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...

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!

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!