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Legacy Tree Onsite: Belarus Archives and Records Collections

Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Dennis Baranov has conducted research in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine for more than 15 years. His wife Mariya is his research helper and translator. In this article, they provide detailed information about Belarus archives and records to research family histories, especially in an area where many documents have been destroyed.

Belarus

Minsk Historical Center in Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, surrounded by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Minsk is the capital and its largest city.

While Belarusians share a rich background, identity, and their own language (the official languages are equally Belarusian and Russian), political control of the country has changed throughout its history. It had been part of Lithuania, Poland, and Russia until 1918 when the country declared its independence.

A few years later, Belarus was retaken by Russia and then occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. The European Jewish Congress estimates that 90% of Belarus’s Jewish population was killed during the Holocaust. After having been under political control for decades, Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Today, many people are interested in finding their Belarusian roots. However, the success of genealogy research in the country will depend on record availability as World War II influenced it in a significant way. Records are often an unfortunate casualty of war since Belarus was a battlefield for much of the war. In some locations, only a limited number of records survived (this is especially true for Jewish records).

Khatyn Village Memorial

Khatyn Village Memorial, where each tomb symbolizes one of 186 Belarus villages that were destroyed

During World War II, at least 5,295 settlements were destroyed by Nazis, many of them burnt multiple times, and often all of the inhabitants were killed, too. In Khatyn village there is an enormous memorial with 185 tombs. Each tomb represents a specific Belarus village that was burnt together with its people, churches, and village records.

Nevertheless, there is still much to be searched in the collections that have survived.

Belarus research periods can be divided into “before” and “after” the October Revolution of 1917. These are respectively called Prerevolutional and Soviet records.

Prerevolutional Records

Almost all Prerevolutional record groups are stored in the National Historical Archive of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk, which is very convenient for the researcher to have almost all records from the country in one place!

Many records are digitized, thanks to FamilySearch, and can be viewed on computers in the reading room of the archive. (They can also partially be found on FamilySearch.org.) The reading room of the archive is small, so people have to come early and stand in a queue to access it.

Minsk archive has 3,152 record groups, 23 collections of microfilms, 1,022,403 volumes for the period of the 14th century to the 20th century, and church books that go up to the beginning of the 1950s.

Grodno Archive

Grodno Archive

The second place of interest is the National Historical Archive of Belarus in Grodno. The archive has records of Grodno province as well as several uezds (districts) of Vilna province. Grodno Archive is a repository for 1,324 record groups, 8 collections of microfilms, 418,897 volumes from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century, and church books to the beginning of the 1950s.

In most cases, the most prominent record types only go back to the 1700s.

Church Books

Church books are well-known vital records that contain birth, marriage, and death records of a particular church parish. Most records in the archives of Minsk and Grodno are Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish, but sometimes there are documents from smaller denominations.

Records can be written in Russian, Polish, or Lithuanian. Because of the changing borders, some territories belonged to one or another of those countries during particular time periods.

Confession Lists

Confession lists are Orthodox or Catholic family lists, stating the head of the family

Confession Lists

These are Orthodox or Catholic family lists that state the head of the family, other members of the family, and their age in a particular year. These documents are very helpful for identifying whole family clusters since the relationships between family members are stated.

Confession lists can be a real treasure in circumstances where only a few church books have been preserved. The valuable information from Confession lists allows us to prove family connections and to extend the pedigree on one to three generations at once.

Revision Lists

Revision lists are censuses for particular years within the 1795-1858 time period. They were established by Peter the Great to collect taxes and recruit the population.

Revision lists have the same structure as Confession lists, but people of all beliefs and social classes were listed there. Revision lists of all provinces are located in the National Historical Archive of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk.

Nobility Research

Personal volumes of noblemen are preserved in the National Historical Archive of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk as well. There are several books of Belarus nobility that are published and can be acquired in Belarus book stores or accessed in the reading room of the archive in Minsk.

Soviet Records

The second type of records that can be found in Belarus are the Soviet records from the time period after the October Revolution in 1917. If you would like to access records after 1917, you must provide documentation that you are related to the person you are searching for.

This is true for the later church books that are stored in the National Historical Archives of Belarus in Minsk and Grodno. This process also applies to other types of Soviet records you might want to access.

Soviet records of interest include Household books (lists of families during the Soviet period), party lists (documents about Soviet party membership), personal volumes, and employment records.

If you are interested in learning about your Belarusian roots but have hit a genealogical brick wall, let Legacy Tree Genealogists’ staff of experienced researchers help you. Our team conducts detailed, personalized research in millions of family history records, spanning hundreds of years to tell you who your ancestors were, where they lived, and much more. Contact us to request a free quote, and a member of our Client Solutions Team will reach out to you.

NOTE: Belarus is generally a safe place for travelers. However, at this time (09/2021), research is difficult due to the political situation in the country. Some European Union countries have instructed airlines to avoid Belarus airspace, and in June of 2021, the US Department of State issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory to the country. Legacy Tree Genealogists will continue to monitor the ability to travel and do research in the area.

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Legacy Tree Onsite: Finding Your Ancestors in Scotland – An Introduction to the Main Records and Archives

Let’s say you trace your family tree and discover your ancestors were born in Scotland. Where do you go from there? One of our onsite researchers provides some tips and explains that the amount of information you can find depends on when your ancestors left Scotland.

Birth, Marriage, Death and Census Records  

The primary sources for research in Scotland are certificates of birth, certificates of marriage, certificates of death, and census records.

The 1841 census was the first census in Scotland to list individuals by name. There has been a census taken every ten years since then (except for 1941). Information from censuses is sealed for 100 years, so the most recent one available is 1911 (although the 1921 census will be available soon). The census lists everyone’s name, relationship to the head of the family, age, marital status, occupation, and birthplace, with one or two exceptions. 

Compulsory Statutory Registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in Scotland in 1855. We are lucky in that the certificates have more information than you might expect. For example, marriage certificates have the names of the bride and groom’s parents.  

