putting your ancestors in historical perspective using ancestry to tell your family story - slide...

Putting Your Ancestors in Historical Perspective Using Ancestry.com to Tell Your

Family Story

Presented by Anne Gillespie Mitchell

What is our end goal?•Not a pile of papers•Not a nice organized notebook of

records, images and family group sheets

•We want to tell our family story

How do I tell my family story

Method 1:– Do a lot of research– Sit down in front of Word– Wait for divine inspiration

The Story


Method 2:1. Assemble a list of resources

2. Do not always search in the same way

3. Build the foundation.

4. Analyze what you find; write up random thoughts and ideas as you go

5. Ask yourself what should I do next?

1. Assemble a list of resources(Don’t trust your memory)

Search Tool #1: Place Pages

Go to http://search.ancestry.com/search

Down at the bottom, you’ll find the map. Each state has a listing of collections specific to that state.

http://search.ancestry.com/search

Search Tool #2: Card Catalog

A complete listing of all of the data collections at Ancestry.com

Search Tool #2: Card Catalog

Search Tool #3: Finding Local Histories

In the Card Catalog, filter down to Stories, Memories and Histories:

Then in Keywords type in the location you are looking for

Search Tool #4: Finding Surname Histories

In the Card Catalog, filter down to Stories, Memories and Histories:

Then in Keywords type in the name you are looking for

Search Tool #5: City Directorieshttp://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2469

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

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

Search Tool #6: Message Boards

Search Tool #7: All Hints Page

2. There is not one perfect way to search

Vary your methods

Search Tool #8: First and Last name filters

Search Tool #9: Location filtersUse the location filter, by selecting the type ahead.

Then selecting adjacent counties and working your way out geographically to expand your search.

Use the location filter, by selecting the type ahead and then selecting adjacent counties and working your way out geographically to expand your search.

Search Tool #10: Wildcards

Try wildcards with exact on names to find unusual spellings of names. Sm?th* matches Smith, Smyth, and Smythe. You must have at least 3 characters to use a wildcard.

Search Tool #11: Limit your scope

At the bottom of the advanced search, you can see the types of records you will see

Search Tool #12: Do a Category Search

Search Tool #13: Use facets

Search Tool #14: Look for Family Member

If you can’t find who you are looking for, look for :• Siblings• Parents• Cousins• Grandparents• Neighbors

Use Elizabeth Shown Mill’s FAN approach:• Friends• Acquaintances • Neighbors

Search Tool #15: First or Last Name Only Searches

3. Build a framework

Build a Framework: Time to look in the Census RecordsFind all the census records and start to pull everything out of them.

• The United States Census Records are taken every 10 years.

• Their purpose is to enumerate the people who are residents in the country. The population in specific states defines the number of congress representatives and electoral votes.

• Depending on what was happening in the country at that time, different questions would be asked.

Time to look in the Census RecordsThe first US Census was taken in 1790.

From 1790 through 1840 only heads of households were named. Other family members were represented by count.

Time to look in the Census RecordsThe census records from 1850 to 1870 enumerated each person by name. Family relationships were not stated, but the clues are there.

Time to look in the Census RecordsThe census from 1880 list each person by name AND the relationship to the head of household.

Very few 1890 US Census Records exist.

Through the Eyes of the Census: 1940

Roy(?) GillespieNo Occupationborn c. 1865, Virginia

His spouse and childrenWife Laura M, b. c. 1877, VA

Daughter Minnie L, b. c. 1898, VADaughter Evelyn P, b. c. 1907, VADaughter Helen A, b. c. 1919, VA


Wyatt P GillespieCarpenterborn c. 1865, VirginiaMarried c. 1893

His spouse and childrenWife Laura C, b. c. 1877, VA

Daughter Minnie M, b. c. 1898, VADaughter Eva D, b. c. 1902, VADaughter Louise D, b.c. 1907, VASon Fred D, b.c. 1911, VASon Gilbert, b.c. 1914, VADaughter Helen A, b. c. 1919, VA




Daughter Minnie M, b. c. 1898, VASon Ashby P, b.c. 1900, VADaughter Eva D, b. c. 1902, VASon Clinton C, b.c. 1907, VADaughter Louise G, b.c. 1908, VASon Fred D, b.c. 1911, VASon Gilbert, b.c. 1914, VADaughter Helen A, b. c. 1919, VA

Parents and Siblings

Sister Harriett A, b. 1851, VA




Daughter Minnie M, b. c. 1898, VASon Ashby P, b.c. 1900, VADaughter Eva D, b. c. 1902, VASon Clinton C, b.c. 1907, VADaughter Louise G, b.c. 1908, VASon Fred D, b.c. 1911, VASon Gilbert, b.c. 1914, VADaughter Helen A, b. c. 1919, VA




