzk.cz/en/mollova-sbirka> was assembled in
paper Directory <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ the 1740s and 1750s by the German diplomat
search/titles>, a list of all known newspapers Bernhard Paul Moll. The collection includes
12,000 graphical representations of cities and ʭ,ÜÜÊÂã¨«Ã¢Â«ÜÜ«Ã¢ʊʮBÃú
landscapes in Central Europe.
Map Geeks <www.mapgeeks.org> include
Ü¹ʈʭVÊØÜʈAúÃÜãÊØÜʰ
free maps of several countries, cities and regions. ØÊØÜʈʮʠSecret of the Forgotten
Old Maps Online <www.oldmapsonline.
org> provides free access to indexes of 400,000

CityʛȺɂɀȾʜ
maps. You can even upload your own maps to
the site’s collection. images; the full collection contains more than
14 million items.
4. RESEARCH BUILDINGS WITH SANBORN Keep in mind that local public libraries
FIRE INSURANCE MAPS may contain material from a broader regional
Maps showing political boundaries and area. The Denver Public Library Digital Col-
military surveys aren’t the only documents to lections <digital.denverlibrary.org/digital>, for
peruse. You can also channel your inner Nancy example, include more than 100,000 pho-
Drew by studying Sanborn fire insurance maps. tographs chronicling the people, places and
These detailed maps were created by the San- events that shaped the settlement and growth
born Map Co. between 1867 and 1977 to assess of the whole Western United States. Likewise,
risk for fires, and they document more than the New York Public Library <www.nypl.org>
12,000 US cities and towns. contains maps and material far outside of the
In addition to scale drawings of locations, Big Apple.
they also contain street names, property Another resource is the Digital Public
boundaries and building materials, and loca- Library of America <www.dp.la>, which is
tions of schools and houses of worship—par- online, free, and open to all—no need for a
ticularly useful for properties or neighborhoods library card, subscription or even registration.
that no longer exist. The Family Research Guide to DPLA <www.
The University of California, Berkeley details dp.la/guides/the-family-research-guide-to-dpla>
where you can find these treasure maps both links to areas of interest for genealogists,
online and offline <www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/ including family photographs, family Bibles,
sanborn_union_list>, and the Library of Con- local maps, military records, oral histories
gress Geography & Map Division has a goal and personal letters. And, when working with
to digitize them all <www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/ DPLA materials, the useful “Cite this Item”
sanborn/index.php>. feature provides full citations for a resource, in
multiple formats.
5. VISIT PUBLIC LIBRARIES Finally, although so much is online these
Nancy made frequent trips to the library—as days, Nancy Drew also reminds us not to forget
did many of her readers, who learned about the many treasures waiting to be found offline.
her adventures from the books they borrowed So sometimes, you’ll need to visit libraries,
there. But you needn’t despair if distance (or a archives, and historical societies in person—
pandemic) keeps you from visiting libraries in just like in 1930!
person: Nearly all public library districts have
an online presence and offer interlibrary loan 6. READ BOOKS
options. Better yet, many also provide card In a similar way, family history detectives can
holders with access to subscription services like take advantage of online book databases that
Ancestry.com’s Library Edition or ProQuest. Nancy Drew would have loved. The cost of pur-
The largest public library in the United chasing books can really add up, so accessing
States is the Library of Congress <www.loc. texts on free sites can be a huge windfall.
gov>, which (in addition to large collections
of newspapers and Sanborn maps) also offers
E
a comprehensive catalog of US local histories If you’ve got a hankering for mystery, you’ll
love our roundup of genealogy who-dun-it
that you can borrow or search online. Its Prints
novels <www.familytreemagazine.com/
& Photographs Online Catalog <www.loc.gov/ entertainment/5-genealogical-whodunits>.
pictures> alone contains 1.2 million digital