For records before 1855, we use church registers. Still, it is essential to stress that it was not compulsory to register events before 1855, and many registers have been lost or damaged, so the records are not complete. Although most people were members of the Church of Scotland, there were other churches in Scotland, most notably the Roman Catholic Church and the Free Church (from 1843). The Church of Scotland registers are called the Old Parish or Parochial Registers (usually abbreviated as OPRs), and all the surviving OPRs have been indexed. The Roman Catholic indexed their surviving registers, as have other churches. The Church registers have much less information than the statutory registers. For example, marriage records rarely have the names of the bride and groom’s parents. There are also very few deaths recorded in the Church registers. 

For researchers not familiar with Scottish research, the main mistake is to assume that records before 1855 that match the desired name and location are correct. In certain areas, as many as 70% of births or marriages don’t appear in registers. In some places and for certain points in history, there are even fewer recorded deaths. It is, therefore, just as likely that someone finds the wrong record, especially with more common names

So, where will you find all these records? The originals are in New Register House in Edinburgh – at the ScotlandsPeople Centre.  

New Register House Edinburgh

New Register House – ScotlandsPeople Centre, Edinburgh

Even if you are doing your research in Edinburgh, you don’t see the originals anymore as they are digitized. The records are also available online at the official government website (scotlandspeople.gov.uk). The site is a pay-per-view website, so it can be expensive to research a common name. The difference between the public website and using the records at the ScotlandsPeople Centre is to do with the more recent records. Images of birth certificates less than 100 years old, marriage certificates less than 75 years old, and death records less than 50 years old are only available at the main Scotlands People Centre or at one of the satellite centers below:

  • Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock 
  • Clackmannanshire Family History Centre in Alloa 
  • Heritage Hub in Hawick 
  • Highland Archives Service Family History Room in Inverness 
  • Family History at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow 

Other Scottish Record Collections and Archives 

General Records House

General Register House – National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh

The General Register House, next door to New Register House, holds the National Records of Scotland (NRS), a vast selection of records from all over Scotland.  

The NRS holds the main public and legal records. If, for example, an ancestor owned property, left a will, or committed a crime, you may be able to find information on them in the NRS. 

Another useful source for information on where people lived are the Valuation Rolls, held at the NRS. From 1854 to 1989, all property in Scotland (initially over a certain value) was assessed for taxation purposes. The Valuation Rolls record the address, type of property, owner, tenant, and occupier. These were indexed every ten years from 1855 to 1915 and then every five years to 1940.

The only records from the NRS available online are wills up to 1925 and the indexed Valuation Rolls. You can access them on the public ScotlandsPeople website. All the other records are only available in person at the NRS. 

Rumour has it, however, that one significant set of records is about to be made available online. These are the Kirk Session Records, currently only available in person at the NRS and some local archives. These records were kept by the Kirk Session of each Church of Scotland parish, which, amongst other things, oversaw the moral behavior of the parishioners. So, their Minute Books often contain information about illegitimate births, which can be invaluable as illegitimate births are rarely found in the main OPRs. If you are lucky, the minute book will name the father.  

If an ancestor lived and worked on one of the large estates in Scotland, it is worth checking if the records of that estate survive. Some are held at the NRS, but you can find others in the estate’s local archive.  

There are many other sources available at the NRS and other archives in Scotland, but one final set of records that is well worth mentioning are the Poor Relief records. Up to 1845, the administration of relief for the poor was the responsibility of the church. In 1845 Parochial Boards and, later, Parish Councils were set up to take on this responsibility. The Registers of Applications for Poor Relief are the most useful as they often have details, not only of the applicant but their spouse, children, parents, and where they were all born. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, unless your ancestor was from Glasgow and surrounding areas, these registers have probably not survived. Those for the Glasgow area are held in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. 

If your ancestors are from Scotland, research can be difficult, but hopefully, this guide provides helpful clues about where to look. When your ancestors emigrate from Scotland often determines where to look.

Do you want to know more about the lives of your ancestors from Scotland? Contact us for a free quote so that our genealogy experts can work with onsite researchers to comb through the necessary documents to discover your past. 

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Legacy Tree Onsite: Exploring the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers around the world to access records for our clients. We recently asked one of our onsite researchers to share valuable information on the resources available for family history research at various archives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Word Map Featuring Bosnia and Herzegovina

Although the country had many names over the years, in 1995, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (located on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe) officially changed its name to Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the most significant challenges facing those pursuing genealogy research in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the lack of digitized records and a lack of centralized records storage.

The country’s archival holdings suffered from war during the 90s and from more recent events as well. In 2012, approximately 80% of the National and University Library collections, housed by Sarajevo’s City Hall, were destroyed by fire in a bombing.

The websites of many regional Bosnia-Herzegovina archives offer little digital resources for genealogists. Records such as birth, marriage, or death records, regardless of religion, are not online. Only the History Museum and the National Library of BiH (Sarajevo) offer the option of online searching through their archival collections. Researchers must request historical information by submission in writing to the respective archive.

Research Guides

In 1981, the first complete review of archival material in Bosnia and Herzegovina was published as part of the edition Archival Funds and Collections in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Today, the 462-page guide “Vodič Arhiva Bosne i Hercegovine,” published in 1987, and its subsequent supplements, printed in 1993, remain the premier resource for researchers. Researchers can find copies at fourteen libraries around the world.

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

Key records for genealogical research are birth, marriage, and death records. Before 1946, the responsibility of recording these life events in the territory of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina rested with religious entities like the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The metrical registers maintained the recording of births, marriage, and deaths by religious officials. After 1946, the recording of these records became the responsibility of the local Register Offices, and this practice continues today.

Political Divisions and Their Impact on Bosnia-Herzegovina Records

Bosnia and Herzegovina are comprised of two political entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), with mostly Bosniaks and Croats, and The Republika Srpska (RS) with mostly Serbs – each entity governing roughly one half of the nation’s territory. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a solid regional or localized political system. Its archival system reflects this structure, with local or regional archives housing the records.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national structure consists of 10 autonomous units called cantons:

  1. The Una-Sana Canton – The center of the cantonal government is Bihać (Bosniak majority).
  2. The Posavina Canton – Its capital is Orasje (Croat majority)
  3. The Tuzla Canton – The cantonal seat is the city of Tuzla (Bosniak majority)
  4. The Zenica-Doboj Canton – The cantonal seat is the city of Zenica (Bosniak majority).
  5. The Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde – The cantonal seat is in Goražde (Bosniak majority).
  6. The Central Bosnia Canton – The center of the canton government is Travnik and is classified as ‘ethnically mixed.’
  7. The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton – Mostar is its administrative center and is classified as ‘ethnically mixed.’
  8. The West Herzegovina Canton – Its seat of government is in Široki Brijeg (98% are ethnic Croats).
  9. The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton (and capital city) of Sarajevo. (Bosniak majority).
  10. Canton 10 – The local government seat is in Livno (Croat majority).

