Don’t let lack of records stop your search

[csziggy]

Every so often Sharon Tate Moody writes a column for the Tampa Tribune. Her columns are available without subscription on TBO.com:

Sharon Tate Moody is a board-certified genealogist. Send your genealogical methodology questions and event announcements to her at [e-mail]. She regrets she is unable to assist with personal research and cannot respond to requests for locating or researching individuals. Past Heritage Hunting columns are available online at tbo.com, search words “Sharon Tate Moody.”

This column is one I clipped from the paper last month when I was visiting down state. I'd forgotten about it and thought people here would be interested.

Don’t let lack of records stop your search
BY SHARON TATE MOODY
Tribune correspondent
Published: March 22, 2015

Do you have an ancestor who seems, to you, a one-dimensional cardboard figure? He’s the guy who left few records and you feel lucky just to have approximated his dates of birth, marriage and death. Maybe the courthouses where he lived always burned. Or he may have been unable to read or write, eliminating the possibility of letters and diaries.

<SNIP>

You don’t want to fictionalize your ancestors, but with some imagination, steeped in local history and cultural awareness, you can learn and write about what life probably was like for them.

With what few records you have, build a place and time frame for a family. If you have nothing but censuses, look closely at questions asked in the various years. For example, the 1900 census actually asks the month and year of birth. The 1910 census asked for the number of years in the current marriage. The 1920 census asked questions about immigration and naturalization. Beginning in 1880, a relationship between the head of the household and each person in the household was stated. By using the censuses alone you can find much to build a timeline.

Once you have your ancestor in specific places at specific times — and with luck you’ve learned his occupation — it’s time to explore what was happening around this one-dimensional man, your ancestor.

More: http://tbo.com/lifestyle/dont-let-lack-of-records-stop-your-search-20150322/

I really like her approach in this column - I like to know the stories around my ancestors and she gives some great suggestions for building a life story even on people you know little about. She also gives wonderful links to help in your research in nearly ever column.

[CBHagman]

1. "Highly respected."

That description appeared in my great-great-grandfather's obituary. I don't know what month or day he was born or where in Ireland he called home, but I know when the time came to write an account of his life in the local paper, that's how the reporter phrased it.