archivegrid> provides access to more than 5
million detailed archival collection descrip-
tions for materials held by libraries, archives,
museums and historical societies around the
world. Search for documents, personal papers,
family histories and other materials.
7. TRANSLATE FOREIGN-LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
Nancy Drew’s adventures have been pub-
lished in dozens of languages, and the char-
acter herself has traveled to six of the seven
continents. (The Hardy Boys beat her to the
seventh: Antarctica.) So even navigating tricky
foreign-language resources and websites
won’t seem like so much of a challenge for the
Nancy-trained.
Many research institutions, such as the State
Archival Service of Ukraine <archives.gov.
ua/ua>, the German Federal Archives <www.
bundesarchiv.de>, and the National Archives of
Japan <www.archives.go.jp>, have already made
their websites accessible to English speakers by
creating English versions. Look to the upper-
Google Books <books.google.com> boasts the right corners of landing pages on these and
world’s most comprehensive index to millions other international websites for an icon that
of full-text books. Some of the collection’s out- indicates language options. An EN likely signi-
of-copyright and public-domain books with fies English, as does a US or UK flag.
genealogical value include wills, school census When a site doesn’t offer a translation, you
records, compiled early naturalization records, can open the page using the Google Chrome
land deeds and community histories. You can browser to access a Google Translated version.
also find foreign-language books, including Google’s free service instantly translates words,
those in Hebrew and Cyrillic character sets. phrases and web pages between English and
The Internet Archive <www.archive.org> is one of more than 100 languages. Those using
another nonprofit digital library of sorts, offer- a browser other than Chrome can visit Google
ing free access to books. Among the browsable Translate <translate.google.com>, then paste the
results are rare books and foreign-language URL with Detect Language selected. Click the
genealogy gems not found elsewhere such as resulting URL to access a version of the page in
The Census of The Jewish Population in The your selected language.
South Western Region of Russia in 1765–1791. One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
FamilySearch has tens of thousands of digi- <www.stevemorse.org> is another free resource
tized books in its collection. In fact, the Fami- that provides tools for dealing with foreign lan-
lySearch Digital Library <www.familysearch. guages. Here, you’ll find links to resources that
org/library/books> searches for digitized translate (or transliterate) text in print or cur-
genealogy and family history books from many sive letters between languages with different
major genealogy libraries, including its own character sets, such as Russian, German, Greek,
Family History Library as well as the Allen Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, and Chinese. From
County (Ind.) Public Library, Brigham Young Morse’s site, you can also decipher Jewish cal-
LALOCRACIO/ISTOCK
University Library, Houston Public Library and endar dates and convert Roman numerals.
Midwest Genealogy Center. You can also study genealogical word
And although not focused specifically on lists to better acquaint yourself with words
books, ArchiveGrid <researchworks.oclc.org/ likely to come up in records. Family Tree
Nancy Drew Today
Magazine has such lists for German terms 2020 marked the 90th anniversary of the
<www.familytreemagazine.com/freebie/free- Nancy Drew Mystery Series debut, and Nancy
german-genealogy-terms-reference-charts>, continues to inspire. We can easily imagine
and you can find word lists for a variety of how quickly Nancy would solve those Depres-
languages at the FamilySearch Research sion- and wartime-era mysteries with the
Wiki <www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/ cutting-edge tools available to genealogists
Genealogical_Word_Lists>. today. Relevant in a modern way thanks to
Looking for foreign-language books? Search the CW Network’s “Nancy Drew” TV show,
WorldCat <www.worldcat.org>, an online Nancy and her friends integrate modern-day
listing of collections from more than 10,000 mystery-solving techniques using the internet, cell phones, recording
libraries across the world. Search for books by devices and DNA.
title, subject or keywords such as surnames or Popular around the world, Nancy’s stories are sometimes directly
localities. And under Advanced Search, you can translated into other languages. Elsewhere, book titles remain the
filter results by language of original publica- same, but the content changes for cultural reasons.
tion. You can potentially borrow search results And Nancy’s name varies from place to place—just (unfortunately)
through interlbrary loan, or request them from like in genealogy. In German, Nancy is a law student named Susanne
the institution directly via email. (Note: Some Langen. In France, Turkey and Vietnam, Nancy is called Alice. In
libraries might charge a fee.) Sweden, she is Kitty Drew; in Finland, Paula. And in Norway, Nancy is
simply “Miss Detective.”
8. BROADEN YOUR SEARCH TO INCLUDE And with her global scope, Nancy Drew brings new perspectives to
LESS-TRADITIONAL SOURCES her American readers. Her books teach valuable cultural lessons to US
While most genealogy is done using paper audiences, such as introducing a language rarely spoken in America
documents and their digital counterparts, like Sinhala from Sri Lanka, or explaining how Hebrew and Arabic
researchers have to use whatever clues are in texts are read from right to left (rather than from left to right, like
front of them. many Western languages). Like genealogists, Nancy has a constant
Keeping an open mind about potential thirst for knowledge, as well as an awareness of diversity.
research leads was integral in The Clue in the
Crossword Cipher (1967), when Nancy notices
knotted strings of various colors called quipu. might learn what year the style was popular
Though less-observant researchers may have (and, thus, what year it may have been made),
disregarded them, Nancy knew quipu were plus clues about symbols used in the quilt or its
important to the Inca, who didn’t have a writ- intended function.
ten language and so kept records using quipu. Wimples, decorative sashes made from a
The number of knots in a quipu indicated how baby’s swaddling cloth, are also often adorned
many wives and children a king had. with family names, dates and places. And
With that in mind, genealogists must study because the cloth was used in several major
the cultural history of a community for inno- life events, you may find it well-preserved. In
vative ways to describe relationships or the pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe (particularly
hierarchy of families. A terrific example would in German-speaking areas), for example, the
be how tattoos convey family and tribal history wimple was made up of fabric used to swaddle
in Polynesian islands. an infant at his circumcision. Then, the wimple
Fabric pieces, such as quilts and wimples, would be used to bind the Torah at the child’s
are another often-overlooked source of family bar mitzvah, then in his wedding chuppah.
information, particularly about relationships, Likewise, samplers (small pieces of hand-
religion and place of origin. According to Sunny embroidered cloth) featured designs that often
Jane Morton: “Women often made quilts to incorporated the details of a family lineage.
mark events or anniversaries; they might have
monograms, names or dates. Passed down Ellen Shindelman Kowitt <www.ellenkowitt.com>
from generation to generation, quilts become is a veteran genealogy researcher and Jewish records
intimate parts of a family’s history.” specialist. A babysitter handed her down a worn, yellow-
You can uncover more details by having a covered Nancy Drew book when she was in second
quilt appraised. Through that process, you grade, and Ellen’s been collecting the series ever since.