The Archival System of Bosnia-Herzegovina

The oldest record collections originate from Austria-Hungary’s rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina, while other records (1918–1941) are from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and most records cover the period of Socialist Yugoslavia (1945–1991)

  • The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina
    (http://www.arhivfbih.gov.ba/index.php/about-archives/internal-organisation-of-archives)
    Located in Sarajevo and a major repository for Holocaust-relevant material.
    Email: [email protected]
    Address: Reisa Džemaludina Čauševića 6, Sarajevo
  • Federation Archive in Sarajevo
    The central administration unit of the archival system and does not currently hold Holocaust-related material.
    Address: Marka Marulica 2, Sarajevo

(Less important)

  • Historical Archive of Sarajevo
    http://www.arhivsa.ba/wordpress/
    This location offers a unique digital library for historians and genealogists and holds approximately 15,000 items, most of which have not been digitized or microfilmed. The Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a branch of this Archive.
    Email: [email protected]
    Address: Alipašina 19, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Archives of Republic of Srpska
    The Archives of Republic of Srpska is an administrative organization within the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska, one of two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Archives’ headquarters is in Banja Luka, and it has five regional offices:
  1. Regional unit in Doboj (Vukosavlje, Derventa, Doboj, Modrica, Pelagicevo, Petrovo, Srpsko Orasje, Srpski Brod, Teslic and Samac)
  2. Regional unit in Zvornik (Bijeljina, Vlasenica, Zvornik, Lopare, Milici, Osmaci, Srebrenica, Ugljevik and Sekovici)
  3. Regional unit in Foca (Visegrad, Kalinovik, Rudo, Srbinje, Serbian part of Gorazde and Cajnice)
  4. Regional unit in Istocno Sarajevo (Bratunac, Pale, Rogatica, Sokolac, Serbian Ilidza, Old Town of serbian Sarajevo, Serbian New Sarajevo, Trnovo, and Han Pijesak)
  5. Regional unit in Trebinje (Berkovici, Bileca, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Serbian part of Mostar and Trebinje)

The remaining archival locations have a limited if any, web presence.

  • Archive of Unsko-Sanki region (Bihac)
  • Archive of Herzegovina-Neretva region (Mostar)
  • County Archive of Siroki Brijeg (Siroki Brijeg)
  • Archive of Bosansko-Podrinjski Canton (Gorazde)
  • Archive of Central Bosnian Canton (Travnik)
  • Archive of Brcko Canton (Brcko)
  • Archive of Tuzla Canton (Tuzla)

Bosnia-Herzegovina Genealogical Research in Museums

Museums and libraries are also excellent repositories for genealogical research in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A selection of museums which may hold information about your ancestors originating from Bosnia-Herzegovina:

Additional Resources Specific to Holocaust Research

The Archives of Jewish communities (Sarajevo, Doboj, Mostar, and others). This archive has relevant documents for Holocaust research.

Outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Jewish Historical Museum in Belgrade (Serbia) holds a significant amount of material about the Holocaust in Bosnia. Also, resources may be available in select Croatian archives, such as the Croatian State Archive in Zagreb and Osijek, which have significant Holocaust record collections.

If you need help researching your ancestors from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the experienced team at Legacy Tree Genealogists will exhaust all possible resources to extend your family tree. Our network of onsite researchers has access to the archives you need to make serious progress on your family history. Contact us today to discuss your research goals and request a free quote!

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Legacy Tree Onsite: Navigating Italy’s Archives for Family Research

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our on-site researchers in Italy to explain how to navigate the complex maze of archives in Italian Research.

The Vatican - Navigating Italy ArchivesIt is incredible to me that America, as a country, is older than Italy!

Between 1859 and 1870, the various territories in the peninsula came together to unify the country, but it would be another 76 years before a constitution was written and Italy declared a Republic.

All of the above dramatically affects the organization and archiving of documents. In Italy, this comes under the direction of the Ministro per i beni e le attività culturali e per il turismo (Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism) except the Vatican Archives, as this is technically a different country.

Vatican Archives

The Vatican Archives includes documents from the former Papal States and the current Vatican government archives. It has 50 miles of shelving that stores state papers, correspondence, account books, and many other documents that the church has accumulated back to the 8th century.

To access these archives you need to have a university degree, be a member of a prestigious historical society and have your application approved by the Vatican.

Of interest to Family History researchers:

  • After World War II the Vatican asked each parish to inventory their parochial registers and report back to the Vatican. The Vatican published the findings in a book. The website http://italianparishrecords.org holds a copy of this rare book, and they will do lookups to help you determine if the parish records you need survived World War II.
  • Certificates for Weddings and Baptismals held at the Vatican can be obtained from the parish priest. (Parish Priest Tel. +39 06 69883653
    Ufficio Parrocchiale Tel. +39 06 69885435 Fax : +39 06 69885793)

Navigating the Maze

There is a maze of websites and organizations involved in the various subcategories of archives in Italy. These include SIUSA, which is the access point for public and private documents not conserved at the State Archives. These include important families, the inquisition, and the Historical Archives of six Venetian Churches, etc.

By far, the most critical advance in facilitating access to the anagraphical documents essential for genealogical research in Italy was the cooperative efforts between Family Search and the Direzione Generale Archivi to facilitate the creation of the ANTENATI website: http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/en.

Archivio di Stato Centrale mainly stores government and political papers. If your ancestor was involved in politics, subversive activities, or the government, this might provide some information to flesh out your family history but not increase your family tree. Also conserved are the Military Tribunal records from 1834–1999 and officer books from 1920. It is unlikely that the documents from the Archivo di Stato Centrale will be digitized and uploaded to the Antenati site.

