13. What I can learn about my ancestor in 1910?

Even though the 1910 US Census does not provide birth or marriage dates for your ancestor, it will help you learn about your ancestor's family group, work status, birth place, and where he or she lived.  You will also be able to link to other resources using what you discover on the 1910 US Census.


We have been tracing Calvin Vance and his family.  starting with the 1930 US Census, and we found him so far in 1930 and in 1920.


Calvin and his family in 1920


In 1920, his family looked liked this:
Calvin Vance, 40
Florina (really Clorena) Vance, 36, wife
Angelina Vance, 17, daughter
Clarence Vance, 15, son
Minnie Vance, 2, daughter
Russell Vance, 0, son


In 1920, Calvin and his family were living in Baltimore, Maryland so it was a challenge locating them in 1910 in Pennsylvania.  If you have an ancestor that moved between census years, it helps to widen your search to include other states if you are not sure which state where they relocated.


Trouble locating an ancestor


If you have trouble locating an ancestor, be vigilant.  Poor spelling or penmanship are often the reasons you are unable to find results.  Search by the surname only or search using the different ways the name can be spelled.  If the first three letters of the first and last name were spelled correctly, you can search using the first three letters and "*." 


Example:  Let's say you are unable to locate Lafayette Franklin Vance.  Search using "Laf*" for the first name and "Van*" for the last name.  See the following article at FamilySearch Wiki on United States Census Searching for more great ideas you can use to search the census more effectively.


Information gleaned from 1910 US Census

• Infant son, Russell, appears on the 1910 US Census, but he does not show up on any of the remaining censuses.  This illustrates the importance of researching the family group for each census year. 

• You may also discover female siblings this way. They are difficult to trace if  the maiden name has not been identified. 

• Two boarders are listed with the Vance family.  It may be worth it to research the ancestry of boarders because sometimes they turn out to be related.

• Enumerators begin taking the 1910 US Census on April 15, 1910 and they completed their work within one month.  The ages recorded reflect how old the family members were on April 15.

Other information that the 1910 US Census reveals about the family include:
Address:  100 West Main Street, Coatesville, Chester, Pennsylvania
Marital Status:  Calvin and Clorena had been married 11 years in 1910.
Number of children:  Clorena was the mother of 5 children
Number of living children:  4 of Clorena's children were living
Birthplace:  2 of the Vance children were born in Pennsylvania; all others were born in South Carolina
Parent's birthplace:  Calvin and Clorena were born in South Carolina


This census also provides information about immigrant ancestors.  The year of immigration and whether an ancestor had been naturalized is provided. The 1910 US Census also provides information about occupation, literacy, home or farm ownership, Civil War veterans, and if an ancestor is English speaking.


Learn about the different ways to access the 1910 US Census and what use it can be to you in your research from he following FamilySearch Wiki article: United States Census 1910.  Did you find this article helpful?  Follow this blog to receive the next article which will provide more resources that were generated between census years.

Read Full Story...

11. Finding your Ancestor on the 1930 US Census

     An earlier post stressed the importance of interviewing the oldest living family members and gathering records on hand.  That information should be extracted and recorded on a pedigree chart and a family group sheet or entered into a family history database.  This will help you quickly access birth, marriage, and death information that will help you determine if you ancestor may be found on the 1930 Census.

       If you do not know your ancestor's date of birth, you can still use death records to determine if he/she would be listed on the 1930 Census. Many online indexes and links to actual images of death certificates are being made available.  If you know the county and state where your ancestor died and an approximate date of death, you can use FamilySearch Wiki to determine where a death record can be accessed.  Be sure that you are familiar with the dates that the state began to record death records.  Many records are being made available at beta FamilySearch, where you can access historical documents free.

     The US Social Security Death Index is another resource which can be used to identify birth and death.  If you have no idea where your ancestor lived in 1930, try searching the place where the Social Security was issued.  This information is usually available on the index.

     Using the family group sheet, you will be able to identify whether your ancestor was a child or a parent in 1930.  If your ancestor would have been a child, for example, you would not look for him/her as a head of household on the census.  The family group sheet will identify each member of the family, and this will be useful if you have any difficulties locating your direct-line ancestor.  You can search for each individual in the family group who would have been living in the same household as your ancestor.

     The 1930 Census can be accessed online at Ancestry.com  or at Footnote.com.  These databases are available at various libraries and institutions or by subscription. You can also order census records on microfilm at a family history center.

