Approver, Reviewer, editor, pagecreator
46,825
edits
no edit summary
mNo edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 234: | Line 234: | ||
[http://www.ingeneas.com/ingeneas/index.html inGeneas database] - May contain birth, death and marriage records. | [http://www.ingeneas.com/ingeneas/index.html inGeneas database] - May contain birth, death and marriage records. | ||
=== Research Strategies === | |||
==== Search Death-related records first ==== | |||
Why might it be better to look for the death record of an ancestor first? | |||
*Your ancestor's death is more recent than his birth or marriage. It is usually best to work from recent events backward, from the known to the unknown. | |||
*The death record usually tells you where your ancestor last lived. Then you can look for other records for that place. | |||
*The death record may lead you to other documents created in connection with the death, such as the burial and probate of your ancestor. Those records may give new family information. | |||
*Death records may contain birth, marriage, and burial information as well as death information. | |||
*Death records exist for many persons born before birth and marriage records began. Death records may contain birth and marriage information not available anywhere else. | |||
==== Analyze the record ==== | |||
Ask yourself these questions to use the record effectively: | |||
*What dates does this record provide? | |||
*What ages are given? | |||
*What places are mentioned in this record? | |||
*Are parents or a spouse named? | |||
*Are witnesses to the event related to the family? | |||
*Who provided the information? Was that person someone who knew the family well? | |||
*Does the death record give the name of the cemetery or funeral home? You may be able to search those records for more information. | |||
*Does the information from the record fit with what you know about the family from other records? If it does not agree, it may have been miscopied by a clerk. Check your sources. | |||
==== Why can't I find a vital record? ==== | |||
Some possible reasons are: | |||
*Your ancestor might have lived in a different place from where you were looking for the birth, marriage, or death. | |||
*Your ancestor may have used a nickname or a different surname, or the registrar spelled the name wrong. See [[Name Variations|Name Variations]]. | |||
*Your ancestor might have lived at a slightly different time from the years you were looking. | |||
*Not every birth, marriage, or death was registered. | |||
You can check: | |||
*The information you have for possible errors. | |||
*If your ancestor might have lived in a different place. | |||
*If your ancestor might have lived at a slightly different time. | |||
*If your ancestor's name might be recorded under: | |||
:#A different spelling. | |||
:#A nickname. | |||
:#An Americanization of a foreign surname. | |||
Sometimes vital records were not recorded for various reasons, even when required. | |||
For other ideas see: | |||
*[[How to Recognize your United States Ancestor|How to Recognize your United States Ancestor]] | |||
*[[Name Variations in United States Indexes and Records|Name Variations in United States Indexes and Records]] | |||
*[[How to Locate Your Ancestor in the United States|How to Locate Your Ancestor in the United States]] | |||
<br> | |||
[[Category:Canada]] | [[Category:Canada]] | ||