New Challenge - A 20 Year Old Prenup

So it's been a couple months since I posted anything and that is because I haven't had a client needing any research. Recently though, I have acquired a new client and they have me researching for something other than genealogy. They are looking for a lost 20 year old prenup and the attorney they had used when drafting it. This is quite a challenge and I am loving the feeling of detective as I research. It appears that most of the research I need to do must be done in person and on-site, so that is also exciting and different than most of my research. So far, I have two places with significant leads; the county courthouse and the local genealogy department at the local library. I know the library has a document I need to identify the attorney and they say it is in very fragile condition. I just can not wait to dive into the actual source and find the answers that I know are there! I'll let you know how it goes...

Haysville Genealogy Society

Saturday I went to my first Haysville Genealogy Society monthly meeting. I had been meaning to go to a meeting sometime in the last couple months but traveling for the holidays made that impossible. That day's meeting focused on FamilySearch.com, and the speaker explained how to use the site. Most of what was said I was already familiar with, but I did learn a couple new things.

The first was that there is a difference between searching the site's records and finding people in the family trees.When you are searching the site, it will bring you records based on the person's information that you have typed in. However, when you search the trees, it shows you where that person is located in other people's family trees. The great part is that you can click on the profile for the person you are searching, and it will give you all the sources that pertain to that particular individual. Depending on what type of information you are searching for, searching either the trees or the site could save you a lot of time. 

Another piece of information that I learned was simple, but could be a game changer when wanting to see the original documents. When clicking on a source or record, sometimes it shows an image of the document and sometimes it doesn't. I never really thought about this before, but I have learned that if the image is not available, more likely than not, the number of the microfilm will be attached to the source and you can have the microfilm sent to your local library! During my research, I have found a couple sources that would make or break an idea about my relative and this could be an easy solution to that. 

Well, that is the bulk of what I learned at the meeting. I will definitely be going back to this club's meetings as they were extremely welcoming and informative. Let me know if there are other places I need to check out!

Land Records

I haven't posted in a while because we've been busy working on home improvements and traveling for the holidays, but today I started doing research over a piece of land for a new client. He's interested in learning about the history behind that particular piece of land so he can surprise a friend with the information. I have never done land research before, but I have learned quite a bit from lectures, classes, etc on where I would need to go for information, so I am pretty excited to add this type of research to my repertoire.

From what I already know about researching land records, I know I can find a lot at the county courthouse that the land is in, but I want to have some more information before I call them. So the first thing I did, of course, was use Google Maps to get an idea of where this land was at. Doing this at the beginning made my research easier later on.

The first actual land record website that I looked at today was the Bureau of Land Management: General Land Office of Records. This proved to be an incredibly useful website! It was a little overwhelming at first because I wasn't as familiar with land records as with genealogy records, but once I got going I unearthed quite a bit. Once I found what section of the township the land was in, it was very easy to find out who the first land owner was and when they purchased that piece of land. In addition, I was also able to find all the first residents for that township. And lastly, I discovered that the piece of land I'm researching was put up for sale during the Land Act of 1820 so that was interesting.

The second website that I looked up was the Kansas Memories Digital Archives that is sponsored by the Kansas State Historical Society. Since the land is in Kansas, this was a logical choice. Using the digital archives, I was able to quickly find a 1913 map of the township with all the property lines and landowners labeled throughout. The digital archives are an amazing resource for scans of so many primary sources, and I was only able to scratch the surface today because of time. As I continue to work on this particular project, I will be visiting these archives frequently, and I can't wait to see what else I can uncover!

Ancestry.com Two Week Free Trial

After years of it just tempting me every time I logged in to do some family research, I finally signed up for the free two week trial membership on Ancestry.com. Being a stay-at-home mom and having my first official client, I figured this was the best time to try out the membership, especially since (as every parent would know) it is very difficult to find a babysitter during the day.

The sign up was easy, though the first time I went to the page I couldn't find the "Start your free trial" button. Eventually I found it and signed up for the world edition. It turned out that I really didn't need that edition because I didn't get that far back in my client's history, but it was there if I needed it. The sign up did require my credit card so it could charge me if I went over my trial period, but I put a notification in my phone for the day before my trial ended to ensure I didn't get charged. As of now, I haven't been charged and I highly doubt I will be.

It was amazing how fast I was finding information with access to the full edition in my home. I didn't have to worry about sharing a computer with someone at the library, though I had to stop often because my daughter needed my attention. I could also see the entire document rather than just the bits and pieces that I would see if I didn't have the membership.

So if you just want to get the basics of your family history going, the free trial is probably all that you will need. Be warned though...once you start finding out about the interesting people in your family tree, it's hard not to keep going.

My First Client

I have recently just finished up the genealogy for my first client! She asked me to research her family history on her father's side. Her family didn't know much about their ancestors on that side beyond her grandparents. Spending about 9 hours on researching her family history, and mainly using Ancestry.com because of time, I was able to uncover quite a bit. I traced her family back to the early 1800s, discovered an immigrant ancestor, and was able to find records of her family's involvement in the Civil War and World Wars 1 & 2.

Doing genealogy research for someone else is so much fun for me. While my top priority is always my personal family history, it is nice to take a break from that and find new types of sources and documents for someone else. I love being able to fill in the gaps of a family's history and answer questions that they may have about it. I cannot wait for my next client!

Happy history hunting!

Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com is probably the most common site for genealogy research and it's really no wonder why. One of the best things about Ancestry.com is that it has a huge database of records, pictures, other family trees, etc. One of the worst things about Ancestry.com is the price; it can cost up to $45/month. Now, as a stay-at-home mom (and an all around frugal person), that price is not an option. So I continue to use Ancestry.com quite a bit, but with modifications so I can do so freely.

The first is the obvious 14 day trial that they offer. I have yet to use it because I am waiting until I have a slow couple of weeks and a lot of research that I want to do. I believe that time is coming soon! I already know I'll be taking the World Explorer membership for a trial run because all of my ancestors immigrated to the United States, and that is where I am hitting dead ends in my research.

After the trial run expires, aka I end my membership, then all my research will be done at the local library. Most people don't know this, but a lot of libraries and historical societies in Kansas are equipped with the library edition of Ancestry.com. I haven't used it extensively yet, but from when I have used it, it's pretty much like having the full membership of Ancestry.com. When I've done research on it, nothing came up unavailable.

So for all my money-savvy, genealogy loving friends out there, please let me know if there are other ways to cheaply use Ancestry.com.

Happy hunting!

FamilySearch.org

When I first heard of FamilySearch.org, I was cautioned that it wasn't just for that particular religion. I was slightly confused because 1. I had never heard about this website before so I had no idea what religion they were referencing, and 2. It made me wonder how good of a resource the site would be if it happened to only cater to people of a certain religion. So I did my homework and checked out the site for myself. Turns out it is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and it does not just have information on people of that religion.

As I was playing around with the website, I actually started to like it a lot and I quickly found why it was such a good source for genealogists. Of course you can build your own tree and research your ancestors, but I had access to all that through Ancestry.com so that wasn't the main selling point for me. What I found really valuable was that the site was compiled of sources from multiple places, so it gave you a nice rounded look into that particular ancestor. For example, while I was looking up one particular ancestor of mine, sources popped up from FindAGrave.com, Ancestry.com, various newspapers, etc. Even though I had done research on this ancestor before, I was able to find more information than previously because I didn't have to individually go to these sources to find documents; they were all just right there!

So if you haven't given this website a chance, do it! It could further your research leaps and bounds. Or, of course, you can hire me to do it for you :)