Wyatt P GillespieCarpenterborn July 1865, VirginiaMarried c. 1894

His spouse and childrenWife Laura C, b. Feb 1877, VA

Daughter Minnie M, b. Jan 1897, VASon Ashby P, b. Jun 1898, VADaughter Eva D, b. c. 1902, VASon Clinton C, b.c. 1907, VADaughter Louise G, b.c. 1908, VASon Fred D, b.c. 1911, VASon Gilbert, b.c. 1914, VADaughter Helen A, b. c. 1919, VA




Wyatt P GillespieCarpenterborn July 1865, VirginiaMarried c. 1894



Parents and SiblingsFather Jere (Jese?), b.c. 1820, VAMother Mary (?), b.c. 1840, VA

Sister Harriett A, b. c. 1849, VABrother George, b. c. 1856, VA


Wyatt Paul GillespieCarpenterborn July 1865, VirginiaMarried c. 1894



Parents and SiblingsFather Jere (Jese?), b.c. 1826, VAMother Mary (?), b.c. 1840, VA or Ann b.c. 1827, VA

Sister Harriett A, b. c. 1847, VABrother James, b. c. 1851, VABrother William, b. c. 1855, VABrother George, b. c. 1856, VA

Start a Timeline with the Census

Timeline Tips

• Add other censuses

• Layer on historical events– e.g., The U.S. entered World War I in 1917.

Add in Historical Events

Timeline Tips



• Create a to-do list based on what you find.

Timeline Tips



• Create a to-do list based on what you find

• Cite sources on your list so you’re prepared for any conflicts.

– Create a template for censuses to make it easy.

Write down and analyze what you seeLook at Ann Irene Feazell

• There is a Annie I Feazell, aged 3.• She is living in Marion, Smyth, Virginia.• Her parents are A Frank and Clara E.• Now it is time to explore the image.

The 1920 Census

• A Frank Feazell, born 1887; was the head of the household; he was born in Virginia as were his parents.

• Clara Feazell, born 1891, was Frank's wife; she was born in Virginia as were her parents.• Ann (listed as Anna O) was born in 1917 in Virginia.• She has an older sister named Josephine S born in 1915 in Virginia. • She has a younger brother named Carl V born in 1920 who is listed as 7 months old.• There are no immigration years listed for anyone, which makes sense since they are all

from Virginia.• Frank is listed as a farmer who rented a farm. Frank and Clara can both read and write,

the children cannot.• Next door on one side is a family made of Mollie Snavely, Edna Wilmore, and Ferdinand S

Snavely. • On the other side is John and Fairy Crow.• Also, listed on the page is a John D Feazell and Josephine Feazell.

• There are 11 Feazell's living in Smyth County, Virginia in 1920.There are 22,132 people living in Smyth County, Virginia in 1920.

How did I know the number of people?Where did this come from?

How do I calculate the number of People in the county?

How did I know the number of people?

Start on the homepage and choose the year of

interest


Make sure you are on

the advanced version of the

form


Choose the county you

are looking at from the

“place picker”


Click on “Use default

settings” Choose

“Restrict to this place exactly”


Look at the Result Number


Click editType in the last nameClick “Use

default settings”


Choose Phonetic and Names with

similar meanings

Click search


Look at the result count

Start the Timeline with the CensusAdd information into a timeline

S

Create the Timeline with the CensusAdd in events you know from the Census

Add in the 1920 CensusAdd in the info from 1920

Update the timeline

1790 – 1840: Build a Skeleton Family

Immigration: When and where did they come from?

1. Begin with records created by the families in the US1. 1930, 1920 censuses, military registration, obituaries

2. Find the immigrant in the immigration and travel collection at Ancestry.com

3. Use Name, Birth Details and Place Information to Locate Your Ancestor in International Records

Immigration: When and where did they come from?


Method 2:1. Assemble a list of resources

2. Do not always search in the same way

3. Build the foundation.


5. Ask yourself what should I do next?

Where do you tell your family story?

Where do you tell your family story?http://geneabloggers.com/about/

http://geneabloggers.com/about/

http://geneabloggers.com/about/

Where do you tell your family story?http://youtu.be/MfRmJKn8ciA (You Tube search ancestry.com cousin bait)

http://youtu.be/MfRmJKn8ciA

http://youtu.be/MfRmJKn8ciA

putting your ancestors in historical perspective using ancestry to tell your family story - slide...

Self Improvement

siblings father

entered world

siblings sister

va son clinton

va sister

va son ashby

va son gilbert

va mother