Transcript Unusual Record Sources http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/4217.asp Need to fully examine the ancestral paper trail  Tracking down any information that could solve the dead ends  Help build.

Unusual Record Sources
http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/4217.asp
Need to fully examine the ancestral paper
trail
 Tracking down any information that could
solve the dead ends
 Help build a thorough life history
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Researching one ancestor at a time
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Focus on one person at a time (key person)
Write their name on a sheet of paper at the top
List all vital information
 Birth
 Death
 Marriage
 List in chronological order any of the additional
information you have from:
 Census data
 Military service,
 Land records
 Passenger lists
Ask questions, such as
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Where did he or she attend school?
Where did this person Live? What were his or her
addresses?
Where did this person worship? What religious
affiliation did he or she belong to?
Where did he or she work? What was his or her
profession or trade? Did this person belong to a
work-related organization?
Where did this person socialize? Did he or she
belong to any civic or fraternal organization?
Educational Records
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These records can add depth to your research
The higher the education the more likelihood you
will find something
Can help you find addresses where you ancestors
lived
Could help solved mysteries or dead ends
Remember to ask how much the fee is and send
Self addressed stamped envelope.
Schools and colleges can be located on the internet
Places of Residence
School records
 Telephone books (libraries)
 City directories (libraries)
 Some city directories have been found to be
back to the 19th century
 You could find out their occupation in these
directories
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Town Reports & Tax Records
These were published annually
 There is alphabetical listing of property
owners
 You can find their addresses
 You can find the value of their property
 You might find out their occupation
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Place of Worship
Marriage records
 Birth records
 Death records
 Usually the ministers took their records
with them when they moved
 Some ministers make notes on the pages
 These can serve as a back up incase of flood
or fires
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Places of Employment
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This is probably the hardest to get much out of,
because of privacy laws
Some business might not be still in business
Records could have already been destroyed
The companies may only confirm dates of
employment, but this could place your ancestor in
a certain place at a certain time
Jobs had a major impact on a persons life and
family life
Social Organizations
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Virtually every American community with an
ethnic or immigrant population had organizations.
They also provided services such as banking and
insurance companies
Learn all you can about the social community your
ancestors lived in, you can learn a lot about you’re
your ancestors if you find out about the area in
which they lived
Finding out about our ancestors
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Puts us in touch with our ancestors and how
they lived
You must examine every clue carefully and
always be on the lookout for leads that can
further your search.
Web sites
www.cyndislist.com/schools.htm
www.qwestdex.com
www.infospace.com
www.cyndislist.com/citydir.htm
www.cyndislist.com/taxes.htm
www.cyndislist.com/religion.htm
www.cyndislist.com/soc-frat.htm