Archivio di Stato

Archivio di Stato

Archivio di Stato

There are 0ne or more archives located in each Italian province responsible for archiving civil records, notary archives, taxation records, court proceedings, and military records. The civil records held at the State Archives of Italy have been or will be uploaded to the Antenati site. You can check the upload progress at the ‘Land and the Sources’ tab. Some pages are available in English. Each State Archive has a list of its ‘patrimonio’ (heritage documents), not all of which will be uploaded to the site. Military records, or Foglio Matricolare, are included, and one can obtain copies by email for those ancestors who served in the military. The Lista di Leva lists who were eligible for service, not necessarily those who served.

tax document created between 1742 and 1753

Tax document created between 1742 and 1753

Of particular interest to genealogists researching southern Italy is the State Archives in Naples. Founded by Napoleon in 1808, its 31,000 miles of shelving conserve many antique documents that existed before 1808 including the Catasto Onciaro for various towns in the former ‘Regno.’ This tax document created between 1742 and 1753 can be a valuable source of information of family members, property, and animal holdings. The Catasto Onciaro will not be uploaded to the Antenati site.

Tribunal Archives

The Tribunal Archives hold court proceedings and also archive the second copy of civil records after 1865 produced by each Comune. Genealogical researchers should note that war and other natural disasters can affect the availability of records. For example, the Tribunal of Cassino was badly damaged during WWII, and most of its civil records were destroyed. Salvaged documents were digitized by Family Search and will eventually be available on the Antenati site. The Tribunal of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1980. Fortunately, their civil records were digitized by Family Search before this major disaster and are available on the Antenati site. The surviving documents were transferred to the State Archives in the above two instances and are therefore available on the Antenati site. Tribunal documents, as a rule, are not held at the State Archives and are therefore not covered by the agreement between Family Search and can therefore be viewed at a Family History Center or online at their website, familysearch.org.

Comune Archives

The Comune Archives may or may not be inventoried and organized or available for research purposes, but should be able to provide you with documentation for civil records from 1866 or 1870 to the present day. The town offices may also have conserved the Lista di Leva and other military documents, but they are not obliged to search for or provide copies of these documents. Depending on the town, you may find such gems as a register of the population, “state of the family” records, census records, registers of those who contracted cholera, payments made to ‘wet nurses,’ and various tax records available to on-site researchers.

Records from the Comune Archives

Record from the Comune Archives

Diocesan Archives

Record of King James III in Exile

During a search in the Diocese of Rome, one gem I found was the Stato d’anime for King James 3rd of Scotland, his Queen, and servants when they were in exile.

Diocesan Archives vary in archival content and concentrate more on Diocese activities than parochial ones. You may find “stato delle anime” for their parishes and marriage ‘processetti’ when the couple was from different parishes. Many Dioceses have begun collecting parish registers from the 1800s and archiving them in the Diocese offices. They may also hold records of criminal and civil cases, ‘freedom to marry’ certificates issued by the Diocese, and in some cases duplicate copies of parish registers. Be sure to check their websites for their ‘archivio storico.’ Some are publishing their inventory; others are not.

Brefotrofio Archives

Brefotrofio Archives are in the major population centers like Rome, Naples, Torino, Messina, and some smaller centers. They will usually have ‘intake’ records of abandoned babies and records of the families that fostered the babies.

With all of these archives and resources available for research in Italy, learning more about your ancestors can be a very rewarding experience. It may take time and effort to determine where the records of your ancestors are kept and obtain copies of them, but our genealogists have a lot of experience in this area and can help you get the information you need. Our on-site researchers are especially helpful in retrieving records that must be obtained in person.

At Legacy Tree, our genealogists are skilled at finding hard-to-obtain records. With researchers all over the globe, there are few places beyond our reach. Contact us today for a free quote!

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Legacy Tree Onsite: Tips for Maximizing Leads in Chilean Genealogy Research

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. In this article, one of our researchers discusses ways to maximize leads and get around brick walls in Chilean Research.

Chilean Flag in Front of Church

Overview of  Chilean Research

Records in Chile can be very informative. For the most part, the municipal and civil records are full of information and leads – if everything you are looking for is after the year 1887. The Chilean government started keeping more valuable and more detailed records around that year.

Before 1887, the Chilean government did not offer much to a hungry genealogist searching for answers that could break a case wide open. A researcher had a few census records he could sift through or some passenger lists to look at from all the ships relocating new European settlers to South America.

So, for the most part, a researcher had to rely on the records provided by the Catholic Church. These happen to include census records kept by the church to keep track of the members of their congregation. Not all Parishes did this, but some did. Most of the documents the church provided were Baptismal records, marriage records, confirmation records, and burial records.

Most of the records the church provided were Baptismal records, marriage records, confirmation records, and burial records.

These church records are a toss-up as to if they will provide a researcher with some solid leads to build a foundation of specific people. As a researcher, one tries to paint a picture and take people into the past to visualize their ancestors. Researchers give people a story they can read to feel like they know individuals from their past.

As an investigator, one has to use every detail available to paint this picture and bring these people back to life through words and images.

The Catholic Church and local municipal records provided all the information available to us to do this. One must look a little closer at the records available to make this image accurate.

Looking Forward Instead of Backward

Let’s take the case of Maria del Rosario Soto Jimenez, for example. I exhausted all leads trying to find the names of her parents. I could not find one record providing proof of her parents’ names. I hit the brick wall that every researcher dreads. So, I took a closer look at what I did have. I soon realized that I had struck gold without even knowing it.

I took a closer look at a record, looking forward. Instead of going back a generation, I went forward a generation. I looked closely at Jimenez’s son’s birth record Juan Esteban Ordenes Soto, born in 1894.

 

Chilean Birth Record

Juan Esteban Ordenes Soto Birth Record, with names of the witnesses  – Courtesy of Moneda, Santiago, Chile, Registros Civiles, Book 11, Page 82, Inscription 163, FHL Film#1149851

It stated that Jose Alberto Soto and Maria Jimenez witnessed his birth. I knew the two last names I was looking for were Soto Jimenez, which in South America is crucial to tracking down individuals. The double last name in Chile is important. So, I started investigating these two individuals. Jose Alberto Soto and Maria Jimenez. Knowing that Maria del Rosario’s Surname is Soto Jimenez, I knew I had to focus on these two individuals.

