Keeping Up With the Neighbors –

Learn About Your “Subjects” (Ancestors, etc.) from the People They Associated With

John W. Konvalinka 24 Gordon Way, Princeton NJ 08540 ©2006. All rights reserved.

email: john@konvalinka.com website: www.konvalinka.com

Updated  18 April 2006

Summary: :

One way to fill gaps in our ancestor and family research is to focus on the people to be found near or associated with our “subjects” (ancestors and others) in various kinds of records. “Cluster studies” as they are called, can solve many brick wall problems.

Why? In olden times when travel was difficult and leisure time scarce, people tended to form bonds of friendship and marriage with those who lived nearby. And those who did travel, through immigration or migration to other areas, tended to travel in groups or to link up “on the other end” with those with whom they shared roots or a common heritage.

What Records? Our research should include all of the usual records, plus some “less usual” kinds of records described below.

How? Success may require a deeper understanding of the nature and purpose of various records and a more expansive search of them than what we have been used to. As the saying goes, we may have to “research the records before we use the records for research!” One way to do this: read “how to” books and articles on record types that you might not be completely familiar with.

Also, we should remember these two “golden rules” (or ideals) of this expansive research:

1. Research EVERY record in which our subject (ancestor, relative, etc.) is mentioned or MIGHT be mentioned.

2. Perform SOME research (as much as we can) on EVERY surname we come across in any connection (such as newspaper report, deed, regimental record) with the subject surname we are researching.

AND: Research the records BEFORE you use the records for research!

Where? Some records we need might be in unusual locations – private repositories, even in someone’s attic.

Who is a Neighbor? :

· People living nearby, or in the same household (including in-laws and servants)

· People who were imprisoned/institutionalized/transported together, including Holocaust survivors -- www.oldbaileyonline.org; www.convictcentral.com; www.poorhousestory.com

· People buried in the same cemetery, in adjacent plots, in the SAME plot, in another part of the cemetery

· People who appear in the same documents: passenger lists, court records, BMD records

· People who studied together www.academic-genealogy.com/Records; http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/default.aspx?htx=List&dbid=8943&offerid=0%3a679%3a0

· People who worked together, belonged to the same guild, fraternal organizations. See http://userdb.rootsweb.com/groups; http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/default.aspx?htx=List&dbid=8943&offerid=0%3a679%3a0; www.music-hall-society.com/

· People who traveled together: migration patterns, orphan trains www.orphantrainriders.com

· Military buddies www.civilwardata.com,

· People who came from the same area (in this country or another) – Check the Historical Census Browser:

http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus

· People who were business associates: partners, employers, customers, suppliers

· People who sued your subjects (particularly common for public office holders)

· All family/extended family members

· People with the same name (first, middle, full name, surname) as our subject: Guild of One Name Studies: www.one-name.org , Association of One Name Studies: http://www.familyhistory.com/societyhall/viewmember.asp?societyid=16742 Fuller-Gaunt List of (surname) mailing lists: www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail.html . Also George Redmond’s book: Surnames and Genealogy – a New Approach.

· People researching the same family or families as we are

What to Look For in Various Records: :

Birth, Marriage, Death Records: Be sure to record information like mothers’ maiden name(s), the names of godparents, witnesses, even the clergymen involved. Remember that for some areas Town Records and Reports included notations of births, deaths, marriages during preceding year.

· For birth records, investigate the origin of first names AND middle names. Check for any newspaper announcements which might contain additional information. (See “Naming Patterns” below.)

· For engagement and marriage records, check newspaper society pages for announcements and investigate ALL surnames (of witnesses etc.) found – for relatives, in-laws, collateral families.

· For death records, record the names of doctor who signed the death certificate and of the “informant”. Check to see if there might be a coroner’s report. Check funeral home records for additional information, including who paid for the funeral and who released the body for burial. Scour newspapers for official notices, obituaries, plus any news items and record any other persons/names mentioned. Check for death records and notices of spouses, children, other relatives.

Naming Patterns:

Research all names that occur, such as “Phineas Bradley Sanders” or “Wilson Cary Selden Sanders”. A child might simply be after some famous person (“George Washington”) OR – names like those above might lead us to a friend, or to someone who had some relationship (not necessarily genealogical) to our subject. As well as checking in traditional repository sources, be sure to do a “Google” or other Internet search for the name, including online telephone and city directories.

Finding maiden names of female subjects can be particularly challenging. Be sure to become familiar with one or more of the excellent books and articles that deal with the particular problems of surnames “lost” through marriages or which have “daughtered out.”

Cemetery/Tombstone Records:

· Cemetery (paper) records may disclose persons buried in a plot or other information not listed on tombstones – or may reveal other plots for our subject family in same cemetery. The additional names we find may not be of interest; the cemetery may have sold off unused graves to some totally unrelated persons. Check for information like a reference to a coroner’s report – or to the name of the person who released the body for burial.

· Tombstone inscriptions may tell which country a person came from, or other particulars (such as military service). The physical location of tombstones and plots may be significant: friends, neighbors (as well as relatives) may have purchased adjacent plots. Try to identify all persons buried in the same or nearby plots – as well as same surnamed people elsewhere in the same cemetery.

