Seriously, genealogy is a lot of detective work. Somethings I take pictures as evidence. Usually pictures of gravestones. Sometimes I take a picture of a document if a copier or scanner isn't handy.
For the most part, I spend a lot of time looking for and at documents. Or trying to figure out what repository will have the document I need to prove or disprove a theory.
As I attempt to prove a theory or gut feeling, I'm also working as hard to disprove that same theory or gut feeling.
Instead of investigating the lives of those still living, I spend the majority of my time investigating the lives of those who have passed on. At least I don't have them telling me one thing, knowing they're lying to me so I won't find the truth. However, I don't have them talking to me, telling some of the basics. Such as their parents names. Or who was with them when they left their birth state and migrated, usually westward.
If I'm searching for a male relative, they will usually leave a trail of documents. Sometimes the females leave nice trails, too. If it's before 1850, the females don't leave a lot of trails though.
Today I've been tracing my Larison family backwards. I want to find Abel's parents. I went to 1820 and searched the census for all the Larison's and the various spellings trying to find his family. I found one that was a good fit. A perfect fit. Until I found an entry into a book on the history of that county in Illinois. Alas. They did have a son named Abel. Born where my Abel was born. However, he was born about ten years later. Married a different woman, had different children and died after my Abel died. While I found several documents that would have been a great start to prove this was the family of my Abel, I also found enough that disproved this wasn't my Abel's family.
I haven't come away completely empty handed today though. I did find my Abel living with a family with a different surname than his. I noticed they had all come to Iowa about the same time. Going back to genealogy 101, as a rule, our ancestors did not migrate alone, I checked to see where the head of the family was born. Not the same state as my Abel. However, the wife of the family was born in the same state as my Abel and three years before he was. Is she an older sister?
I don't know. Possibly. Likely. I do know that Abel's second daughter has the same first name as this woman and her middle name is the same as one of Abel's possible nieces first name. Also, that family with the different surname had a son named Abel.
One wouldn't think it should be too tough to figure out if they were brother and sister, but it's not easy. If they are brother and sister, they were both in their father's home during the period of time when the only one listed in the Federal Census was the head of the household. They'd only show up by their gender and age range.
I've used that type of information to help prove parentage, but I would have to have a lot more information than I have at this time to do so in this case. In the past, I knew the name or names of the possible father. With the research I'd already done, I knew they had remained in the area for several census years. In this case, I don't know how long they were in the area. Nor do I have anything but a surname. In time, I'll take all fifteen families scattered throughout the USA with that surname that had a son the right age as Abel was in the 1820 census and try to trace them out. To not only prove, but to attempt to disprove they're his correct family.
So if you love mysteries, if you love investigating people, if you love a good puzzle, genealogy might be for you.
Seriously,you have had the living lie to you or were you using creative license?
ReplyDeleteBTW...whilst in N.H. on my own search :the first set of birth records were allegedly sealed. It was not until I convinced the clerk that my grandmother was not adopted and they were wrong and to go back and re-check that I could see the birth certificate. Moral of the story the living not only lie but are only human.