Downloaded 29 times
![Where do we find the details?
• Older relatives
According to Aunt Olive, “[Catherine’s]
family were the Kellys of 12th Street.”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/commonsurnamesppt-140214140008-phpapp01/75/Common-Surnames-Finding-Your-Smiths-5-2048.jpg)
Uploaded byAncestry.com
Common Surnames: Finding Your Smiths
The document provides a comprehensive guide on researching common surnames, specifically focusing on strategies to identify and gather unique details about ancestors. Key techniques include creating detailed ancestor profiles, utilizing various record types, employing advanced search tactics, and exploring immigration records and historical maps. The importance of a structured search strategy, including the use of family connections and timelines, is emphasized for effective genealogy research.
More Related Content
Similar to Common Surnames: Finding Your Smiths
Common Surnames: Finding Your Smiths
- 1. Juliana Szucs Smith 6February 2014 Common Surnames: Finding Your Smiths 1
- 2. Your Ancestor WasUnique • Looking for the things that make your ancestor stand out and assembling the information. • Create a search strategy. • Zeroing in on their location with records and tools. • Putting what you’ve found to work.
- 3. What makes yourancestor unique? • Create a profile of your ancestor • Names (given, middle, and nicknames) • Occupations • Birth date and place • Residence • Religious affiliation • Autograph • Family structure • Friends, neighbors, business associates, sponsors, witnesses, etc. • Anomalies
- 4.
- 5. Where do wefind the details? • Older relatives According to Aunt Olive, “[Catherine’s] family were the Kellys of 12th Street.”
- 6. Where do wefind the details? • Older relatives • Letters and correspondence
- 7. Where do wefind the details? • Older relatives • Letters and correspondence • Documents
- 8. Where do wefind the details? • Older relatives • Letters and correspondence • Documents • Photographs (Look for house numbers and match them to directories.)
- 9. Where do wefind the details? • Older relatives • Letters and correspondence • Documents • Photographs • Books • Heirlooms
- 10. Records!! Extract every singleclue, every single fact, from every single record you can find on him or her.
- 11. Have a SearchStrategy • Start wide and grab lowhanging fruit with a global search. • Big 3 − Name − Residence − Age/year of birth
- 12. Putting the Detailsto Work with a Search Advanced Search Can Give You an Edge.
- 13. Advanced Search Options •Name options
- 14. Advanced Search Options •Name options
- 15. Go wild withwildcards! • * matches zero or more characters • Kell*y matches Kelly or Kelley • ? matches one character • Sm?th* matches Smith, Smyth, Smythe • First letter can now be a wildcard • Either the first or last character must be a non-wildcard character • Names must contain at least three nonwildcard characters
- 16. Advanced Search Options •Name options • Events
- 17. Advanced Search Options •Name options • Events • Don’t include death unless you’re looking for a deathrelated record. (Most records were created when your ancestor was alive.)
- 18. Searching With WhatYou’ve Found • Name options • Events • Don’t include death unless you’re looking for a deathrelated record. • Estimate dates & click exact − Grandpa born 1906 -25 years = 1881 +/- 5 years = 18761886 Would include a parent aged between age 20 and 30 in 1906 when he was born.
- 19. Searching With WhatYou’ve Found • Name options • Events • Don’t include death unless you’re looking for a deathrelated record. • Estimate dates • Include event locations
- 20. Searching With WhatYou’ve Found • Name options • Events • Don’t include death unless you’re looking for a deathrelated record. • Estimate dates • Include event locations • Include family members − Only those that you expect to be living with them in the time frame you’re searching. • Explore other fields if you think they may help.
- 21. Search Strategy, Part2 • Identify collections your ancestor should be included in, and search directly.
- 22.
- 23. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Advantages • Less records to wade through/less cluttered results • Customized forms created for the content within
- 24. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Searching directly gives you more search functionality. • 1900 census form includes: − Marriage date
- 25. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Searching directly gives you more search functionality.. • 1900 census form includes: − Marriage date − Arrival date
- 26. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Searching directly gives you more search functionality. • 1900 census form includes: − Marriage date − Arrival date − Place to specify other family members (Censuses beginning in 1880 included relationships to head of household.)
- 27. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Searching directly gives you more search functionality. • 1900 census form includes: − Marriage date − Place to specify other family members (Censuses beginning in 1880 included relationships to head of household) − Marital status, relationship to HOH, gender, ethnic background
- 28. Searching Directly WithWhat You’ve Found • Searching directly gives you more search functionality. • 1900 census form includes: − Marriage date − Place to specify other family members (censuses after 1880 included relationships to head of household) − Marital status, relationship to HOH, gender, ethnic background − Parents’ birthplace
- 29. Dig Deep forCollections • Title searches for terms in the database title only • Keyword searches title and descriptive materials
- 30. Dig Deep forCollections • Title searches for terms in the database title only • Keyword searches title and descriptive materials
- 31. Catalog Filters • Filterby: • Record Collection • Location • Time Frame (Century or Decade)
- 32. Dig Deep forCollections • Access Place pages by clicking on the Search tab and then selecting a location from the map.