treetips
DID YOUR ANCESTOR SERVE? You can consult a variety of documents stemming from military
service or conscription, notably compiled military service records (CMSRs), muster records,
pension applications and (for later conflcts) DD-214 forms. And even if your ancestor didn’t enlist,
you may find him in draft registration records from World Wars I or II. Maureen A. Taylor (the
Photo Detective) examines clues about a photo subject’s WWI-era Navy service on the opposite
page, and David A. Fryxell answers a question about finding Civil War service on page 66.
Two uniformed Most military records are organized by conflict or era, so consider what engagements were
US soldiers in front ongoing when your ancestor was of fighting age. Our free Military Records Checklist pairs your
of a painted ancestors birth and death dates against major military conflicts <www.familytreemagazine.com/
backdrop, c. 1917 freebie/free-military-records-checklist>.
PHOTO DETECTIVE treetips
In the Navy
Clothing and uniform clues suggest a life story. But are they enough to tell this couple’s tale?
Maureen A. Taylor
is the author of
Family Photo Detective
(Family Tree Books).
3 4
1 By the 1910s, studio
photographs used protective
and utilitarian sleeves that
framed the picture—like this
pale gray/green embossed
enclosure—and were sturdy
enough to stand alone. 4 We don’t know where this
5 photo was taken or who these
2 On the back of the overleaf two are, but we know that this
(not pictured) is the word man served in the U.S. Navy,
“Diabolo,” which likely refers to likely in World War I. His rank
the name of the paper manufac- would be an additional clue but,
turer. (A diabolo is a juggling tool according to Robert Hanshew
that consists of an axle and two of the National Museum of the
cups.) Unfortunately, that’s the U.S. Navy, that detail would be
only marking on the photo—a on the opposite arm. Hanshew
photographer’s imprint would said it’s possible the man was a
have given a clue to where the
couple posed.
2 Seaman Recruit (the first step of
an enlisted Navy servicemem-
ber). Find more Naval uniforms
<www.history.navy.mil/content/
3 The woman wears a two-
history/museums/nmusn.html>.
piece outfit, connected with a
belt: a white full blouse, and a
5 One clue: The crosshairs in
long skirt with pleats. She also
tip has a tie with paisley pattern
a circle on his sleeve represent
Learn more about WWI military gun pointer second class. One
and a watch on a long chain,
insignia at <freepages.rootsweb. of the requirements of that role
with a bar pin on her neckline
com/~worldwarone/military/WWI/ was good eyes.
and a bracelet. That attire could
Uniforms/index.html>.
suggest she’s dressed for a job.
In the circa-1910 era, women
found employment as shop
clerks, typewriters and other
clerical workers.

treetips N O W W H AT ?
Q How do I find a Start by finding your ancestor in the Civil War Soldiers and
Sailors Database <www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-
out more database.htm>, taking note of his state and unit number. Once you’ve
learned the state from which an ancestor served, you may be able to
about the service find some Civil War records in state archives or databases.
Subscribers to Fold3 <www.fold3.com>, which specializes in mili-
records for Union tary records, can then use state and unit information to browse for a
soldier’s compiled military service record (CMSR) and other docu-
soldiers during the ments. Although Fold3 has more Confederate than Union records,
the site is still worth a look. Some Union records, when available, are
Civil War? scarcer, representing index cards rather than full files. These records
can also be searched on Ancestry <www.ancestry.com/search/
collections/2344>.
You can order service records from the National Archives using
form NATF 86 <www.archives.gov/files/forms/pdf/natf-86.pdf> or
online at <eservices.archives.gov/orderonline> for a $30 fee. You’ll
need to know at least the soldier’s name, state, war/years of service,
and kind of service (volunteer or regular). Knowing the unit and per-
sonal details will help narrow the search.
Find your JOIN

German FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE
Ancestors! ON
Professional German
Genealogist with many years
of experience provides a t Giveaways
reliable and cost-effective
service in the search of your t Free genealogy
German Ancestry. forms
To request additional t Latest news
information please contact
Dr. Volker Jarren
D 79106 Freiburg,
Ferdinand-Weiss-Strasse 59 on Facebook!
or
mail@volkerjarren.de
www.volkerjarren.de
<www.facebook.com/familytreemagazine>
Q My grandmother was born before her home state began
keeping birth records. But I’m pretty sure she had a
passport. Don’t you need a birth certificate for that?
A Your grandmother may have applied for a “delayed birth cer-

tificate.” Many US states—especially those in the South—were
relatively late to adopt statewide birth registrations. This created a
problem later on when people needed such documentation to apply
for passports, Social Security or railroad pensions.
As a substitute, individuals produced several other proofs of age,
such as census and voter records, school documents, naturalization
papers, family Bibles, and affidavits signed by relatives. The state then
issued after-the-fact birth certificates.
Privacy restrictions on delayed birth certificates are typically
less strict than for standard birth certificates, and many have been
microfilmed or even digitized by the Family History Library. Check
FamilySearch <www.familysearch.org> for possible records and your
grandmother’s state’s entry in the FamilySearch Research Wiki
<www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page> for more information
on access.
Q How can I obtain French Moroccan records?
A French military forces fi rst occupied Morocco in 1907, but the

French protectorate was not formally established until the
1912 Treaty of Fes. (A small stretch of present-day Morocco along
the Mediterranean was controlled by Spain.) Morocco remained
French until independence in 1956.
Records from the period of 1912 to 1956 are held in France by the
Diplomatic Archives of the Ministère de L’Europe et des Affaires
Étrangères of France (Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs)
<www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/the-ministry-and-its-network/archives-
and-heritage/the-diplomatic-archives>. Some colonial records,
along with more recent records, can also be found at the Archives
du Maroc in Rabat <www.archivesdumaroc.ma> (in Arabic); see
<hazine.info/archives-du-maroc> for information about the archives
and research there.
You can learn more about French Moroccan records by searching
for Maroc at Geneawiki (in French) <fr.geneawiki.com/index.php/
accueil> and by visiting the Association Généalogie Algérie Maroc
Tunisie (also in French), <www.genealogie-gamt.org>. You can also
search Geneanet, a site for French genealogy that’s more English-
friendly, and check its Morocco-related pages at <en.geneanet.org/
country/search-Morocco-MAR>.
E
Have a question you’d like
David to answer? Email
David A. Fryxell
is the founding editor of FamilyTree@Yankeepub.com
Family Tree Magazine. He with Now What in the subject
now writes and researches line, and your question may
his family tree in Tucson. be selected for a future issue.

