Pay Attention to Details
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A reminder not to blindly search through the records.
Pay Attention to Details in Your Family Search
For the genealogist, a good rule of thumb for your family search is to keep your eyes open wide and your mind open wider.
Most of us use the national census a lot when performing a family search. Did you notice that each person listed on the census form had an occupation? It may have been homemaker, maid, student, chauffeur, owner of a business, or farmer, to name a few. Did you notice that the chauffeur, your grandfather, worked for the business owner who lived next door? Did you notice that the chauffeur’s son is the same age as the girl down the street? Did you notice that the daughter’s name is the same as your aunt’s?
Obviously, there is a wealth of information contained on the census form, and a lot of clues to other information to be verified further. Did your grandfather really work for his neighbor? Did your uncle really marry the girl from down the street? If so, now you know her maiden name, and a whole new branch on your family tree.
By checking the prior census you can partially verify information. Did the immigration date stay the same? Are there more, or fewer, children listed? Who was born in the interim? Did the missing person die or move out of the family home, and why?
Also, be aware of the current events, for the time period you are searching. Did the family immigrate because of the Irish potato famine? Were they seeking religious freedom? Did they flee a war or the spread of a disease? Did they move to the city from the farm during the dust bowl years?
In your family search, there is much information contained in the census, and a lot of clues if you keep your eyes open wide, and your mind open wider.
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