I just wanted to put the word out for researchers. If you are looking for North Carolina Vital Records that aren't available online because they're too recent, you're going to want to avoid the state level when ordering records for awhile. They have an enormous backlog (I ordered a record in December and still haven't gotten it. When I called in January, they said they'd only gotten to November requests.).
You're far better off ordering your records through the county vital records offices.
Showing posts with label Quick Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quick Tips. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Quick Tips: Siblings
I suppose one of the benefits of working like this is that when I come down with a cold, I can easily relax for a bit while still managing a little work. So...today's quick tip is going to be fairly short and sweet as I plan on crashing on the couch for the evening to watch whatever is on TV.
The Importance of Researching Siblings:
When trying to go backwards in your lineage, it may prove beneficial to go forwards by looking into your direct ancestor's siblings. For instance, one sibling might actually have told their children their mother's maiden name, and said name appears on that sibling's death certificate. Pictures and stories may travel down one particular line while nothing is ever mentioned or labeled (personal experience) on the other.
For a more concrete example, I found that a woman's brother in the mid-19th century mentioned her in his will. Now, by the 1850 census this girl was married, but her brother still lived with his parents. Thus, I was able to tie her to the brother and the brother to their parents.
The Importance of Researching Siblings:
When trying to go backwards in your lineage, it may prove beneficial to go forwards by looking into your direct ancestor's siblings. For instance, one sibling might actually have told their children their mother's maiden name, and said name appears on that sibling's death certificate. Pictures and stories may travel down one particular line while nothing is ever mentioned or labeled (personal experience) on the other.
For a more concrete example, I found that a woman's brother in the mid-19th century mentioned her in his will. Now, by the 1850 census this girl was married, but her brother still lived with his parents. Thus, I was able to tie her to the brother and the brother to their parents.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Quick Tips: Cemetery Photography
Here are a few tips for visiting cemeteries in search of your ancestors:
1. Get permission from the cemetery owners to visit if you're visiting a private cemetery. Keep in mind state laws regarding cemeteries on private land in order to know their rights and yours. For instance, Missouri requires that the property owner allow you reasonable access to the cemetery during reasonable hours of the day. (Link)
2. Get a long mirror to angle the sun towards the stone. This will help make the inscription clearer. Turn off your flash as that tends to only create a glare, and be prepared to write down what you see in case no amount of computer editing makes the photo reveal the whole inscription. (Note: I've found taking color pictures and then converting to black and white can help legibility.)
3. If you have to clean the stone in order to see the inscription, use water (the less chemicals in it the better) and a SOFT bristle brush. Gently wipe away the residue.
4. DO NOT use shaving cream to read the stone. Chemicals will only increase the weathering of the inscription.
5. Upload the photo to Findagrave for other relatives to find.
1. Get permission from the cemetery owners to visit if you're visiting a private cemetery. Keep in mind state laws regarding cemeteries on private land in order to know their rights and yours. For instance, Missouri requires that the property owner allow you reasonable access to the cemetery during reasonable hours of the day. (Link)
2. Get a long mirror to angle the sun towards the stone. This will help make the inscription clearer. Turn off your flash as that tends to only create a glare, and be prepared to write down what you see in case no amount of computer editing makes the photo reveal the whole inscription. (Note: I've found taking color pictures and then converting to black and white can help legibility.)
3. If you have to clean the stone in order to see the inscription, use water (the less chemicals in it the better) and a SOFT bristle brush. Gently wipe away the residue.
4. DO NOT use shaving cream to read the stone. Chemicals will only increase the weathering of the inscription.
5. Upload the photo to Findagrave for other relatives to find.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Quick Tips: Marriage Records
Being that it's Super Bowl Sunday, I didn't feel like writing more than a brief post today. I'm not into sports at all (In fact, I picked which team I'm rooting for by the fact I like the colors and the city of one team over the other.), but I like watching the commercials.
Since I'll be focused on the TV tonight, I'm going to write about some success I've had with marriage records:
Marriage records are incredibly useful in regards to tracing your female ancestors, but there is something else you can determine from the marriage record that can be useful for finding early records of your family. If your family wasn't married by a Justice of the Peace (J.P.), I recommend taking note of who married the couple in question since you can possibly determine what denomination or religion your ancestors practiced.
Once you have the name, do a quick online search using the name of the pastor with the words 'church' and the general location of where your ancestors lived or were married. If that doesn't work, I'd try heading to a library to check out the local history books or indexes of local clergy. Once you know the church, then you can see if they have any baptism, marriage, or death records to further your research.
Since I'll be focused on the TV tonight, I'm going to write about some success I've had with marriage records:
Marriage records are incredibly useful in regards to tracing your female ancestors, but there is something else you can determine from the marriage record that can be useful for finding early records of your family. If your family wasn't married by a Justice of the Peace (J.P.), I recommend taking note of who married the couple in question since you can possibly determine what denomination or religion your ancestors practiced.
Once you have the name, do a quick online search using the name of the pastor with the words 'church' and the general location of where your ancestors lived or were married. If that doesn't work, I'd try heading to a library to check out the local history books or indexes of local clergy. Once you know the church, then you can see if they have any baptism, marriage, or death records to further your research.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)