treetips WEBSITE TUTORIAL
Creating a Family Tree at WikiTree

WikiTree <www.wikitree.com> is an all-free website for building your family tree. The purpose of WikiTree is right in its
name: It's a wiki, and it's a tree. A wiki is a crowdsourced collaborative place to gather information. And the information
being gathered on this wiki is the world's family tree. Since 2008, hundreds of thousands of users from around the world
have contributed information to nearly 25 million tree profiles.
Sunny Jane Morton
1
3
5
2
4
1
WikiTree home page
1 2
Because the site is trying to document the whole With that emphasis on community, WikiTree has
world’s family tree, users don’t create individual family developed a common honor code to create an accu-
tree. Rather, WikiTree emphasizes our interconnect- rate, well-sourced family tree. In short: The Honor
edness as a human family by having a single, shared family Code is about research accuracy and community, and
tree, also known as a “community tree” or a “world tree.” provides guidelines meant to promote both.
(FamilySearch <www.familysearch.org>, Geni <www.geni. Mistakes will happen, but the group assumes the best
com> and WeRelate <www.werelate.org> also take the one- intentions of others and pledges to be courteous as they
tree approach.) hammer out their differences in research findings. Things
Look at the site’s logo, and you'll see what I mean. At the like privacy, copyright, crediting other people's work, cit-
base of the WikiTree image, you see lines representing ing sources, and maintaining the greatest possible free
many users going up a single trunk. The leaves of the tree access to information are paramount.
represent one profile only for each person who has ever
3
lived—that's different than a full “forest” of individually WikiTree also has a flexible range of privacy con-
created family trees. trols. Seven different privacy settings recognize
the reality that some degree of privacy may be
appropriate for the recently living for whom a smaller
E
See this full tutorial and watch a video walkthrough of circle of people have a more vested interest in their
WikiTree at <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/ memories. But for long-dead people, there is a much
wikitree-tutorial>. wider group of potential descendants and less (or even
no) need for privacy.
2
3 4
Privacy controls can be applied to information and you, but of your blood relatives out to eight degrees of
individual ancestor profiles, to a family tree that's asso- separation. That DNA connection would go up to sixth-
ciated with a profile, and even to which people may be great-grandparents and out to your third cousins on both
able to access certain information. sides of your family, because that is where you would
expect to find DNA matches with an autosomal test.
4
One of the hopes of WikiTree creators is to use You'll also be included in search results for DNA tes-
DNA to scientifically validate and confirm the ters of a particular surname. And, of course, you can
entire tree—eventually. As of now, over 7 million search for testers of a particular surname.
tree profiles for both the living and the dead are connect-
5
ed to DNA test results. The site has provided for its own—unplanned,
This is not a DNA-matching experience, where your unlikely, but always possible—demise or disrup-
raw data gets compared to other testers for shared cen- tions. They state on their home page that they have
timorgans and links. Rather, you just say which test taken extraordinary measures to make sure all this data
you've taken, where you tested or have shared your is never lost. WikiTree has daily site backups and disaster
results, your screen name, your haplogroup, and other plans in place, and encourages users to download their
information that will help researchers look for you as a trees periodically, just for safekeeping. (You can read
match on a DNA testing or sharing website. about these and other security measures on the website.)
Let’s say you’ve taken an autosomal DNA test and you In other words: WikiTree plans to stay around forever,
choose to share that fact on WikiTree. An alert pointing but they have a strong plan in place for if they don't.
to you will be connected to the tree profiles, not just of

treetips RESOURCE ROUNDUP
Census Aids
1 Free Census Worksheets
<www.familytreemagazine.com/free-census-worksheets>
Download free census worksheets to track your ancestors,
their family members and locations through US population
counts. A master US Census Checklist tracks whether you’ve
found a relative in each census of his or her lifetime, and
blank census forms for each population schedule (1790–1940)
allow for easy reading of column headings and optional
transcription of family data.
2 Special Census Schedules

<www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/
genealogy-workbook-special-censuses>
This premium article for Family Tree Magazine Website VIP
members offers a breakdown of several census “extras,”
mostly available for the 1850s to 1880s. Specialized schedules
captured additional information on ancestors connected
to agriculture, industry or slavery; were enumerated on
Indian or mortality schedules; or (in 1890) were surviving
Union Civil War veterans or their widows. Learn more about
their contents and where to find surviving special census
schedules.
3 Unified Census ED Finder

<www.stevemorse.org/census/unified.html>
Enter family location data to search for census enumeration
districts (EDs) for 1880 to 1950. Click to browse related
census pages for relatives’ names (especially if prior name
searches have proven fruitless). Click to view ED maps,
examine common census codes (mostly for occupations), run
a name search in US censuses, or take a quiz-tutorial on using
the site effectively.
4 US Census: History Through the Decades

<www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades>
This US Census Bureau resource compiles population
schedule questions and enumerator instructions for each
census year. These are handy if you’re trying to recall
which census included certain items, or you need help to
interpret answers. Historical overviews by decade provide
helpful context, and you can dig even deeper by reading
introductions to special census data collection.
DNA Q&A
Convincing Relatives to Test

Q How can I convince my relative to
take a DNA test?
A Regardless of whether the DNA match you’re seek-

ing is a known relative or a relative stranger, the
process of educating and persuading others to test can be
passed on to future generations. Remind them that, even
just by having their DNA tested, they are creating a record
that uniquely represents them.
summed up in one word: possibility. Perhaps your conversation with your cousin will go
First of all: There’s the possibility that the person you’re something like this:
talking to might, in fact, be the only person in the whole You: “Hey cuz! I am hot on the trail of our ancestor Wil-
world that carries just the right mix of genetics and gene- liam Bradley—Remember? He is the one that we think had
alogy to help you find out exactly what happened decades the cattle farm in Wyoming. Well, he might have had a
ago. Let them see that they represent a kind of historical brother that we didn’t know about, and I may have found
record that actually can’t be found anywhere else on earth. him through DNA testing. But in order to be sure, we need
And let them know that their DNA has been handed down someone else tested. As it turns out—you have exactly the
generation after generation. And after all these years, we DNA we are looking for!”
finally have a way to learn more about the lives of ancestors Cuz: “Is that right? Huh. Not really sure if I want to get
who left few other kinds of records. into all that…”
However, in all your excitement, keep in mind that You: “It is pretty easy. I can have the DNA test sent to
there’s also a possibility that information from a DNA your house and help you with taking the sample. I can do all
test could affect the tester’s present in a real way. While the computer stuff too, if you want. In your results, there is
you don’t have to bring doom-and-gloom, worst-case a possibility that you will find close relatives, like any first
scenarios, you do need to let your relative know that or second or even fourth cousins who have also taken the
you may learn something about their family—potential test, as well as a report about your ancestral origins.”
something unpleasant—that they don’t already know. Cuz: “Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out! And you’re
Make sure they understand that this test has the power paying for it too, right…?”
to reveal information about close relationships, not just While it may seem daunting to approach someone about
ancestral connections. testing, you’ll find that the possibility of being a part of
Lastly, encourage them with the possibility that the something greater than themselves is an opportunity that
results of this test will uncover a family story that can be many will want to take. Diahan Southard
All About History Country Life Minerva BBC History Discover Britain
FREE - our great line up of magazines direct from England...
Published and mailed direct to you from the U.K. Subjects range from world history,
archaeology, antiques to travel, politics, conflicts and more....
Contact us for a FREE brochure of the magazines and books we offer.
Mail: Fleet Street, Box 32510, Fridley, MN 55432 or AVERBELL1@yahoo.com

