Strategy: Town Sexton’s RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.02.19 Town Sexton’s Records Town Sexton’s Records are maintained by sextons responsible for cemetery maintenance and can hold invaluable details about your ancestors. Use the following to uncover these records and fill in the gaps in your family history.. What Are Town Sexton’s Records? Town sextons have historically managed burial grounds, overseeing tasks like grave digging, plot assignments, and cemetery upkeep. In the process, many sextons kept detailed records that include: These records often predate official death certificates or supplement missing information, making them an additional verifying resource for genealogists. Why Are […]
2025.02.12 – Strategy: Poorhouse, Almshouse, and Asylum Records
Strategy: Poorhouse, Almshouse, and Asylum RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.02.12 Poorhouse, Almshouse, and Asylum Records Genealogy research often involves tracing not just the successes of our ancestors but also the challenges they faced. If a family member experienced hardship, they may have spent time in a poorhouse, almshouse, or mental asylum. Records from these institutions often provide detailed personal information, such as next of kin, health conditions, and reasons for admittance. Here are some lesser-known strategies for finding and utilizing these records in your genealogical research. Understanding Poorhouse, Almshouse, and Asylum Records Poorhouses, almshouses, and asylums were institutions that […]
2025.02.05 – Strategy: Old Age Pension Records
Strategy: Old Age Pension RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.02.05 Old Age Pension Records Old Age Pension Records can provide invaluable insights. Issued by some countries before the advent of modern social security programs, these records often contain critical information such as birthdates, residence history, and familial relationships. Here are some strategies to effectively locate and utilize Old Age Pension Records in your genealogical research. Understanding Old Age Pension Records Old Age Pension Records were created to administer pensions to elderly citizens, often starting in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Governments required applicants to prove their eligibility by […]
2025.01.29 – Strategy: Consulate Records
Strategy: Consulate RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.01.29 Consulate Records For ancestors who lived abroad or traveled extensively, consulate records offer a unique and underutilized source of information. These records, maintained by consular offices to assist citizens overseas, can provide valuable insights into passport applications, notarized documents, and even requests for emergency assistance. Understanding Consulate Records Consulate records are created by diplomatic missions to serve citizens residing in or visiting foreign countries. Historically, consulates were often the first point of contact for individuals seeking official assistance abroad. These documents can reveal personal details about your ancestors that are not recorded […]
2025.01.22 – Strategy: Border Crossing Records
Strategy: Border Crossing RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.01.22 Border Crossing Records Genealogy research often involves piecing together clues to build a fuller picture of our ancestors’ lives. One such treasure trove is border crossing records, for example, those documenting travel between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These records often provide vital details about individuals’ movements, offering a glimpse into personal stories of migration, commerce, and connection. Other countries, such as El Salvador, Ecuador and Panama also document border crossings. So if your area of interest is not in the US, you may still be able to use this […]
2025.01.15 – Strategy: Voting Registers
Strategy: Voting RegistersBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.01.15 Using Voting Registers Genealogists are constantly seeking reliable resources to trace their ancestry and build a vivid picture of their family’s past. Voter lists and registers are powerful, yet underutilized tools that can provide unique insights into family history. These records offer details that go beyond basic identification, revealing a person’s location at specific points in time and sometimes even including valuable clues about age and citizenship status. What Are Voting Registers? Voting registers, or voter lists, are official records maintained by governments to document eligible voters in a specific area. These […]
2025.01.08 – Strategy: Chain Migration and Cluster Research
Strategy: Chain Migration and Cluster ResearchBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.01.08 Chain Migration and Cluster Research Genealogy research is often compared to solving a puzzle, where every piece offers a glimpse into the past. While traditional methods such as census records, vital records, and wills are staples of genealogical investigation, two powerful but lesser-known strategies—chain migration and cluster research—can significantly enhance your efforts. These approaches focus on understanding the social networks and community dynamics of your ancestors. Using them opens doors to discovering origins, migration patterns, and familial connections that might otherwise remain hidden. Understanding Chain Migration Chain migration is […]
2025.01.01 – Strategy: Military Records and Pension Files
Strategy: Military Records and Pension FilesBy Dale E. Lee and AI2025.01.01 Military Records and Pension Files: Lesser-Known Strategies Military records are a treasure trove for genealogists, offering far more than dates and places of service. These documents can reveal an ancestor’s birthplace, family relationships, and even details about their community. Pension files, in particular, are a goldmine, containing affidavits and testimonies from family members, neighbors, and fellow soldiers that paint a vivid picture of an ancestor’s life. This article outlines some lesser-known strategies for harnessing military records in uncovering your family history. 1. Mining Pension Files Pension files can be […]
2024.12.25 – Strategy: Church Records
Strategy: Church RecordsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2024.12.25 Church Records Church records are a valuable resource for genealogists, often containing information that predates civil registration systems. These documents, which were maintained by religious institutions, can provide details about baptisms, marriages, and burials, offering crucial insights for tracing family lines. Church archives hold important data, sometimes extending back centuries. This article explores lesser-known strategies for using church records to advance your genealogical research. 1. Understanding the Scope and Value of Church Records Church records often go beyond basic vital statistics, reflecting the spiritual and social lives of communities. Key types of […]
2024.12.18 – Strategy: Local Town Meetings
Strategy: Local Town MeetingsBy Dale E. Lee and AI2024.12.18 Exploring Local Town Meetings Local town meeting records are a goldmine of lesser-known information. These documents provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of past community members, shedding light on their personal affairs, land ownership, civic responsibilities, and social status. Here are some tips on how to leverage these records in your genealogy research. The Value of Local Town Meeting Records Local town meetings were the lifeblood of many communities in earlier centuries, particularly in colonial America and the early United States. These meetings functioned as forums where residents gathered to […]