February 2012
18 posts
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“If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the...”
– Lord John Acton (1834-1902)
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Ask Ancestry Anne: New Ways to Use Your Hints
One of the many advantages of having a tree online at Ancestry.com or on Family Tree Maker or one of our downloadable apps is that you can take advantage of our hints. While you are away we are out searching for you.
And now we have a new way for you to access those hints: the All Hints Page
If you are on a tree view online, mouse over the find a person in your tree text box and choose List of...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: The Ancestry Insider is Talking... →
The Ancestry Insider was at mine and the Barefoot Genealogist’s Roots Tech presentation: Don’t Waste Your Money and other thoughts
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“To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul.”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Marriage Records Video and Ancestry Day in...
Our ancestors got married and we get the gift. Marriage records can include details that can spur our research back in time, but even beyond the names and dates, our ancestors’ weddings marked a big turning point in their lives. I often wonder about their stories. How did they meet? What kind of wedding did they have? Who stood up in their wedding? I know the answers and have some great stories...
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Mysteries and other stories in the family tree
By Juliana Smith
Marissa Tomei’s journey into the past on last night’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? (Fridays 8/7c on NBC) centered on the untimely death of her great-grandfather. At the start, he was little more than a name in the family tree and the subject of speculation—of the shadiest type. But his reputation got a makeover once Tomei dug into his story.
That’s the wonderful part about...
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Don't miss Marisa Tomei on tonight's "Who Do You...
On this week’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? award-winning actress Marisa Tomei searches for the truth behind her great-grandfather’s rumored murder. Learn what she uncovers and how getting a look at the big picture changes an entire generation’s view of one hardworking man in the family tree. Ancestry.com is a sponsor of Who Do You Think You Are?, which airs Friday nights at 8/7c on NBC....
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget...”
– Maya Angelou
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Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874
The year 1865 found many African American Civil War veterans and ex-slaves with a little money in their pockets and there was a need for an institution where they could start a savings account. The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (often referred to as the Freedman’s Bank) was incorporated on 03 March 1865 to meet that need. Unfortunately mismanagement and fraud led to the failure of that...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Was my ancestor in...
Question: My great grandfather served in the Civil War and was a prisoner at Andersonville. However, I am unable to find him when I search the archives using his name and Andersonville. His name was John Aziza Jones born April 22, 1840 died May 10, 1941. Can you help?
-Sandy
Answer: First, I looked for John in the 1930 census – it’s the most recent one available and it lists if a man is a...
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Your Story: Visit to a Nursing Home Pays Off
We wanted to know who had been putting flowers on my husband’s granduncle’s grave. We first tried to contact the person by putting a note on some silk flowers and leaving it at the gravesite, but we received no response. On Memorial Day we decided we would wait at the grave to see if the person would arrive. Then we discovered we were too late – she had already been there and gone.
We made some...
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“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
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Twists of fate in the family tree on Who Do You...
When you start down a road in your family’s history, you never know whose paths may have crossed in the past. Actor Martin Sheen found that out on the first episode of this season of Who Do You Think You Are?. In a mind-bending twist of fate, he learned that a great-great-great-great-grandfather on his grandmother’s side and a great-great-great-great-grandmother on his grandfather’s side had a...
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WatchAncestry.com LIVE @ RootsTech 2012: Watch It Live for Free!
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"To My Old Master"
Sometimes you find a historical record that just leaves you speechless. Ed Cardinal shared a link with me this week that took me to one such record. It’s posted on a website called Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience. The document is a letter written by a former slave to his master in response to a request from said master to return to work for him. As we mark the start...
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January 2012
31 posts
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Clues on the Backs of Old Photographs
I finally decided to get busy and put some family pictures into my tree on Ancestry.com. I found a box shoved way back on a shelf that was labeled as pictures from my mother’s side. It turned out to be a treasure trove, because my mother and her mother had taken the time to write on each and every one of them who was who. I was finally able to piece together how certain people we had...
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Irish Historical Railroad Project
Although I have used Ancestry.com for my family research, my most recent usage has been in conjunction with a local history research project. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia from 1850-1858 nearly 2000 Irish immigrants workers and families labored to complete the Blue Ridge Railroad over the mountains. A small local group has been working for several years to document these Irish...
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5 Tips for Searching on Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has spent the past fifteen years developing search technology that can help you find your ancestors in its vast collections. Here are five tips that will help you make the most of that technology.
1. Start with Three When you’re searching on Ancestry.com, there are two search form options—basic and advanced. You can toggle between the two by clicking Show Advanced and Hide Advanced...
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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than...”
– Abraham Lincoln
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“Those who do not look upon themselves as links connecting the past with the...”
– Daniel Webster, 1782-1852
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Success with a Letter to the Editor
A number of years ago, I was working on my husband’s family, made more difficult by the fact that his grandfather had been married three times, and had children with each wife. My husband’s father’s oldest half-brother had been born in 1888 in Illinois but moved to Valentine, Nebraska, where he died in 1937. The family had long ago lost contact with him or his family.