the rest is history
GERMANIA, 1848. FOUND IN THE COLLECTION OF GERMANISCHES NATIONALMUSEUM,

NUREMBERG. HERITAGE IMAGE PARTNERSHIP LTD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
History teaches us that the great dynasties of Germany, including the

E
Learn more about
Prussia (the Prussian one, would not be diminished in their prominent European position through
German Empire's
largest kingdom) the existence of a German emperor elected by them.
on page 42 and at
<www.family
North German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck implores Bavarian King Ludwig II to join his effort of creating a
treemagazine.
com/premium/ unified German empire in a letter dated 27 November 1870. Bismarck leveraged his political and military might
what-is-prussia>. to unite the hundreds of German city-states and kingdoms—including Bavaria—under the Prussian king. The
German Empire was proclaimed on 18 January 1871 (150 years ago), quickly becoming a powerhouse in Europe.
CH E AT
SHEET
ORGANIZING GENEALOGY
DREW SMITH AND THE EDITORS OF FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE
Why Get Organized?

Having your research and files in order offers many benefits,
including:
O More time to do research, as you’ll spend less time looking for
needed files or doing duplicate work
O More efficient research time, as you’ll have clear goals and a
research log that will help keep you from repeating research
O More opportunities to collaborate with others, as people
will be drawn to an organized genealogist more than they would
be to one who is disorganized
O Lower chance of misplacing or losing information, as your
organization system will create a consistent place for everything
O Less stress, as being disorganized can wear you down
physically, mentally and emotionally
Basic Organization Principles

For an organizing system to be successful, it needs to adhere to a few general principles:
1 It needs to be simple. A simple system is easy to learn, remember, and use. Complex
systems are frustrating and difficult to maintain.
2 It needs to work well with your existing way of doing things. This means the
system needs to be flexible enough that you can customize it to your workflow,
making it that much easier to adopt. And because each of us has different personali-
DESK: STOCKSNAP/PIXABAY; FILES: CLU/ISTOCK

ties, preferred ways of doing things, and goals, the flexibility of the organizing system
becomes essential.
3 It needs to be implemented in stages. Change is inherently stressful. By making

small changes over time, you can keep your stress level low. Too many changes too
quickly can cause you to revert to the way you used to do things. Even small improve-
ments in organizing your genealogy should result in observable benefits, which will
motivate you to continue.
RESOURCES
Websites Books and eBooks

Cyndi’s List: Organizing Your Research Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to
<www.cyndislist.com/organizing> Cyberspace, 3rd edition, by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical
Publishing Company)
How to Organize Your Genealogy by Family Tree Magazine
<www.familytreemagazine.com/organize-genealogy> Genealogist’s Guide to Getting Organized eBook by the Edi-
tors of Family Tree Magazine <www.familytreemagazine.com/
The Organized Genealogist Facebook group
product/genealogists-guide-to-getting-organized>
<www.facebook.com/groups/organizedgenealogist>
How to Use Evernote for Genealogy by Kerry Scott (Family Tree
ThoughtCo.: “How to Organize Your Geneal-
Books)
ogy Files” by Kimberly Powell <www.thoughtco.com/
organizing-your-genealogy-files-1420709> Organize Your Genealogy by Drew Smith (Family Tree Books)
HOW TO NAME YOUR FILES
How to organize your files (whether paper, digital or both) is O Able to adapt to unusual files: Whatever your naming
one of the most basic decisions genealogists must make to get scheme is, make sure to anticipate potential exceptions and
organized. Your naming scheme will depend on where you’ll be develop a consistent way of treating them. For example, make
storing files and what kind of files you have, but good naming sure you know how to handle files that are relevant to multiple
systems share the same basic characteristics: individuals or family members.
O Allow you to quickly find needed files: The whole purpose O Consistent across file types: File-naming systems are only
of systematically naming your files is so you can find and iden- good if you consistently use them for both paper and digital files.
tify them more quickly. Keep this in mind. Once you’ve developed your naming convention system,
O Easy to remember and implement: Organization systems record it in the table below with a sample, the types of files you’ll
should be simple and easy to apply to your current set of files. be recording, the files’ location, and notes on any exceptions.
The more complicated your system, the harder it will be to
apply and keep.
MY FILE-NAMING CONVENTION
Name convention example Type of file Location Notes
Lastname_firstname-year- individual records external hard O If multiple names are associated with record, save
recordtype for the Smith family drive record in both ancestors’ folders.
(Smith_George-1917-birth) O If year is unknown, use X in place of the missing
digit (for example: 194X if the record was sometime in
the 1940s and 19XX if it was sometime in the 1900s.)
O If multiple spellings for a name, use the spelling that
appears in the record
POPULAR NUMBERING SYSTEMS