     Some of the types of information that you may discover about your ancestor on this census would be (see sample below):

1.  own or rent home

2.  marital status

3.  age

4.  birth place

5.  parent's birth place

6.  occupation

After you have located your ancestor on the first census, remember to record your findings on the Census Checklist.  As you search the next census for your ancestor, you will be able to more easily determine the make-up of the family group in that year.

Read Full Story...

8. Resources are Tied to Geography, Part 1

    South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina Campus: Repository for manuscripts and published materials documenting the state's social, political, literary, and cultural heritage.

     It can be quite intriguing to research an ancestor's life and be able to share actual documentation about events you learned about in oral history interviews.  It is even more exciting to be able to share proof of noteworthy events forgotten by posterity.  Our ancestors lived real lives just like we do.  They are only different because they lived in a different time and sometimes a different place.  Historical documentation helps to validate the fact that they were really living, moving, and breathing individuals who followed similar hopes and dreams.  Documentation gives credence to the stories that survive. 

      At this point in our quest, you should be able to identify the geographical area where your ancestor lived.  Records were generated at each level of government.  It is important to document each known locality that corresponds to each event in your ancestor's life.  For example, George Anderson Tucker lived in Buffalo, Union, South Carolina, United States, and he died in Columbia, Richland, South Carolina, United States.  At each level of government, records were kept that could give clues about his life.

     Recording places and events will help you identify government agencies, libraries, and archives.  Many resources are being made available online.  Knowing the county or parish where your ancestor lived will open the door to resources online and offline.  If your ancestor lived in more than one place, use the timeline you created to keep track of where to look for his or her vital records.

     It is important to research the history of the geographical area, particularly paying close attention to the boundary changes which occurred.  Nothing is more frustrating than to search for documentation in one place only to find out that it was redistricted, and even though your ancestor never moved, he lived in more than one county during his lifetime because of boundary changes.  You will need to search for his/her life event in the place within the proper boundary on the date the event was recorded.  Be sure to study the local history of the area because many available resources can be found in this way. 

     Most people that I assist hit a "brick wall" in their research because after they search the obvious places, such as the census, they are discouraged.  They fail to do two key things:

1.  Research records generated in the actual locality where their ancestor lived.

2.   After they discover one piece of documentation, they jump back too quickly to the next generation without realizing that they should search for every piece of evidence that would exist for every member of the ancestor's family group.

Moving back too quickly and not being thorough will limit what you will discover and will hinder your research.  On numerous occasions the information gleaned from researching a collateral line has helped to reveal a direct-line ancestor.

     One of the biggest challenges to learning about the ancestral home has been the amount of time it has required to locate resources and undertake the study of a particular area.  Until recently, this has also been quite costly.  Such was the case until FamilySearch introduced the FamilySearch Research Wiki.  This community-based encyclopedia is a wonderful place to start locating records that exist by geographical area.  After many years of research, I am still amazed by the many types of historical documents that exist.  As the community of professionals and enthusiasts contribute to the FamilySearch Research Wiki, it will grow to revolutionize the way we conduct family history research.

    

     We have provided a few screen shots so that you can see how to perform a simple search for resources on the Wiki.  The first screen shot shows the homepage of the Wiki.  You can register on the top right of the page, and you can learn more about using the site by clicking on "Tour" under the search bar. 

Let's perform a search for Pennsylvania in the search field.  The first result will take you to the main page of resources for Pennsylvania. 

 

Notice the left sidebar with topics you can explore.  There is a history of the origins of Pennsylvania at the top and links to genealogical resources on the center of the page. Near the bottom portion of the page you will find a list of county links.  Let's choose Philadelphia County, PA. 

A whole page of resources that you can explore exist here.  You will just need to be sure that you select a resource that corresponds to the lifespan of your ancestor. Once you narrow down the location by county, parish, or province, etc., be sure to locate the link entitled "Family History Library Catalog" because this link will take you directly to resources in the Family History Library for that particular area. 

Feel free to locate the closest Family History Center where you can order and view microfilm you find in the catalog. You may discover that some libraries and archives are also authorized to order microfilm.  

Looks easy enough, right?  Just remember that this site is dependent on its users to grow.  If you find a resource that is not on the Wiki, why not contribute it?  If you need help getting started, ask on FamilySearch Forums in the FamilySearch Research Wiki discussion section.

     

Happy Hunting!

Read Full Story...