Census Records:

In addition to all the usual information, try to identify by name the persons who were living near our subject household (easier to do in later censuses), and other persons with the same surname. Pay attention to the surnames (and given names) of others enumerated in the household, even when relationship to the head of household is not spelled out; they could provide clues to a woman’s maiden name.

Published (and Unpublished) Family Histories:

Be sure to check every published (or “privately published”) family history or genealogy for our subjects’ surname(s) and other surnames we have turned up in our searches of families who had relationships (marriage, neighbors, etc.) with our subjects’ families. Also be sure to check in the unpublished collections (“vertical files”) found in some libraries and repositories. The handwritten notes and letters of other researchers may provide some important leads. Check diaries, journals and personal accounts of moves and migrations for names that might have some association with our subjects. Check the records of unusual situations of persons traveling together such as The Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc. <www.orphantrainriders.com>

Immigration and Naturalization Records:

Can’t find your subjects in an Immigration/Emigration index or data base? Be sure to check for obvious (and not-so-obvious) misspellings. And, if searching Ellis Island, look for records of people who were detained or held over.

Can’t find them on a passenger list? Look for how the name might have been spelled in the port of embarkation (that’s where the passenger lists were prepared.) Look for relatives or others from same area who might have come before or after your subject. Learn about the various kinds of passenger lists prepared for different ports at different times and how to search them effectively. Remember that your subject may have arrived at a different port (or country: Canada) from where they settled. Become familiar with sources like the St Albans Boarder Crossing Lists. 

When you find your subject(s) on a passenger list, be sure to examine the entire list – for others with the same or similar surname, or from the same town of origin. Scan for other surnames which you might have seen in other connections. Maybe your grandparents met on the ship!

Naturalization Records: Although always worth finding, before 1906 they may not contain too much useful information. After 1906 more information was required. See if indexes have been prepared for the place and period you are searching. Census records from 1900 contain arrival and naturalization information provided by the person. Be sure to note the names of witnesses, of the persons with whom the immigrant will be staying, information about traveling companions and home town. Look for a certificate of arrival. As with passenger lists, if you do not find your subject, look for the naturalization of relatives or people from the same area; these could ultimately lead you to the person you are seeking.

Other Records: Passport applications may contain arrival information. Voter registration records may tell where person was previously registered to vote – and proof of citizenship may have been required.

Land and Property Records:

Research the history of the property from information in deeds about earlier and subsequent owners; identify possible relationships of your subject to all people named in the document as neighbors and/or as witnesses to the transactions.

Can’t find a record of the property? Be sure you are looking in the “correct” county. County boundaries changed as new counties were formed; the record you are seeking may be in the new county OR in the old county (if the old county seat was easier to travel to). Also, tax lists can often provide a key to land records and deeds.

Can’t find a particular house? Be sure to check old maps – street names may change, giving the house a new address.

Westward Ho? People tended to migrate in groups. Account for every name found in your subject’s party. When requesting land grant or Homestead files, be sure you get the certificate AND all supporting papers. You may find spouses’ names and a history of their move.

Wills, Estate Records:

Account for every person, piece of property and bequest mentioned in the will, including all witnesses. Be sure to find ALL documents relating to property of the deceased (in addition to land records, above). Look for follow up estate/tax records – estates might not be settled for many years. Find court papers for any intestacy (no will) situations. Many people might come forward to testify about the family and possible heirs of the deceased. (Also see Military Records, below.)

Other Court Records:

Particularly for anyone who held a public office – there may be lawsuits relating to the decisions and actions of these subjects. These may still be active many years after the completion of the subject’s public service and may name many other persons who had some relationship to the subject.

Military Records:

Was your subject in military service? In addition to draft registration, enlistment and pension records, look for regimental histories – “official” ones, (including officers’ diaries) AND the personal recollections (published or unpublished) of persons who served in the same military unit(s) as your subject. Identify everyone and do as much research as possible on those who served in the same unit(s) as your subject. Look for accounts of reunions, obituaries, newspaper articles (particularly those published around Memorial Day and Veterans Day). Look at the records of military cemeteries, even in unusual places, such as the ones for Confederate veterans buried in northern states.

In checking for pension records (of others as well as well as your subject’s) remember that pensions were often not paid until long after the wars ended, often to widows; that pensions (especially for disabilities) might be paid by states as well as the Federal government, and that, because of poor recordkeeping in the early years, military service and pension eligibility were often determined by personal testimony of relatives, friends and neighbors. Check to see if your subject received bounty land, which was often given before pension – and often sold quickly, particularly by older veterans.

Other Records:

Newspapers: Check society and gossip columns. Who did your subjects visit and travel with? Who visited them? (Newspapers printed lots of names to built circulation which built ad revenue.) Who were witnesses to their important events (including pallbearers)? Remember that societies, clubs and Churches had their own newspapers.

Business Records: See if your subject(s) had relationships with partners, associates – and important suppliers and customers.

Telephone and City Directories: Search by surname for possible relatives and by address for others living at same address as our subject(s) or nearby. Check the front of city directories for lists of cemeteries, churches, firemen -- and area covered. City directories may mention a person’s occupation and military service and tell where they came from and moved to. Also check school and college directories and alumni news and records.

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Any problems with any links in this handout – or suggestions for others? Please email me at: john@konvalinka.com