Naming system Principles Example
Ahnentafel Designated ancestor is assigned 1; each generation Initial ancestor: 1
back is numbered by doubling the individual’s number Parent generation: 2, 3
(for father) or adding one to the father’s number (for Grandparent generation: 4 & 5, 6 & 7
mother)
Henry System Designated ancestor is assigned 1, then his children Initial ancestor: 1
are given two-digit numbers based on their age order, Children: 11, 12, 13
their grandchildren three-digit numbers based on their Grandchildren: 111, 112
parents’ number and their age order, and so on
d’Aboville System Designated ancestor is assigned 1, then his children are Initial ancestor: 1
given two-digit numbers based on their age order and Children: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
separated by a period, their grandchildren three-digit Grandchildren: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1
numbers based on their parents’ number and their age
order, and so on
NGSQ System Designated ancestor is assigned 1; his children are Initial ancestor: 1
given numbers from oldest to youngest, continuing to Children: 2, 3, 4
each succeeding generation Grandchildren: 5, 6, 7, 8
ORGANIZING YOUR WORKSPACE
Whether you have a whole room to dedicate to your genealogy
or just a corner of your family’s living room, you’ll need a home
base from which you can do your work. Choosing an ideal
workspace largely depends on your resources and your needs
as a researcher, but most productive work environments have
certain things in common.
The space needs to be:
O clean, mild, and dry to be hospitable for old documents
and delicate electronic equipment
O quiet, but not so quiet that any minute noise distracts you
O distraction-free, without windows overlooking busy
streets or television screens
O well-connected, as modern genealogical research requires
a strong internet connection and several power outlets
O well-lit, especially when you’ll be looking through paper
IMAGINIMA/ISTOCK
E
records
Learn about the workspaces of professional gene-
Overall, your genealogy workspace should be a place you
alogists at <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/
enjoy spending time, meaning that it should be both functional organize-your-genealogy-space>.
and attractive.
Workplace Checklist
Most genealogy work can be done at home, so having a productive and efficient workspace is crucial to your genealogical research.
Every genealogy workplace will look slightly different, but certain objects will be helpful to many—if not most—researchers.
Consider adding the items below to your genealogical workspace, and add your own to the list.
FURNITURE TECHNOLOGY
O large computer desk O desktop/primary computer
O with large flat space? O small enough to carry to conferences?
O with drawers? O charger/power adapter
O small desk O uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
O with drawers? O modem/router
O bookshelf O power strips
O file cabinets O with surge protection
O closet space O extra display monitor
O extra bins O phone charger
O O hi-res scanner
O O printer
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH PROCESS
Follow these three simple steps for creating an efficient, purposeful genealogy research plan. For this example, I’ll identify and docu-
ment my eight great-grandparents.
2
1 IDENTIFY AND INVESTIGATE
SOURCES
Pull together any relevant infor-
mation you might already have
and identify sources you’ll want to con-
sult to research the question. Because
each question will normally involve some
type of personal historical event that
occurred on a date and at a location,
you’ll need to take into account at least
three things when figuring out which
sources to consult:
O what sources would document that
kind of event
O what sources would document an
event that took place during the likely
date range of the event
O what sources would document an
event that took place within the likely
geography of the event
This means you should make a list of
List of research questions in Evernote sources to consult for each question,
ranked in order from most relevant to
1
least relevant. For basic life events such
ARTICULATE YOUR QUESTIONS as birth, marriage, and death, I like to visit
First, identify specific questions that you want to answer, as this will guide the FamilySearch Research Wiki at <www.
what you’ll be researching. Even a simple project like identifying my great- familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page>.
grandparents could involve a large number of questions, so focus on what you By searching for the likely location of the
really want to know. event (such as a country or US state) and
The research questions in my case are: the type of event (such as birth, marriage
O When and where was the person born? or death), I can find one or more articles
O When and where did the person marry? that describe what sources are available
O When and where did the person die? and how to access them. I’m also provided
O What were the names of the person’s parents? with other record types to try if the most
Your research questions should reflect your current knowledge about your ancestors direct type is not available.
and experience (if any) with the project. For example, if I were just beginning and did For a comprehensive list of types of
not know the answers to all those above questions, I would have to use placeholders records that would be relevant to each
instead of actual names as part of these questions. question in US research, the FamilySearch
Later we’ll talk about tools that help you keep track of these questions (and their Research Wiki provides a United States
answers). But for now, note that you want to explicitly list these questions so you don’t Record Finder <www.familysearch.org/
accidentally leave one of them out. wiki/en/United_States_Record_Finder>.
As you learn the answer to some of your earlier questions, you can edit the later ques- This is worth consulting if you’ve exhaust-
tions to replace the placeholder relationships with the actual name of the individual ed the most obvious sources for address-
(though you may want to keep the relationship in parentheses after the name so you ing your research question(s). Again, keep
can be reminded who the person is and how he fits into your project). a list of these sources with the specific
research question so you can keep track
of which ones you’ve already searched
and which you still need to review.
As you consult each source, record
the information you find and—just as
importantly—the information you don’t
find. Record those “negative findings.”
Many beginning genealogists fail to make
2 The FamilySearch
Wiki’s United States
Record Finder, which
suggests records
that will give you the
information you seek
note of them, but just as a biomedical 3

