16 December 2012

Can't Find Your 1850 Ancestor in 1840?

If you cannot find your 1850 ancestor in the 1840 census--and you are certain he's heading his own household--consider searching for his 1850 neighbors in 1840. Then look at their neighbors in 1840. There is a chance your ancestor is near at least one of his 1850 neighbors in 1840. A chance--not a guarantee.

3 comments:

  1. Great tip! I'm a fan of using every single method for finding someone, no matter how seemingly unusual. Sure it doesn't always pan out, but it's worth it when it does!

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  2. Thank you for the tip. It's refreshingly workable and has a very real chance of yielding results!

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  3. I've used this method on any census I'm looking for. Sometimes the names are just plain messed up in the census. It often works.

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