Genealogy
tip for the day: Common Mistakes, 2
We are continuing our numbering of common mistakes and actually, wrong assumptions, that genealogists make - especially beginners. We listed 1-8 yesterday.
#9. Do not accept family legends as fact. There may be a kernel of truth in them, so don’t
discount them totally. Just keep them in the back of your mind and see what
pans out.
I have a situation in my own family to illustrate
this. My grandmother wrote down (in print!), that her grandfather was the great-grandson
of a famous Revolutionary War general. It turns out he was not, but is related.
So that was the kernel, but slightly different version!
#10. Don’t start with the famous relative or foreign
country! That’s exactly what I did above and could not come down to present day
family, so it was actually a waste of time. It’s always better to start with
yourself and work UP the tree; not down the tree and hope to come down to you.
#11. Abbreviations aren’t always abbreviations.
Sometimes they are acronyms. For example: “NA” – usually means not available,
or not applicable, depending on the context. “NMI” is another one. It usually
stands for No Middle Initial. Similar is NMN=no middle name.
#12. Watch the context of the ages. Do they seem
logical for the situation? Is the mother
age “12”? Not totally impossible but highly
unlikely, especially in this country! Is the soldier “40” and signing up for
war? Not likely either, unless he was already in as an officer and being recalled. If that is the case you should
be able to find previous records to the fact.
#13. ALL genealogy records are found and are on the
Internet. NOT! This isn’t necessarily a
mistake you make, but a mistaken idea that lots of folks have. I would be
guessing at how many, but I know there are a lot of records that have not yet
been digitized. If you are able, it’s most helpful to travel to the area of
your research, especially stateside. If not, you will want to periodically
check on line and see if they have been found, digitized and uploaded.
When I first started using findagrave.com they had
about 61 million records on line. Today they have over 112 million! So more and
more are being added all the time. Other websites like Ancestry for example,
are continually announcing new records that have been added to their collection.
#14. Children are NOT always with their parents on
the census records. Watch for “relation to head” when it’s provided. Watch for
different surname. That gives you a clue. But sometimes they are with
patriarchal relatives, (you know – the father’s side, thus the same surname).
Here could be an example of say a 12 year old boy being listed with a man 72
years old. It could be
grandparent/grandson. These should throw up red flags.
#15. Records and Informants are always right. NOT.
Again, it partly goes back to “everything you see in print is accurate”. Not Always! Also the person providing the information may have misunderstood the
question, or the recorder may have misheard what was told him.
When my mother died, my father was the informant for
her death certificate. When I saw it there were 5 mistakes on it. We were able
to get them corrected, but I suspect my father’s hearing issues may have played
a part.
#16. Same names prove a connection. NOT. You may
find a John Smith, two or three times in the same time frame and locality. But
it doesn’t prove kinship. Even less common names repeated, as in my family –
Caleb Trask, doesn't prove anything. Uncommon names today, may have been more
common at another time period. Although naming patterns can be a clue, that is all they are; they are not
proof. (btw, have you ever head of the John Smith Society??? It’s for anyone
with that name, as was our insurance man at one point in our life.)
We will pause here for today and give this a little
time to soak in. Next week we will continue with some more. As I’ve been working on this I’ve realized I
could have split these into categories: your mistakes, their mistakes, assumptions
and hard & fast rules. But I’ll leave that up to you this time.
Maybe you can think of some. Leave your ideas in the
comment section below. We would LOVE to hear from you, really. And we will NOT
use any personal information, if you are concerned. We have no way to use it,
any way. J
Recently we talked about message boards.
I found this today and thought I would put on here for you.
This comes from here. (The website on the picture is misspelled.)
This is a new website even to me - I'll have to check out. You, Too!
“History is who we
are; Genealogy is who I am” sg
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cat-in-the-Hat
is today!!!