researcher keeps careful track of which
medicines have a beneficial impact on a
disease, she keeps just as careful track of
which medicines are not beneficial. This
helps prevent unnecessary repetition in
your research.
3
DRAW YOUR CONCLUSION
The information we derive from
sources must be evaluated and
analyzed to determine whether
it provides evidence to address our
research question. At some point, we
take the evidence and decide upon a
research conclusion. This conclusion is
(hopefully) going to include not only the
answer to the question, but also docu-
mentation of the process of selecting,
analyzing and evaluating the sources,
information and evidence.
Read the last statement carefully: The
conclusion is not just the answer to the
question, but should also include the
documented reasoning behind it. As an
organized genealogist, you should use a
process to document what you found, how
you found it, and what you did with it. This
attention to detail will help you defend
your findings to other researchers and
even offer up new avenues of research.
An Evernote note containing information about this research question, including a screenshot of an
Ancestry.com search
ORGANIZING YOUR GOALS
Know where you’re going! Before you begin your research,
SAMPLE GOALS
make concrete, achievable research goals that will motivate you
and give your work purpose. You should also make sure your Let these suggested genealogy goals inspire your research:
goals have a definitive achievement point, as this will help you O Identify the immigrant ancestor in each family line.
O Document all of an ancestor’s descendants.
better evaluate how far you still have to go to achieve your goal.
O Locate your family’s ancestral hometown overseas.
In addition to choosing a goal that’s practically possible O Create a complete family tree for an event such as a reunion,
to achieve, you’ll also want to designate goals based on your anniversary or birthday.
experience level as a genealogist and your interests. After all, O Identify an adopted ancestor’s biological parents.
genealogy should be fun! O Discover where a particular relative is buried.
O Write about your family history.
Once you’ve created your goals, break them down into sub-
O Answer a specific family history question, such as “Are we
projects and tasks in a worksheet like the one below. Converting related to a Mayflower pilgrim?” or “Did Great-great-grandfather
your goals into sub-projects and simple tasks will make your really work on the transcontinental railroad?”
goals more manageable and provide a clearer path to achieving O Apply for membership in a lineage society, such as the
them. Also assign each goal/project weekly, monthly and annual Daughters of the American Revolution <www.dar.org>.
O Learn about Grandpa’s experience serving in World War II.
review dates so you can continue to monitor your progress.
OTrace the provenance of a family heirloom.
O Figure out who’s in an old, unidentified photo.
O Research a family home or farm.
O Create life timelines for your four grandparents.
Goal-Management Worksheet
PROJECT A: PROJECT B: PROJECT C:
Sub-project 1: Sub-project 1: Sub-project 1:

To-do list To-do list To-do list
1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
Weekly review dates Weekly review dates Weekly review dates
Monthly review dates Monthly review dates Monthly review dates
Annual review dates Annual review dates Annual review dates

TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH
1 Store things you need most

often closer to you. Perhaps
the simplest strategy in organiza-
2 Be patient. Because becoming
an organized genealogist is a
process, you’re developing habits,
3 Evaluate your research goals.
Setting your goals is only half
the battle. You need to revisit your
tion is the most valuable: Whether not making a one-time decision. goals periodically to see what you’ve
on your digital or physical desk- Changing routines, workflows, and been able to accomplish—and what
top, position the items you use organizational systems will take time, work still needs to be done. Schedule
most often (frequently referenced so don’t become frustrated if you reviews for each of your goals on
books, a hyperlink to an important find you don’t change overnight. a regular basis (e.g., every week,
records collection, a copy of your month or year) to check in on your
family tree) closer to your primary progress and edit or update your
workspace so you can quickly and goals as necessary.
easily access them.
5 Track queries on a research
log. Remembering what sites
you’ve searched (and what search
terms you’ve used there) can be
4 Schedule regular breaks.

Taking breaks during research
sessions can help keep your mind
tricky, especially if you only have
time to do your research in spurts.
Keep a research log to record what
6 Make specific learning goals.
Genealogists are lucky to have
a number of quality resources such
sharp and allow you to do better and where you searched as well as webinars, lectures and online
research for longer periods of time. as what you found there. This will courses. But articulating exactly
Use your computer’s or phone’s keep you from doing duplicate what you want to learn (and why
reminder or alarm application work. Download a free template at you’d like to learn it) will help you
to remind you to take a break <www.familytreemagazine.com/ sort through all these options
every 30 or 60 minutes to at least freebie/researchplannerandlog>. and choose only the educational
stretch—or for a quick Facebook opportunities you need to achieve
break! your goals.
7 Organize with tech tools. No

matter what your organizational
8 Plot it out on a calendar. As
you choose your genealogical
goals and designate sub-projects 9 Remove distractions from
your workspace. When you’re
task, there’s likely an application and tasks, block out time for each doing research, it’s best to cre-
or software program that can help activity on a print calendar or (bet- ate an environment with limited
you. Look for programs and ser- ter yet) on a calendar application distractions. This could involve
vices that can make your research that will sync across your devices, silencing notifications on electron-
process easier; the chart on the such as Google Calendar <calendar. ic devices or clearing items off your
Organization Tools page has some google.com>. This will allow you to desk and unneeded files off your
of the most popular to get you plan ahead and ensure that all your computer’s desktop.
started. necessary tasks are accounted for.
BONUS TIP: USE GENEALOGY SOFTWARE

Perhaps no program is as catered to a genealogist’s needs
than software designed specifically for genealogists.
Programs such as RootsMagic <www.rootsmagic.com>
(pictured right), Family Tree Maker <www.familytreemaker.
com>, Heredis <www.heredis.com> and Ancestral Quest
<www.ancquest.com> can help you organize every
aspect of your genealogy, from creating your family tree to
recording research finds and logging record citations. Some
programs, like RootsMagic and Family Tree Maker, even
sync up with major records websites like Ancestry.com
<www.ancestry.com>, allowing you to exchange data with
your online family trees.
ORGANIZATION TOOLS If you’re new to
a tool, make use of its
free standard version or a
Thanks to modern technology, genealogists have access to hundreds (if not thousands) free trial before selecting a
of applications and software programs that can aid in managing your genealogy
research life. The table below shares some of the most useful tools, plus what they can paid subscription plan.
accomplish, what devices they support, and how much they cost.
Name Summary Features Devices Cost