- 33.
- 34.
- 35. What You CanFind • Records of the New York Emigrant Savings Bank New York Emigrant Savings Bank, 1850-1883, on Ancestry.com
- 36.
- 37. U.S., IRS TaxAssessment Lists, 1862-1918 • U.S., IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918
- 38. Find Additional Identifiersin Censuses • Find birthplaces of parents on federal censuses, 1880-1930 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan • Find records of your ancestor’s siblings 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Kings County, New York • Whole family research is a huge help!
- 39. Where were they? •Timelines help you put the items you’ve found into context. Noting sources helps resolve conflicts.
- 40. Finding Immigration Records Huggins—alternatespellings include Huggans, Higgins, Higgans, Hugans, etc. William and Mary Ann Huggins arriving in New York on the Ashburton, 29 July 1844
- 41. A Family’s Tripto America A timeline showed children born to them both here and in Ireland. Where are the Irish born children? William and Mary Ann Huggins arriving in New York on the Ashburton, 29 July 1844
- 42. Chain Migration • Sometimes familiesdidn’t travel together. One or both parents may have gone ahead and secured a place to live and sent for the children. •On the ship Liverpool, 09 March 1849
- 43. Family and ExtendedFamily and Friends The names and ages of the Huggins children (listed as Higgans here) help to identify them in this passenger list. •On the ship Liverpool, 09 March 1849
- 44. Family and ExtendedFamily and Friends A Biddy Murtagh is listed as Catherine Huggins sponsor in her baptismal record. Murtaghs are also living very near a related Huggins family in Griffith’s Valuation. •On the ship Liverpool, 09 March 1849
- 45. Family and ExtendedFamily and Friends In 1857, a John Walsh is listed as the sponsor for another of the Huggins’ children in Brooklyn, New York Catholic Church Baptism Records, 18371900 (St. Paul’s R.C. Church) – available on Ancestry.com •On the ship Liverpool, 09 March 1849
- 46. The Stories inthe Manifest Timeline • 1844 - Wm. And Mary Ann Huggins immigrate • 1846 - Potato famine strikes in Ireland • 1849 – Huggins (Higgans) children immigrate •On the ship Liverpool, 09 March 1849
- 47. The Stories inthe Manifest • The Liverpool arrived in the Port of New York 09 March 1849. Since the Atlantic crossing typically took 1-2 months, they were on the Atlantic for at least most of February and possibly part of January. That would have made for a very cold crossing.
- 48. The Stories inthe Manifest • Of the 416 passengers on board the Liverpool, 37 would die before reaching American shores—nearly 9 percent.
- 49. City Directories • Ancestry.comhas a large collection of city directories, but coverage varies by location. Also check Fold3.com, and other websites for online directories.
- 50. U.S. City Directories •Formulate your searches based on availability.
- 51. U.S. City Directories •Search Tips • Search for the last name only. • Keywords can help you look for certain sections of the directory (e.g., churches, index of advertisers, etc.). • Specify the publication year.
- 52. Finding Common Threads •Directories allow you to track year to year using occupation and residence. New York City Directory, 1876
- 53.
- 54. Finding Common Threads •Spreadsheets can be helpful in sorting out families. Excel spreadsheet
- 55. Finding Common Threads •Create a copy as a back-up and then sort data
- 56. Finding Common Threads •Patterns emerge
- 57. Finding Common Threads •Patterns emerge
- 58. Using Locations inCensus Years • Seek out historical maps • Census wards and districts a huge plus for urban residents
- 59. Historical Maps • Seekout historical maps (See Cyndi’s List Map page) http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/us_states/michigan/Detroit.html
- 60. City Directories andCensuses • Beginning in 1880, censuses listed addresses. Use them in conjunction with city directories to locate your ancestors in the census and sort out others who share their name
- 61. Estimating Dates andKeeping Track • Project who should be in each census and estimate how old they would be.
- 62. Census Forms inthe Learning Center
- 63. Census Charts Use theprojected ages in your chart to create a template for those censuses. (Line in yellow is a template; line in green is a close match.)
- 64.
- 65. Trees…Use for clues,but with Caution
- 66. Working Trees • Keepingtrack of who’s NOT your guy. • ―Working trees‖ give you a place to organize records you’ve sorted out for other families that you can reference as you continue your research.
- 67. Beyond Online • Usethe tools you’ve created and go beyond online resources.
- 68. Beyond Online • Usethe tools you’ve created and go beyond online resources.
- 69. Beyond Online • Usethe tools you’ve created and go beyond online resources.
- 70. Beyond Online • Usethe tools you’ve created and go beyond online resources.
- 71. Beyond Online • Usethe tools you’ve created and go beyond online resources.
- 72. Your Ancestor WasInteresting and Unique!