Focus, focus, focus. That is my mantra for ancestor searchers. Pick one of your grandparents, calculate when they were born, and think about where they were living in 1950 – the latest census available to us. Enter that information into Ancestry.com. One new quirk on Ancestry: you need to click the “Exact” box under the location.
That first search should locate the person you are looking for. Double check that the person has the correct wife and children. You will need to sort through five or six possibilities but you should have found the person you are looking
for.
If you did not find the right person, you will need to reevaluate your original information. Did the man’s wife use an alternate name, e.g., Allie for Alice? Are some children “missing” from the family because they have grown up and
established their own homes? Did the person you are searching for actually die before the 1950 census was taken as of April 1, 1950?
If you are successful in finding this ancestor, you are ready to move backward to 1940 and 1930, then 1920, and back through every census. Next step is to look at marriage records to locate the date, place of marriage and maiden name of the bride. Was the bride a widow? Then her maiden name may be linked to her first marriage.
Now you can search FindaGrave.com for both husband and wife. Where were they buried? Is there biographical information
including the names of their parents on the FindaGrave page? Did he serve in the military? Are other family members buried in that same cemetery?
Don’t stop until you have developed a clear picture of your ancestor. The clues you gather will help you move back in the family. Magnifying glass optional.
Carol Cooke Darrow teaches Beginning Genealogy and facilitates the Write NOW family history writing group on Zoom. Register for classes at cogensoc.us.