After finding information on Jose Alberto first, I found his family and his marriage record. He was married in 1897. His marriage record is very tough to read. Still, it states his parents’ names, Manuel Antonio Soto and Maria Marcelina Jimenez, which allowed me to connect him to his sister Maria del Rosario.

Chilean Record Revealing Parents

Jose Alberto Soto Jimenez Marriage Record, Revealing his parents’ names – Courtesy of Moneda, Santiago, Chile, Registros Civiles, Book 1, Page 31, Inscription 61, FHL Film#1152044

In his marriage record, I extracted his parents’ names, which led me to find out that he and Maria del Rosario were siblings and that Maria Jimenez was their mother!

I later found that Maria del Rosario Soto Jimenez was married in 1890, and her brother Jose Alberto was a witness at her marriage ceremony.

Chilean Church Record

Maria del Rosario Soto Jimenez Marriage Record, Corroborating her parent’s name, with her brother Jose Alberto as a witness – Courtesy of La Asuncion Catholic Church in Santiago, Chile. Book 2, Page 264, Inscription 2000, FHLFilm#1090911

This broke it all wide open for me to be able to go back another generation and free me of the dreaded brick wall. I changed my focus from finding older and moved forward on records with more recent information.

Important Takeaways

The god parents and witnesses are very important when researching Chilean records. South American families have a very tight bond. You will almost always find someone worth taking a closer look at who was present during the baptisms, marriages, or burial records. Not only that, but more than likely, you’ll find these same individuals in more than one record for that family.

Here are some essential factors in Chilean research:

  • Always pay attention to the double last name, especially the last names of the people you find in your families’ records; there may be connections.
  • Do not overlook the details of the documents you already found.
  • Sometimes you’ll need to move forward to move backward when it comes to your genealogical investigation.

At Legacy Tree, our genealogists are skilled at finding hard-to-obtain records. With researchers all over the globe, there are few places beyond our reach. Contact us today for a free quote!

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Legacy Tree Onsite: Hiroshima, Hometown of Japanese Emigrants

Legacy Tree Genealogists work with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our onsite researchers located in Japan to give some insight into researching Japanese emigration in the city of Hiroshima.

Another Face of Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial or Bomb Dome, originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall

When you hear the name “Hiroshima,” what image comes to mind? The Atomic-bomb Dome, the Peace Ceremony on August 6, or maybe the legend of the thousand paper cranes? The building called the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was located in the city’s central area – ground zero for the atomic bomb that landed on August 6, 1945. The ruined building has been carefully preserved, and is now commonly known as the A-Bomb Dome, and is a symbol of peace in Hiroshima City.

After World War II, the residents were successfully able to renovate and develop Hiroshima City into what it is today. Now Hiroshima has a population of 1,300,000 and welcomes visitors from around the world (note: currently, the city has fewer visitors because of the pandemic. The A-Bomb Dome is also under repair and looks different from the photo above).

Hiroshima, commonly known as Peace City, also has another face. This one might be unfamiliar not only to you but also to most Japanese, including Hiroshima residents. Hiroshima is a hometown of Japanese emigrants. Japan has 47 governmental divisions and among them, Hiroshima Prefecture has sent out the largest number of emigrants into the world. Hiroshima (広島) was at the top during the years 1885-1923. During the years 1924-1932, Okinawa (沖縄) was 1st and Hiroshima was 3rd.

The Start of Japanese Emigration

Japan started its emigration program in 1868 during the Meiji Era and after the samurai government (known as the Tokugawa Shogunate) had collapsed. Before the Meiji Era, ordinary Japanese citizens had been prevented from leaving Japan for over 214 years. This state of affairs was called sakoku (鎖国).

Sakoku, which means “closed country,” was a policy of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It was established to remove the colonial and religious influence of (primarily) Spain and Portugal. It started in the 1630s and ended after 1853 when four American steamships arrived and forced Japan to open its borders. During sakoku, Japan was able to develop its own culture. It was the time of the sword-carrying samurai who walked through Edo (now called Tokyo), and of the ninja, who spied on the lords of Japan. At the same time, Japan lost its opportunity to get involved in the Industrial Revolution. A brief timeline is listed here:

  • 1517 – The Protestant Reformation started.
  • 1543 – Guns were first introduced to Tanegashima (an island in the southern tip of Japan) by the Portuguese.
  • 1549 – Christianity was first introduced to Japan by Spanish missionaries.
  • 1637 – Shimabara-Amakusa Ikki (the Shimabara War), a riot by the Christian farmers in the Shimabara area, occurred.
  • 1639 – The Tokugawa government started Sakoku, a policy of national isolation.

Why did American steamships come to Japan and demand that the ports be opened? Well, it was not to meet the ninjas. At the time, America was busy catching whales to fuel their oil lamps. They needed ports where they could get water and food supplies on their way to the South Pacific Ocean and Japan was the best location for them. Japan, which had been left behind during the Industrial Revolution, had no choice but to accede to their demands and open the ports. This change became one of the leading causes behind the demise of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The samurai with their swords were gone, along with the ninjas (now you can only see ninjas at some tourist places).

The Meiji government, which was put in place after the Tokugawa Shogunate, was busy catching up to the Western world. As a small agricultural country in Asia, Japan had to work twice as hard to catch up, causing the Meiji government to create many new development projects. One of them was to send local Japanese abroad as emigrants which first started off as a government program, and eventually shifted to a privatized project.

Emigrants were sent out into the world until World War II. After the war, some emigration still continued, but in keeping with the economic growth of Japan, the emigration projects became fewer and eventually disappeared.

The Hiroshima Prefecture Archive

Hiroshima Prefecture Information Plaza

The Hiroshima Prefecture was the most active when it came to emigration. That’s why the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive is the only archive in Japan to have a complete record of their kaigai-ryoken-kafu hyo ( 海外旅券下付表): “overseas visas issued.” The “overseas visas issued” is a sort of passport register of the emigrants at that time. Most of the prefectures in Japan have their own archives, but having such detailed records is uncommon. Any visitors to the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive can dig into the records and find information on any person that emigrated from the country at the time.

kaigai-ryoken-kafu hyo ( 海外旅券下付表) or “overseas visas issued”

Unfortunately, these records are not digitized. To check the records, one must go in person and comb through the thousands of papers stored there. If you don’t read Japanese, it’s recommended to bring someone who can help you, as the records are written in old-style Japanese and are not easy to read, even for a native speaker. However, the archive staff are always happy to help guests with translating the old-style handwriting.

