Iron County MOGenWeb® Project
Research Tips and Suggestions
This page contains information helpful to the beginner genealogists, to get you started in the right direction. Any of your own experiences you would like to share in reference to this, please do so. We can all help each other.
Before you begin your research you need to know how you are going to organize your work. You can do this in many ways. A computer program for genealogy is the best, there are several to choose from. For instance, I use Family Tree Maker because it allows me to search both Ancestry and FamilySearch from inside the program. I also use colored three-ring notebooks with document protectors to file my work. Each main line being a different color with backup disks to match. I have lately been scanning all my documents into digital format and storing them on a backup drive. This is due to storage space problems, and I'm also putting a copy of everything on Dropbox (or anywhere on the Cloud). You can use any file system, but please don't use a box or a chest of drawers like my aunt did.
(We do not endorse any software or application, but simply offer a place to start looking)
There are many others that you can find by searching online for "Family Tree Software and Tools".
In this digital age, you are going to have a LOT of scanned documents and photographs. I had to devise a naming convention so I could find the documents quickly (although some computer programs will also do that for you). Since I search for documents by people, I began using the person's name as the first part of the title, Smith, John - 1900 Census, but as you will find in Genealogy, people many times named their sons after relatives so every cousin has a son named John, Thomas, William, etc., and with so many duplicates, it will be hard to keep them separated. In that case, I either use a middle name (if known), or some identifying code that I can lookup, like their name then their Find a Grave memorial id number (Smith, John Thomas 88559955 - 1900 Census). I honestly think this is why my family started using weird names like Hamen, Herod, Alburn, if you know what I mean. You will have to figure out what works best for you.
To start with, gather information on yourself. It is easier to trace you going backwards than to find a possible ancestor and trace down to you. This will be done by going through your own birth, death, marriage, obituaries, baptismal, military, letters and other important records you have on hand, then recording. For this you will need to use Family Group Sheets and Pedigree charts. A genealogy program will do this for you. Then we go to other family member's for the information they have. If at all possible get copies of what they have, including any pictures. Be sure to reference your documents so you know where you found them in case you need to refer to that source again or ask a question.
When visiting relative's, it is important to ask the right questions to find the information you need. They do not know what you are looking for and may not volunteer information. Many times they will tell stories of the "olden days" which can provide valuable clues, especially if you plan to publish your work. By all means let them talk, and If they will allow it, bring along a tape recorder. If they do not know or remember all the vital statistics (dates and locations) some prompting from you with the right questions could spark their memory.
If they do not know birth and death dates and places, ask where they are buried. I have found they usually know this because they remember their parents visiting the grave on Memorial Day, and you can then get the dates from the cemetery markers. If they do not know marriage dates, ask where they were married and look it up in the county courthouse. Ask for other birth's, including stillbirths. Many times the child was named and buried. If they do not know a death date, ask where they were living, even if the death occurred in a hospital in a different town, you can look up the obituary.
There are many genealogy libraries across the country. One famous one is the Mormon (LDS) library in Salt Lake City, UT. You can try your local phone book to see if there is a branch near you. Presently they are on the internet and you can search for records. Mid-Continent in Independence, MO is a very good one and my personal favorite. It has census records for all states and county histories for many. It too is on the internet. At your local library ask for the genealogy and local history section. It may have a few books, an entire room, or entire floor in the facility. Ask if they have obituaries or newspapers on microfilm. Some have a card catalog or information on computer. If it is a large facility ask for a tour. Always ask for help because in most cases it will not be offered and you will not know what is there unless you ask.
These records are available at libraries through inter-library loan, through library subscriptions to Ancestry or you can purchase your own. Remember not all the information may be correct. Children living in the household may be "farm help", or cousins, nephews etc. and not all immediate family may be listed, since they may be hired out as "farm help" or "domestic servant". Be sure to reference the date, location, page number and line number.
Many County courthouses will allow you to look up records yourself. Be sure to get copies of everything. In many states, some of the Birth and Death records are available at the State Department of Vital Records and not from the county. Many states charge a search fee to do a search. Remember it is the search you are paying for not the document. The more information you put on the application increases your success. In Missouri they began in 1910. Some prior to that is available at the County courthouse.
