I've hit my share of "brickwalls" in the investigation of my own family tree. What I've discovered is that our ancestors were much more portable than we actually thought. To help you in your hunt for missing ancestors and the "lacking links" which will solve your ancestry secrets I'm discussing the methods that have generated locating persons you may think were useless or never counted on public records.
1. District Lines: The US was a fast creating state beginning in the 19th century. Geographic features often confused where one state started and yet another finished and at other instances areas were added as governmental districts were reassessed and towns were incorporated or expanded. Whatever the purpose do not create down the possible that the ancestor might take a different district than estimated or that files may possibly exist in multiple counties.
Hint: Look in neighboring counties and greater neighborhoods that'll have become in remote counties. I discovered multiple ancestor relied twice (and in two different counties) on the census documents!
2. Migration: It's identified from actually rank college record classes that there clearly was a tremendous migration to the western United Claims and territories. When an ancestor moves lacking from the documents it is a great exercise to look in the records of adjoining claims or recently opened territories. Understanding when areas were opened for homesteading and where land was given for military company also assists in tracking down challenging ancestors. go for records
Suggestion: Use Wikipedia to get days areas were shaped, areas were opened, and when claims were given statehood.
3. Opposite Migration: An avenue of genealogy study that is usually forgotten is opposite migration-when the land wasn't good for farming or the situations were too harsh, or homesickness turned too much, our ancestors sometimes gone home or returned to the East. Our favorite case may be the 1860 Census of Lee County, VA. The census taker not only was careful about record the start state of each resident, but also listed their birth county. The number of individuals born in Western Tennessee to parents have been natives of Lee Region is fascinating.
Suggestion: Do not eliminate people of similar names but created in different claims as possible relative to your ancestors. See your face created in Mo who reveals through to a Virginia census may be a missing relationship!
4. Traveling: We shouldn't believe that traveling began with the technology the big jet! I've discovered ancestors in New York resorts and on ship manifests either likely to or returning from visits abroad. An ancestor's occupation could have needed travel. For instance I discovered persons selected to political office residing much from your home in Washington, DC. I came across one household who seemed to possess vanished on a UK Census!
Idea: Even though you are convinced an ancestor was a non-traveling farmer, research edge crossings, ship passenger lists, and even international census records-you may possibly take for quite a shock!
5. Civil War: The War Between the States was the first war which triggered a significant change in many of our ancestors'locations. Troops were transferred from North to South, and South to North, and from one part of the united states to another. Crops were ruined alongside livelihoods causing families to go from homesteads. The African-american American populace composed mainly of recently freed slaves, were first enumerated by name on the 1870 census following many had remaining the plantations wherever they lived ahead of the War. I found one ancestor from Tennessee who was simply captured by the Union military in the North and kept there following his release.
Tip: When investigating an ancestor who offered in the Civil Conflict be sure to look at their time and place of launch because it could be a clue to where they may have slept following the War.
Don't give up. With perseverance you will find who you are looking for wherever you least expect to locate them.