A document from the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive

Mr. Akira Nishimura, a researcher at Hiroshima Prefectural Archive, says “sometimes we have visitors from abroad. They come here to find something about their roots. We are always happy to help them.”

Hiroshima Prefectural Archive (広島県立文書館）
Address: Senda-cho 3-7-47, Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Japan 730-0052
Phone number: +81 82 245 8444
Fax: +81 82 245 4541
Email address: [email protected]
Note: English is not available.

Who will find it useful to come to the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive and view the Kaigai Ryoken Kafu-hyo?

Japan uses the koseki system and everyone can access direct ancestral line information through it. For example, if you have the correct full name and the birthplace of your great-grandmother, and have an official document proving that you are her direct descendant, you can access her koseki. There, you’ll find the following information: her parents’ names, her siblings’ names, her birth address, her death address, who she married, and her children’s names.

Inside the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive

It sounds wonderful, but you may face a challenging barrier. Japan has a strong privacy policy and koseki information is strictly protected. To access a koseki, you must meet certain criteria. Archival researcher, Mr. Akira Nishimukai, says “people who are looking for their roots but can’t satisfy the koseki register requirements come to the Kaigai Ryoken Kafu-hyo to try and get some information about their ancestors.”

What information will Kaigai Ryoken Kafu-hyo give you?

Kaigai Ryoken Kafu-hyo are open to the public. One can access the archive with the information below:

  1. Your ancestor’s name
  2. The approximate year he or she left Japan
  3. Their approximate age

Kaigai Ryoken Kafu-hyo has a section for each prefecture. Each prefecture’s records have the names of emigrants with the information below:

  1. Passport number
  2. Full name
  3. Address in Japan
  4. The date (year, month) when he or she left Japan
  5. Purpose of going abroad, ex. agriculture, language student, railroad worker, mason
  6. Destination

You may be able to find the answers to these questions at the Hiroshima Prefectural Archive using the address of your ancestor:

  1. What kind of village did he or she live in?
  2. What was the history of the community he or she lived in?
  3. What kind of lifestyle did he or she have?

The staff there will advise you on how to find the answers to your questions.

The other archive: Museum of Japanese Emigrants to Hawaii

If you are Hawaiian and looking for information on your Japanese ancestors, please access this museum. They have information solely on emigrants from Japan to Hawaii. Currently, they have digitized records of about 106,000 Japanese emigrants to Hawaii.

Inside the Museum of Japanese Emigrants

Museum of Japanese Emigrants to Hawaii Address:
2144 Nishiyashiro, Suooshima-cho, Oshima-gun,
Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan 742-2103
Phone number: +81 820 74 4082
Email:  [email protected]

Resources

広島県移住史　通史編
Hiroshima Prefecture, October 20, 1993

Special thanks to
Mr. Akira Nishimura (researcher at Hiroshima Prefecture Archive)
Ms. Yuko Shimomukai (staff member at Hiroshima Prefecture Archive)

At Legacy Tree, our genealogists are skilled at finding hard-to-obtain records. With researchers all over the globe, there are few places beyond our reach. Contact us today for a free quote!

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Using Facebook to Research Family History

One of our researchers explains how Facebook can be used to find hidden gems in the form of videos, photos, and information for your family research. 

Your family history can be found in the most unlikely places. I’d like to share a few success stories I’ve found locating my family and also learning about the lives, times, and locations they come from. A great place to start is Facebook. It is the perfect place for the local historian who is looking to share their work or for those who are feeling nostalgic.   

Here are a few of my personal favorites to give you an idea of what you may find.  

Historical Videos and Photographs

My mother’s family came from the Pacific Northwest, and I called that area home for many years. The South Whidbey Historical Museum had a presence at the Island County Fair held in August that we went to several times as an extended family. Through the years, the museum has grown and taken on a larger online presence.  

Here is just a small sample of videos they made available on their page: 

south whidbey historical videos

Courtesy of the South Whidbey Historical Museum

One day I was digging a bit further and went to their website. Under Collections is a link to a new organization, washingtonruralheritage.org, headquartered at the Washington State Library, which has collected digital photos from around the state. 

Washington Rural Heritage Photos

Courtesy of washingtonruralheritage.org

With a little poking around, I found class photos from the 1930s of my great aunts and uncles.  I’d know these sweet little faces anywhere!

Washington Rural Heritage School Photo

Courtesy of washingtonruralheritage.org

 Other sites I’ve found of interest on Facebook for Washington State include: 

Interesting Information

My father’s side of the family is primarily from the Southern United States. The family moved from Alabama to Illinois to Arkansas – a path that I see repeated with many of our clients’ families, as well.  

My absolute favorite site is the Arkansas and Missouri History page, which has amazing information. The page’s owner has written up histories and collected pictures for towns large, small, and very small. You are able to do a search in this group so that you can narrow down areas of interest to you, or when you have some time to spare, just start looking through all that is here. 

Arkansas & Missouri History  (8340 members), https://www.facebook.com/groups/234039950342068/ 

Arkansas and Missouri History Images

Courtesy of Arkansas & Missouri History 

 Others of personal interest that may spark ideas for you on what to look for, especially if you have family here too: 

Photos from Around the World

Just to give you an international feel: 

One line of my family came from Sumianen, Finland. I have been there twice and visited both the church and the store that was there dating back to at least my great-great-grandparents, and both are still operational. 

Sumiaisten Aiitatori (671 members) has information about the store, https://www.facebook.com/aittatori/. 

Half of the building has been turned into a makeshift museum with a collection of items that would have been sold there back in the day. The other half is a fabulous handcrafted store. 

Hand Crafted Store

Courtesy of Brenda Johnson 

Information about the church:  https://www.facebook.com/SumiaistenKirkko/. 

The Church

 Courtesy of Brenda Johnson

As you search for your family story, search Facebook for the town, county, state, and country. Include the words museum, historical society, genealogical society, genealogy to find the best sources. Be sure to read the about section for each Facebook group, which may include the organization’s website, and check out their links to other pages. And, don’t forget to search for pages and groups and to look under posts and photos for possible connections. You just might find your family member looking back at you!