Pocohontas and John Wolfe
April 5
1242
|
Russian troops repel an
invasion by Teutonic knights.
|
|
1614
|
Pocahontas
marries English colonist John Rolfe.
|
|
1792
|
George Washington casts the
first presidential veto.
|
|
1843
|
Queen Victoria proclaims
Hong Kong a British crown colony.
|
|
1861
|
Gideon Wells, the Secretary
of the Navy issues official orders for the
|
|
1865
|
As the Confederate army
approaches Appomattox, it skirmishes with Union forces at Amelia Springs and
Paine's Cross Road.
|
|
1908
|
The Japanese Army reaches
Yalu River as Russians retreat.
|
|
1919
|
Eamon de Valera becomes
president of Ireland.
|
|
1930
|
Mahatma Ghandi defies
British law by making salt in India instead of buying it from the British.
|
|
1941
|
German commandos secure
docks along the Danube River in preparation for Germany's invasion of the
Balkans.
|
|
1943
|
The British 8th Army
attacks the next blocking position of the retreating Axis forces at Wadi
Akarit.
|
|
1951
|
Americans Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg are sentenced to death for espionage.
|
|
1955
|
Winston Churchill resigns
as British prime minister.
|
|
1986
|
A bomb explodes in a West
Berlin disco packed with American soldiers.
|
|
| Born on April 5 |
||
1588
|
Thomas Hobbes, English
philosopher (Leviathan).
|
|
1827
|
Joseph Lister, English
physician, founded the idea of using antiseptics during surgery.
|
|
1839
|
Robert Smalls, black
congressman from South Carolina, 1875-87.
|
|
1856
|
Booker T. Washington,
former slave, educator, founded the Tuskegee Institute.
|
|
1858
|
Washington Atlee Burpee,
founded the world's largest mail-order seed company.
|
|
1900
|
Spencer Tracy,
actor (Adam's Rib, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner).
|
|
1908
|
Bette Davis, film actress (Jezebel,
All About Eve).
|
|
1916
|
Gregory Peck, film actor (To
Kill a Mockingbird).
|
|
1917
|
Robert Bloch, novelist (Psycho).
|
|
1920
|
Arthur Hailey, (Hotel,
Airport).
|
|
1923
|
Nguyen Van Thieu, president
of South Vietnam.
|
|
1937
|
Colin Powell, U.S. Army
general, Secretary of State.
|
|
Spencer Tracy
kingmaker
PRONUNCIATION:
(KING-may-kuhr)
MEANING:
noun: A person or
organization having great power and influence in the selection of a candidate
for an important position.
ETYMOLOGY:
The
term was originally applied to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, as
"Warwick the Kingmaker" during the Wars of the Roses. Earliest
documented use: 1595.
USAGE:
"In
recruiting them for SNL, Lorne Michaels has played kingmaker to some of US
comedy's biggest names. 'Think the Godfather with a whoopee cushion', one
critic wrote."
Jon Swaine; The Inscrutable Kingmaker of Comedy; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 17, 2014.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Jon Swaine; The Inscrutable Kingmaker of Comedy; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 17, 2014.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There
is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you. -Maya Angelou, poet (b.
1928)
Today’s
Recipe
April –
Tomato Month
Ingredients
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 (6-ounce)
snapper fillets
2 tablespoons dry vermouth or white wine
1 cup diced
zucchini
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup halved
cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
1. Heat
a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan;
swirl to coat. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over fish.
Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of
doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm. Add vermouth; cook until liquid
almost evaporates. Add zucchini, shallots, oregano, lemon rind, 1 teaspoon oil,
and 1/8 teaspoon salt; sauté 3 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
2. Combine zucchini mixture, tomato,
remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 2 teaspoons oil, basil, and juice; toss
gently. Serve with fish.
Apr 1st Caprese
Stacks
Apr 2nd Spicy
Frozen Bloody Marys
Apr 3rd Peach and
Tomato Salsa
ENJOY!
Now You Know!
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