This is a big one. You can save time by looking at your local library to see if they have any cemetery books other's have written. But I highly encourage visiting the cemetery to see for yourself. If you are lucky to have a marker placed at the site with dates on it, great! Once you find the relative, look at the surrounding area for other relatives. If it is a small family plot record all the markers. You can put all your cemetery records in a database file which will alphabetize them for future research. If you can't make it to the cemetery, I highly recommend Find a Grave.
Can't read that old worn out piece of rock? A few tricks I have learned will help in this. First clean the marker off. If it is standing upright try dropping some talcum powder lightly over the face, being careful not to get it into the engraving, and the lettering will magically appear. If it is on private property, I always like to let the tenant know what I am doing there. Many will even help you find the cemetery and they will even take care of it. In Missouri it is illegal to deny access to a cemetery that is on private property. I like to take pictures of stones. If you don't have time to record a large cemetery, you might take a camcorder and record the stones and document them later.
A valuable source is the local newspaper for obituaries. The Missouri State Historical Society is the place to go if you have a lot of research to do in Missouri. They have the largest collection of the newspapers in the country. When looking up obituaries, look for the next publication following the date of death. If nothing is found, look through the next several publications. If you do not find it, try another paper that was nearest the town they lived. If still no success, look before the death date as the date you have may be incorrect, I found a notice for a grandmother being "sick and may not live long", but no death notice or obituary. In many papers obituaries were in the obituary section, but not always. It may be found in the local happenings area of the paper. So it is best to check the entire paper. You may find information under Sheriff's Sale, especially if they had no living kin. If you do, you know a probate was filed. Although Newspapers.com is a subscription site, you can still search the clippings from others for free. No registration is required to search clippings.
Probate records include Wills, Real Estate Sales, Guardianships, and much more. These records are a must see and are located at the county courthouse. You are not guaranteed to find one, but worth a try. When you start researching before 1850, the census records only name the head of the household and not the children. Therefore, a Will or Probate Record may be the only way you will find their children's names.
Deed records for the transfer of land is also a valuable resource. Where your ancestor lived may indicate where they are buried, if they died on the family farm, or in the home of a relative. Many times children are named in these as their parents will deed them land on their marriage or when the parents start to get elderly. These once again are at the courthouse. Grantee is the buyer and Grantor is the seller.
Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 is a very valuable source especially if you do not know what state they died in and the death occurred recently. This source you can check for yourself right here on the Internet. With that information, you can order a copy of the ancestor's SS-5 application from the Social Security Administration. This is the application they filled out for a Social Security Card. It should have their birth date, location and parents names.
Military Records, such as Civil War Pension records, may have a death certificate. But at the very least should have spouse and children listed as they offered Widow pensions after the pensioner passed away. I've found full birth dates, marriages in foreign countries, lists of children, Affidavits from neighbors telling of a person's heath and/or disability. For these you have to write to the National Archives, Washington D.C. You can now request Civil War records online at their site.
Church records, parish, school records, civic groups, funeral homes, monument companies, even social organizations can all be valuable resources if they are available. I found out where my German ancestor was born in Germany through his church records as it was recorded no where else. I've written funeral homes many times. Some keep obituaries, some don't. Now days, the funeral home posts an obituary online for the person. I found out where one person was buried by writing to the monument company in their town to ask if they supplied the tombstone. They did and gave me the location of the cemetery. And when my Dad passed away, the Masons asked for a copy of his obituary for their records. Many social organizations would publish a notice in the local paper of a death of a member in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
Letters can be a valuable piece of history and also useful in your research. Not only do you have an actual document that a person wrote, they many times will give you information of what was happening in the country at that time. I found letters from a relative who died in 1936, asking her father what he thought about the assassination attempt on Roosevelt. She mentioned that no one in her family voted for him. Another of her letters mentioned her Uncle Edward and how she didn't remember ever meeting him. Correspondence can offer you a glimpse into their lives that you wouldn't have otherwise.
The Internet can be one of the most valuable sources. Try doing a search on your family name (surname) and see what you get.
You can also put up your own web page and let others contact you. It will be easier for others to find you than you trying to find them. I have tons of documents that I've found, posted on my personal genealogy site for others to see.
Lastly, don't be afraid to ask for information on message boards or chat boards. Many genealogy sites have created pages on Facebook with people willing to help you. Even I did it! Ancestry also maintains message boards by surnames, location, or even subject.
We have a ton of transcriptions on our USGenWeb Archives (see below). Don't be afraid to check them out.
Check out the USGenWeb Archives for a ton of useful FREE information!
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