Genealogy Tip of the Day

If she was, her application papers could provide valuable research clues, even if you have no interest in joining the DAR. Older application...

Quite a few Genealogy Tip of the Day followers are Casefile Clues subscribers, so we're posting this here for those who may have missed...

What someone indicated was great-grandma's "maiden" name may not have been the last name of her biological father. It could al...

Final receipts and accountings in court and probate records may mention last names that married females did not have when the case was ini...

The consideration on a land record is what changed hands in order to pay for the real estate being transferred. If the consideration is ...

After learning the hard way, I always copy the "wrapper" on any legal document of which I make copies. In addition to usually in...

Goals about solving specific problems are not really good ones to set for a variety of reasons. Instead of making "solving" a spec...

In your quest to find the dead, don't forget that the living may hold clues that are only in their head and preserved no where else. Go ...

When I was a kid, my dad and I would count the cattle as they crossed the road from one pasture to another. It was important to arrive at ...

Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings , etc. to all my blog readers and followers-your support is greatly appreciated. Hopefully your genealo...

Deeds and mortgages are not the only items recorded in the county recorder of deeds offices in many United States' counties. Affidav...

[this was posted to my other blogs, but thought it appropriate to post to this blog as well] All content on Rootdig.com , Genealogy Tip o...

Is that really your ancestor's signature? This early 20th century court document may look like it contains the signatures of Nancy, ...

Plans are well underway for CSI-Genealogy to be held in Galesburg, Illinois. I'm excited to be a part of this 4.5 day genealogical learn...

One of my ancestral families and all their children and their children's spouses are buried in the same rural cemetery. The only excepti...

An occasionally overlooked item in old newspapers are legal notices. Newspapers that have been digitized and indexed are a great way to fi...

In December of 1905, my great-grandparents mortgaged a 1/10 interest in a piece of property, signing a five-year note. They paid it off in J...

I almost overlooked a real property mortgage my great-grandparents executed in 1905. I didn't think they owned any real estate so saw no...

When looking at any original record, particularly one that has names in a list, analyze the other names on the list. Do the names appear t...

This 1936 notice of my grandparents' wedding actually contains several tips, including: watch newspapers for typos --Trautretter sh...

When taking notes, writing reports, and communicating with other researchers, avoid abbreviations wherever possible--especially "homema...

Some readers have had difficulties with our freebie offer-so we've clarified. Here is a summary of freebies we have: 2 free copies ...

People move--sometimes further than one really expects. Emma Cawiezell was a native of Davenport, Iowa, who went to New York City to becom...

Many databases will be titled something like "Blah Blah Records of Blah Blah: 1800-1900." Always try and determine just years are ...

Did your relative have such an odd way of saying a word or a phrase that a census taker or clerk would be hard-pressed to spell it correctly...

In older court records, a petition to begin the probate process won't always indicate when the deceased passed away. However state statu...

Do you have pictures or other ephemera that you've not tried to save in some way? Don't wait until it is too late. For pictures, m...

Genealogy Tip of the Day readers who would like to receive our daily tips on their kindle can so do here . Amazon.com  does charge a sma...

The  Archive.org   scan of an Ohio Adjutant General report of War of 1812 for a unit of interest was a little difficult to read in spots . A...

Genealogy Tip of the Day  is sponsored by GenealogyBank . We appreciate their help in bringing to those of you in genealogyland. Ok, that...

If your ancestor states that he is aged 60 on 2 April 1900, that doesn't mean he was born in 1840. Someone who says he was 60 on 2 Apr...

I spent years searching for the 1913 birth certificate of my wife's grandmother in Chicago. For some reason she apparently never had one...

I'm offering 93 issues of Casefile Clues  for $25. Casefile Clues  contains analysis, interpretation and how-to advice based on origin...

If you are using English-language records, is it possible that the writer slipped in a non-English word or a word in a non-English script? A...

Look carefully at the names of other individuals who appear on legal documents with your ancestor during the first few years he lives in an ...