There is a limit to what you can find on Facebook and other social media and often the information you find leads to more questions. Legacy Tree Genealogists has experienced researchers who can take your family history research to the next level. Contact us today for a free quote!

Sources:

https://washingtonruralheritage.org/digital/collection/whidbey/search/searchterm/school*%20student*%20teacher*/field/all/mode/any/conn/and  

https://www.facebook.com/SouthWhidbeyHistory/?eid=ARCeSxP3RU-z33K-2QKbiw14Y-oCMlwPS5LPwlt8vj49sz3VXMaWWPMkcSai4fOG_OKJJ6ZCi-YD_L9N 

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Meet Tani, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists

Meet Tani, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers!

Tani began her love affair with genealogy as a young girl at sleep-overs with her maternal grandmother when together they would compile family history books. Later visiting the Family History Library with her mother and grandmother simply fanned the genealogy flame in her young heart. Both of these amazing women spent many of their final days and hours fully engaged in compiling records with sources and stories to pass on to their family. It wasn’t until they were gone that Tani really began to treasure the books they had worked on together. She had heard the stories, and learned of the brick walls, but now wanted to learn more! What happened to her great grandfather that served in the war and was injured and sent home to recover? Did he return to battle? Did he go AWOL? What started as a curiosity for her, with no genealogy experience, bloomed into a passion and a drive to learn how to discover more and to pass these treasures on to her own posterity! The circle of life continues!

Tani went on to share her excitement with others, who also had a desire to learn more but didn’t know how nor where to begin! Tani has worked with hundreds of people instructing and teaching Family History skills, providing encouragement, creating interest and enthusiasm as they pursued their own family story. Everyone has a story!

Earning a degree in Humanities, then a Bachelor’s degree in Travel & Tourism from Brigham Young University initiated her interest and love of people which has flourished ever since. Her favorite thing about touring is to observe, meet and speak with people of different countries, cultures, religions to discover their traditions, passions and their family stories!

Tani brings decades of customer relations experience to Legacy Tree, including compassion and empathy for people dealing with difficult circumstances. Tani knows our family trees are not always perfect little packages nor what we may expect them to be. But that’s what makes it so exciting! One of Tani’s strengths is allowing herself and others to be human, and believes our family members and our ancestors deserve that same privilege.

Tani enjoys being in nature either skiing, scuba diving, biking, hiking in the mountains or strolling on the beaches! Touring, photography, good food and time spent with friends and family bring her joy! Tani loves her three amazing daughters, their awesome husbands and simply adores her grandchildren! Family is her life and greatest blessing!

Tani is very excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Legacy Tree and turn her love for genealogy into a career! She looks forward to helping you as your Project Manager have an excellent experience with Legacy Tree Genealogists as you discover more of your own unique story!

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Meet Jill, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists

Meet Jill, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers!

 

Jill Balmuth got the genealogy bug in 2005 when a stranger showed up to her grandmother’s funeral.  That stranger turned out to be her grandmother’s first cousin, who shared family stories and information about relatives close and distant. She wanted to know more, and a love for genealogy was born.

Prior to joining Legacy Tree Genealogists, Jill had a genealogy consulting business, Jewel Genealogy, named to honor her immigrant great-grandparents who owned The Jewel Candy Company, a South Philadelphia wholesale candy business that was lost during the great depression.

Jill is active in volunteer work for various non-profits including the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston (JGSGB) where she serves as publicity chair. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), and the Massachusetts Genealogical Council.

Jill received a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.  After college, she worked in public relations in the high-tech and healthcare industries in New York City and Boston.  She holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University.

We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote.

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A Guide to Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses

This guide will discuss what kinds of information you can expect to find in pre-1850 US Federal Censuses and how to use those documents in your own research. 

US Federal Censuses are critical to genealogical research in the United States. The later censuses—those after 1850 and especially those after 1880—offered more genealogical information than earlier ones and are frequently used by hobbyists and professional genealogists alike. Censuses before 1850 are more difficult to use because they contained fewer obvious genealogically useful details; however, those censuses from 1790 to 1840 can be vital to solving genealogical problems. Families can be tracked from one residence to the next through the early censuses which can lead to looking for other records in the correct jurisdictions (or in previously unknown residences). Details in the early censuses can reveal whether the correct family has been located and when probable children were no longer in the home. These censuses can also provide estimated birth year ranges for those in a household.

Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses: Age Categories

While censuses in and after 1850 recorded names of household members and their ages (not always correct!), only the head of household’s name (in most cases) was recorded in pre-1850 censuses. One notable exception was the 1840 census which asked for the names and ages of pensioners for “revolutionary or military service.” Household members, including heads and pensioners, were counted in statistical categories based on age, sex, race, and civil rights status (whether free or enslaved). The following charts use the racial and civil rights terms employed at the time to avoid applying an anachronistic view of how the census enumerators understood the categories, which is necessary so we do not misinterpret the data.

A few notes help us understand these categories. First, there were no age categories for any females in the 1790 census; however, that census did ask for the number of “free white females.” Similarly, there were no age categories for enslaved or “free colored” individuals until the 1820 census, but earlier censuses did request the numbers of enslaved individuals and “all other free persons” (1790) or “all other free persons, except Indians, not taxed” (1800 and 1810). The age categories in the 1820 census allowed some “free white” males to be counted twice because it asked for both those who were “of 16 & upwards” and for those who were “between 16 & 18.” Thus, if a “free white” male was 16, 17, or 18 years old he would have been counted in both categories. Lastly, notice that the age categories use the word “under” meaning one year should be subtracted from the upper age limit to determine the correct age range. In other words, if someone in the household was “of 26 & under 45” that person was at least 26 years old and no older than 44.

pre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for "free white" malespre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for "free white" femalespre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for "free colored" malespre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for "free colored" femalespre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for male "slaves"pre-1850 US Federal Censuses - age categories for female "slaves"

Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses: Additional Questions

The 1790 to 1840 censuses requested information about each household not included in the age categories. These questions can provide biographical insight into the family and may offer important genealogical clues depending on the circumstances. The additional questions and categories are as follows:

1790 Census

  • “Free white Females.”
  • “All other free Persons.”
  • “Slaves.”

