Ancestry.comClass 2

How do you use Ancestry.com?

Focus of Ancestry Class 2

1. Census Records2. Suggested Records3. US City Directories4. Collaboration5. “Fun Stuff ”- Pictures

If family historians had ruled the world, things would be quite different. Vital records would have been recorded since the beginning of time. Courthouses would have been built fireproof, bug- and rodent-proof, and on high ground. In the case of censuses, census enumerators would have had to pass rigorous exams, be multi-lingual, and have perfect penmanship. Alas, this was not the case. Enumerators were often political appointees who just happened to have the right connections, and anyone who has worked with census records can attest that nice handwriting was definitely not a requirement!

1. Census Records

http://search.ancestry.com/search/category.aspx?cat=35http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/category.aspx?cat=35

With just a few basic facts….

NamePlace where an ancestor livedEstimated year of birth

1930 U.S. Federal Census

Addressnamerelationship to head of familyhome owned or rented

if owned, value of homeif rented, monthly rent

whether owned a radio setwhether on a farmsexraceAge marital status and, if married, age at first marriageschool attendanceliteracybirthplace of person, and their parentshttp://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/category.aspx?cat=35

if foreign born:language spoken at home before coming to the U. S.year of immigrationwhether naturalizedability to speak English

occupation, industry and class of workerwhether at work previous day (or last regular work day)veteran statusif Indian:

whether of full or mixed bloodtribal affiliation

Deconstruct the CensusWhat information in the census is going to help me better understand my ancestor?• Was the person employed that year?• Did the family speak English?Put everything into the context of history.• This is where you are going to find the story. For example, all men who were born between 1872 and 1900 were eligible for the draft for World War I. Dates and places from the census can help track a family’s moves. • Zero in on where they were at each census so you can trace other records.

How Accurate is the Census?Who answered the questions? The responses could reflect how well the person who answered the questions • Knew the person• Could they communicate with the enumerator?1940 Census marked the person who responded

Family Structure

Relationships to the head of household are shown beginning in the 1880 census.This is great for showing extended family living in the household.

John Wesley and Martha Arvilla Lucore, 1900 US Census

Look for marriage information• 1870 and 1880 asks whether

married within the year and if so what month.• 1900 and 1910 asks for the

number of years married, number of children born and number still living.• 1930 asks for age at first

marriage. Use this as a clue to a prior marriage.

Extended family living in the same community

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1880usfedcen&h=29135409&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t15830714_p525840014_kpidz0q3d525840014z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid

http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1880usfedcen&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=ms_db&gsfn=john&gsln=hewitt&msbdy=1815&msbpn

Where is Ghordis Burdick on the 1880 Census?

2. Suggested Records

When you find a record for your ancestor, look for the Suggested Records link on the right. Ancestry.com looks for other members who have interacted with that record, and if they've found other records for that person, they suggest them to you.

http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=angs-c&gsfn=john+&gsln=lucore&msbdy=1845&msbpn__ftp=Pennsylvania%2c+USA&msbpn=41&msbpn_PInfo=5%7c0%7c1652393%7c0%7c2%7c3244%7c41%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c&uidh=dw5&mssng0=martha&pcat=35&h=36870676&db=1880usfedcen&indiv=1

Check Suggested Records to see other records that may apply to this person.

3. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989

http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2469

Erie, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1929

http://trees.ancestryinstitution.com/tree/15830714/person/385621597?msg=ni

4. Collaboration

“The key,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com, “is to collaborate with each other.” Both the professional and the novice have something to contribute to each other’s success in piecing together one’s family history.

“Approximately 80% of all research done in genealogy is duplication,” said Ron Tanner, Product Manager for the Family History Department. “If we’re going to work together on a shared family tree, is there anything we’re going to have to do differently? The answer is ‘yes,’ we need to stop playing Go Fish and play 52-card Share-em.”

Collaboration

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=HEW&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=40&GScntry=4&GSsr=721&GRid=8859098&

Some travelers came to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers were unwilling to share any of

their food stores with the hungry travelers. The travelers went to a stream and filled the pot with water, dropping a large stone in it, and placed it over a fire. One of the villagers became curious and asked what they were doing. The travelers answered that they were making "stone soup” which tastes wonderful, although it still needed a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor. The villager did not mind parting with a few carrots to help them out, so that was added to the soup. Another villager walked by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mentioned their stone soup which had not yet reached its full potential. The villager handed them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walked by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup was enjoyed by all.

Be objective.Be courteous.Be patient.If you edit, share your email.Assume the other person is well intentioned.Write good reason statements.Don’t make changes just because you “know.” Use sources.Rarely delete a person. Usually, the person belongs to a different family. Don’t delete the person, just remove them from the family.Don’t guess when merging. Do your homework.If the possible duplicates list presents a person who is not a duplicate, use “not a match” to remove them from the list.

Collaboration Etiquette

5. “Fun Stuff”- pictures

http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx#ccat=hc%3D25%26dbSort%3D1%26sbo%3D1%26

What story does this picture tell?