I had no idea whether he...
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All-in-One Tree at Mom's Funeral
My Mom always got excited every time I found a new relative or ancestor, so I decided to display the family tree at her funeral wake last summer, soon after she turned 90. The night before the wake I printed an all-in-one tree, which was at least 12 feet long. It took a few hours to tape 50+ the pages together so it was logical and readable. It was displayed on two long tables at the funeral home,...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: It's the little details
This past holiday weekend, I went to Charleston, South Carolina to visit with some family. Charleston is an amazing city, almost a living museum. The preservation laws do not allow for buildings to be torn down, so the city has a lot of history everywhere you turn.
I took a tour and my guide was a very charming native of South Carolina, named Randy Lee Hill. He was quite knowledgeable and...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: A few genealogy resolutions for...
OK, it’s the middle of January, and I’ve pretty much blown all of my personal New Year’s resolutions. It never takes long with me!
So I’ll make some new ones for my genealogy research and see if I can be more successful there. And I shall be most interested to hear what your genealogy resolutions are as well.
Resolution #1: Try new ways of searching. It is so easy to get into a rut. Maybe you...
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The Year Was 1871
The year was 1871 and as the year opened in Europe, the city of Paris was under siege and defeat was approaching for the French in the Franco-Prussian War. The siege ended January 28, ten days after the formation of the German Empire, with the King of Prussia becoming the first German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm I. The German government later that year became embroiled in a conflict with the Roman...
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“A great library contains the diary of the human race.”
– George Mercer Dawson, 1849-1901
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Is my great grandfather a...
Question: I was told that my great grandfather was part native american. I don’t know what my great grand father’s name is or if this is true. He lived in Palestine, Tx.
-Annie
Answer: Start with what you know, and work your way back. Is this your maternal or paternal great grandfather? Start researching his child and try and find who the man was. Gather every bit of information you can on ...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: What do I do with conflicting...
Question: I’d like any advice you can give on criteria to consider which source citation to accept when several offer conflicting facts. It’s a general question, but my specific example is my gr-gr grandfather John Thomas. Here is what I have to select from as his birth year. None of these sources state a specific date, all are calculated from another event (e.g., death or census date).
Grave:...
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“It is too bad that a requirement for living is not leaving a record of it.”
– Lynda Rutledge Stephenson
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Look for Clues in Old Photos
A distant cousin connected with me because of a query I posted on a message board. He had several pictures that he emailed to me, one of which was of my great-grandmother’s wedding picture with her second husband. He has the original pictures and he scanned them with the original cardboard frame.
I am so grateful that he did not crop out the frame, because on the corner of the frame in...
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“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday...”
– Alice Morse Earle
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Ask Ancestry Anne: RootsTech 2012
RootsTech 2012 will be held in February 2-4th in Salt Lake City this year.
You can read more about on our Ancestry.com blog post: Last Chance to Register for the special discount on RootsTech 2012
Along with Crista Cowan, you know her as the Barefoot Genealogist, I will be teaching a class 5 new Things to Try at Ancestry.com on Feb 3rd at 1:45 in room 155.
You might think about attending What...
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“One person’s mess is merely another person’s filing system.”
– Margo Kaufman
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Children mysteriously appearing
Question: While researching my family at the turn of the century, I’ve come across an interesting discrepancy. I’ve found my great-great-grandparents in both the 1900 and 1910 censuses, but the 1910 census includes three teenage sons who were not included on the 1900 census. I can think of several theories as to why this might be—they might be orphaned nephews taken in by their aunt and uncle,...
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“Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s finger.”
– Hans Christian Anderson
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Ask Ancestry Anne: How do I know what records I...
Question: How do I know what records I can find for my ancestor? Answer: When searching for information on your ancestors in the US, it is important to remember that each state recorded information differently, and the way they record information and what they recorded tended to change over time. One of the best places to start investigating what any state might have recorded over the years is in...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: What does WFT mean?
Question: What does the letters WFT mean, I see them next to death dates on ancestry public family trees.
— Richard
Answer: I admit it, I had to do a little looking to find this one. World Family Tree was a product created by Broderbund and sold on CD’s which had family trees on it. They would estimate dates for vital events and mark them as WFT est.
Happy Searching!
Ancestry...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Finding Parents before 1850
Question: I have found my husband’s great-great-grandfather in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses in Virginia. But because the 1840 census only lists head of household – and because I don’t know his father’s name – I am stuck. My great-great-great-grandfather is George Johnston; he was born July 13, 1805 in Prince William County, Virginia. He died on March 8, 1874 in Page County,...
December 2011
23 posts
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Happy Holidays from Ancestry.com
With the holidays in full swing, and Christmas only a day away, I’m sure everyone is preparing their home for a festive holiday, or possibly traveling to spend time with friends and family afar. Either way, the holidays are a time when we think of family, how important they are in our to us, and cherish the time we get to spend with everyone.
At Ancestry.com, we want to wish you and your...