1800 Census

  • “All other free persons, except Indians, not taxed.”
  • “Slaves.”

1810 Census

  • “All other free persons, except Indians, not taxed.”
  • “Slaves.”

1820 Census

  • “Foreigners not naturalized.”
  • “Number of persons engaged in Agriculture.”
  • “Number of persons engaged in Commerce.”
  • “Number of persons engaged in Manufactures.”
  • “All other persons except Indians not taxed.”

1830 Census

  • “White Persons”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, under fourteen years of age.”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of the age of fourteen and under twenty-five.”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of twenty-five and upwards.”
    • “Who are blind.”
    • “Aliens – Foreigners not naturalized.”
  • “Slaves and Colored Persons”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, under fourteen years of age.”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of the age of fourteen and under twenty-five.”
    • “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of twenty-five and upwards.”
    • “Who are blind.”

1840 Census

  • “Number of persons in each family employed in:”
    • “Mining.”
    • “Agriculture.”
    • “Commerce.”
    • “Manufacture and trade.”
    • “Navigation of the ocean.”
    • “Navigation of canals, lakes and rivers.”
    • “Learned Professional engineers.”
  • “Pensioners for Revolutionary or military service”
    • “Names.”
    • “Ages.”
  • “White Persons” who were “Deaf and Dumb”
    • Under 14
    • 14 & under 25
    • 25 & upwards
  • “White Persons” who were:
    • “Blind”
    • “Insane and idiots at public charge.”
    • “Insane and idiots at private charge.”
  • “Colored Persons”
    • “Deaf & Dumb”
    • “Blind.”
    • “Insane and idiots at private charge.”
    • “Insane and idiots at public charge.”
  • Questions for “Schools & c.”
    • “Universities or college”
    • “Number of students”
    • “Academies & Grammar Schools”
    • “No. of Scholars”
    • “Primary and Common Schools”
    • “No of Scholars at Public charge”
    • “No. of white persons over 20 years of age in each family who cannot read and write.”

States with Missing Censuses

Over time, many census returns have been lost for the period between 1790 and 1840. Some of the states are missing just a few pages while others are missing an entire year’s census for the entire state. The following list summarizes which states have some lost census returns for the 1790 to 1840 enumerations. An excellent resource to gain more details about the censuses is the FamilySearch Research Wiki which has been cited for each state below. We highly recommend checking out the cited Wiki article as it will provide more details on exactly what part of the census was lost for each state.

If you see a state on here where you do a lot of research do not panic just yet. Many of these states are only missing parts of their census returns and some states have census substitutes (such as tax records) which can be used to help fill in the gaps.

Research Tips for Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses

One of the most important research strategies for using pre-1850 censuses is to compare the birth year ranges with known information about the family. If the age categories are not matching up at all with your family, then it is probable that the wrong family has been identified in the census. Of course, ages sometimes fluctuate in the censuses so there might be some wiggle room and there may have been additional children in the home than previously known, but if there are significant differences you will need to find good information to resolve the conflict or you will need to conclude that the wrong family was found.

Work on identifying the ancestral family in multiple census years and compare the ages of household members to ensure that everyone’s ages were progressing as they should. If the ages are not progressing at a normal rate (meaning that there should be about a ten-year difference between a person’s age category as reported in two censuses) or if sexes are not lining up, then you have likely identified different families who happened to share a head of household’s name.

Comparing ages across multiple censuses can also help narrow down a birth year range. For example, you may find a man in the 1790 census and all that tells you about his age was that he was born sometime in or before 1774. You then identify him in the 1800 census which indicates he was “of 26 & under 45” which meant he was born between 1756 and 1774. The 1810 census for the same head of household puts him in the same “of 26 & under 45” category which dated his birth to between 1766 and 1784. Using these three censuses, you can estimate that the head of household was born between 1766 and 1774.

Another tip is to watch out for multiple households which match the ancestral family. It is entirely possible that there were two heads of households with the same name and whose households are a close match to the ancestral family. For this reason, it is important to identify all the possible household candidates and conduct additional research to determine which one was most likely correct.

It is often tempting to skip looking at the second page of the 1830 or 1840 censuses, but don’t do it! The second page can contain important information about the family that can help you make conclusions.

Sometimes it can be helpful to search for all households with the surname you are researching, regardless of the head of household’s given name, in a region or state to take stock of possible candidates. If the surname was not very common and the households were near each other, it is very possible that they were related. This surname survey can also identify candidates for an ancestor’s parent (father as the head of household was usually the man) because it could reveal which households contained a child which matched your ancestor. You can then research each of the parental candidates to make further conclusions.

Lastly, pay attention to neighbors as they were often family members or friends. The presence of these people near the suspected ancestral household can help confirm the right family was identified. Or you can track a family as they migrate because you may notice that several families lived near each other in a previous location in an earlier census.

The researchers at Legacy Tree Genealogists are skilled at knowing the most efficient and cost-effective ways of obtaining records so that our clients get the fullest possible insight into the lives of their ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote!

[1] “Alabama Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Alabama_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[2] “Arkansas Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Arkansas_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[3] “Delaware Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Delaware_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[4] “Florida Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Florida_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[5] “Georgia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Georgia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[6] “Illinois Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Illinois_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[7] “Indiana Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Indiana_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[8] “Kentucky Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Kentucky_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[9] “Maine Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maine_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[10] “Maryland Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maryland_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[11] “Massachusetts Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Massachusetts_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[12] “Michigan Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Michigan_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[13] “Minnesota Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Minnesota_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[14] “Mississippi Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Mississippi_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[15] “Missouri Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Missouri_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[16] “New Hampshire Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Hampshire_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[17] “New Jersey Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Jersey_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[18] “New York Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_York_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[19] “North Carolina Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/North_Carolina_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[20] “Ohio Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ohio_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[21] “Oklahoma Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Oklahoma_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[22] “Texas Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Texas_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[23] “Virginia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Virginia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[24] “West Virginia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/West_Virginia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

[25] “Wisconsin Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Wisconsin_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.

This guide will discuss what kind of information you can expect to find in pre-1850 US Federal Censuses and how to use those documents in your own research.