Coggle Mind-mapping O create mind maps that visualize Web browser; Free (Free account);
<www.coggle.it> application organize ideas, images, and other Android; iOS $5/month (Awesome
information account); $8/month
O share mind maps with other people (Organization account)
O track edit history and previous
versions of mind maps
Dropbox Cloud-based file- O back up digital files on a secure Web browser; Free (Basic plan);
<www.dropbox.com> storage system server Mac; PC; $9.99/month (Plus plan);
O share files with collaborators and Android; iOS $16.99 (Family plan)
across multiple devices
Evernote Note-taking and Ostore and sort multiple kinds of Web browser; Free (Basic account);
<www.evernote.com> data organization data, including text, images, PDFs, Mac; PC; $7.99/month (Premium
application audio files, and e-mails Android; iOS account);
O save web content directly into $14.99/month (Business
application account)
O sync data across multiple devices
Evidentia Source-citation O create source citations Mac; PC $29.99 (download/CD);

<evidentiasoftware. software O indicate whether a source is $40.99 (Standard bundle
com> original, derived, or published by with companion book)
another source
Feedly News-aggregating O create custom news feed of blogs Web browser; Free (Basic account);
<www.feedly.com> application and websites iOS; Android $6/month (Pro account);
O save news articles and share to $8.25/month (Pro+
other medium (Evernote, social account)
media, etc.)
OmniFocus Pro Project- O divide projects into sub-projects Web browser; $99.99 (license);
<www.omnigroup. management and tasks Mac; iOS $9.99/month
com/omnifocus> system O create tasks, set reminders for them, (subscription)
and mark off as they’re completed
O sync projects across multiple devices
RootsMagic Family tree O create and edit family trees Mac; PC; iOS Free (Essentials version);
<www.rootsmagic. recording and O document source citations $19.95 (upgrade from
com> analysis software O analyze research data for errors previous version);
O export trees as GEDCOM files, $29.95 (new)*
charts, reports, lists and more
Osync with Ancestry.com and
import/export from FamilySearch
Trello Task-management O divide projects into sub-projects and Web browser; Free (Free account);
<www.trello.com> system tasks iOS; Android; $9.99/month (Business
O share/manage group projects and Mac; PC Class account);
assign tasks to specific users $17.50/month
O export tasks to other programs, such (Enterprise account)
as Dropbox <www.dropbox.com> and
Google Drive <drive.google.com>
*At time of writing, RootsMagic 8’s release was still pending. Purchase options may change when this new version is available.
Take your research
to the next level!
• Unlimited Premium articles on FamilyTreeMagazine.com

Getmembers-only access to thousands of how-to articles
on FamilyTreeMagazine.com.
• 20yearT PGHFOFBMPHZBEWJDF
3FBEUIFCFTUUJQTBOETUSBUFHJFTGSPNUIFZFBSIJTUPSZPG
'BNJMZ5SFF.BHB[JOF JODMVEJOHPVSBOOVBMMJTUPGUIF
Join the #FTU(FOFBMPHZ8FCTJUFT
Family Tree • Detailed research guides

Jump-start your research with guides to tracing your roots in
Website VIP everyUS state and many foreign countries.
program today for

the advice, tools and
resources to enhance
ONLY
your genealogy $3.97
research.
BECOME A VIP TODAY!
<www.familytreemagazine.com/product/website-vip>
Visit the Family Tree Shop for more great savings on

magazines, webinars and research guides for genealogists!

Family Tree USA-January 2021

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Family Tree USA-January 2021

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

®

Bring treasured memories back to life!

Select Pick Save

Fast, Easy and Affordable software improves:

Color Black & White Sepia

Records Letters Documents

Improve legibility, add metadata notes, and archive.

Fix Transcribe Save

family t re emagaz ine.com 1

12 Family History Home

Editor Andrew Koch

While the world keeps

family t re emagaz ine.com 3

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our members-only online library <www.facebook.com/

Free genealogy advice from host

family t re emagaz ine.com 5

NARA Volunteers Hit 1M Records

have registered; many have created searchable family

BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE

family t re emagaz ine.com 7

PHOTOS COURTESY LISA LOUISE COOKE

Lisa Louise Cooke V Family History on Display

Preserving and Sharing

family t re emagaz ine.com 9

2680 B.C. 1699

ROMAINE: WMASTER890/ISTOCK; 2680 B.C.: SUPERSTOCK; 77 A.D.: ZU_09/IISTOCK; 1586: ALAMY

1884 1920s 1937

Broadway season; actor George Arliss, who

family t re emagaz ine.com 11

Saving Paper Artwork

PORTRAIT: MASSIMO MERLINI/ISTOCK; CHALKS: KYOSHINO/ISTOCK; PASTEL: KOSTIK2PHOTO/ISTOCK; CAMERA: ROCKARD/ISTOCK;

family t re emagaz ine.com 13

Running Toward Home

Natalie Zett (right) felt a

couldn’t take the combined weight of the lifeboats as well

Personal Records Inventory Form

Name of person: _______________________________________________________________________

Birth date and place: ____________________________________________________________________

Death date and place: ___________________________________________________________________

family t re emagaz ine.com 15

begins January 4th begins January 19th

begins January 25th begins February 1st

• Detailed guidance • Expert advice • Anytime online access

*Course schedule subject to change. Visit <www.familytreemagazine.com/course> for the latest.

family t re emagaz ine.com 17

Ancestry.com for free?

family t re emagaz ine.com 21

BACKGROUND: RONNIE COMEAU/STOCKSY; VINTAGE PHOTOS: MASHABUBA/ISTOCK

family t re emagaz ine.com 23

Newspapers.com USE THE CARD CATALOG: Identify specific record

family t re emagaz ine.com 25

“Can you research my family?” Because of my

3. LOOK TO NEW RESOURCES

Tips for Collaborating with

reliable information as you can get to jump-

basic details. Our list of questions will get

family t re emagaz ine.com 29

family t re emagaz ine.com 31

family t re emagaz ine.com 33

Bedford 227 Pendleton Bracken

Mooleyville Brandenburg Shepherdsville Taylorsville

Livingston Central City