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I have hit my share of "brickwalls" in the study of my own family tree. What I've discovered is that our ancestors were a lot more mobile than we ever thought. To help you in your hunt for lost ancestors and the "missing hyperlinks" that may resolve your genealogy secrets I am sharing the strategies that have generated locating people you might think were dead or never measured on community records.
1. Region Lines: The US was a rapidly building country start in the 19th century. Geographical features often confused where one district started and another concluded and at different instances areas were added as governmental districts were reassessed and cities were incorporated or expanded. Long lasting reason don't write down the possible that an ancestor may be in a different state than estimated or that files might exist in multiple counties.
Hint: Look in neighboring areas and greater towns that will have become in distant counties. I came across multiple ancestor measured twice (and in two various counties) on the census files!
2. Migration: It's known from even grade school record lessons that there clearly was a tremendous migration to the american United States and territories. When an ancestor goes missing from the documents it's a excellent training to look in nara military records the documents of adjacent states or just opened territories. Learning when territories were exposed for homesteading and where area was given for military company also helps in tracking down elusive ancestors.
Tip: Use Wikipedia to get appointments areas were formed, territories were opened, and when claims were given statehood.
3. Opposite Migration: An avenue of ancestry research that's usually neglected is opposite migration-when the area was not beneficial to farming or the conditions were also tough, or homesickness became an excessive amount of, our ancestors sometimes gone back or delivered to the East. Our favorite case may be the 1860 Census of Lee State, VA. The census taker not merely was meticulous about listing the delivery state of every resident, but additionally listed their birth county. The number of people created in Western Tennessee to parents who were natives of Lee District is fascinating.
Hint: Do not rule out folks of related names but created in numerous states as you are able to kin to your ancestors. See your face created in Mo who reveals on a Virginia census might be a lacking relationship!
4. Touring: We shouldn't believe that touring started with the innovation the big jet! I've found ancestors in New York resorts and on ship manifests often planning to or returning from visits abroad. An ancestor's occupation could have needed travel. For instance I discovered people elected to political office residing much from home in Washington, DC. I found one household who seemed to possess vanished on a UK Census!
Hint: Even though you're persuaded an ancestor was a non-traveling farmer, search line crossings, ship passenger provides, and actually international census records-you may possibly be in for very a surprise!
5. Civil War: The War Between the States was the initial conflict which triggered an important modify in a number of our ancestors'locations. Soldiers were moved from North to South, and South to North, and in one part of the united states to another. Crops were ruined along with livelihoods creating individuals to maneuver from homesteads. The African American citizenry comprised mainly of recently liberated slaves, were first enumerated by name on the 1870 census following many had left the plantations wherever they lived prior to the War. I came across one ancestor from Tennessee who had been caught by the Union army in the North and kept there following his release.
Hint: When studying an ancestor who served in the Civil War make sure to search at their day and host to discharge because it can be quite a hint to wherever they might have stayed following the War.
Do not give up. With perseverance you will find who you are searching for where you least expect to get them.