When a Place is New

We often talk about historical context like a side dish: it adds color and life to our narratives and deepens the analysis in our client reports. Rarely, however, do we think of historical research as a main course, a proactive strategy. This case study demonstrates not only the potential of historical research as a tool, but how that tool can be effective in the most challenging cases. Thomas Chapman wasn’t typical of New York City immigrants at the turn of the nineteenth century. His reported birthplace of Bengal prompted more questions than answers, and FAN searches in New York produced no leads. Ultimately, a combination of historical research, DNA evidence, and traditional genealogical methods across three continents revealed the identities of his parents.

Charles Olin disappeared from his Nebraska roots about 1908. The DNA in the descendant of an out-of-wedlock child born in 1919 point to Charles as the father, but no records place him there. This case study proves the alternate identity Charles used for 40 years.

“Identity theft” happens easily with common-name families. This session uses two case studies from two different societies—a Jones family from the Northern U.S. and a Smith family from the South—to demonstrate how to work safely with common-name families. The first ten minutes ground the audience in four problem-solving models. On that foundation, Mills then walks her class through sources and strategies that are often overlooked amid today’s reliance upon database searches, provider hints, and crowd-sourcing. *** This class requires a password and an active webinar membership to attend. On the day of the webinar, obtain the password (located at the top of FamilyTreeWebinars.com when logged in as a member). Then click the Join Webinar link in your confirmation/reminder email, and enter the password when prompted. ***

Wrong information, multiple dead ends, and one brick wall after another, make finding immigrant origins for one man, almost impossible.

Descendants of an early Ohio family had no idea of their origins. Following an associated family brought success, even after wading into foreign- language documents. This presentation shows what to do when traditional records fail to reveal an ancestor’s place of origin and how to use cluster research to break through the brick wall. Discussion will include how to determine the place of origin using records found in the United States and what to do when no records exist on your direct line.

Can genealogists take a negative (the absence of something) and develop it into a positive (proof of something)? Yes! If we understand what we’re working with and how to develop it. Negative evidence is a tool used by many investigative fields; but its definition varies between disciplines. This session defines the concept used by genealogists and historians: contextually suggestive silence. In layman’s language, Mills clearly separates negative evidence from concepts that are often confused with it: negative searches, negative findings, negative arguments, and negative conclusions. Case studies using autosomal and Y-DNA, censuses, church records, death certificates, land deeds and grants, topo maps, and other source types to demonstrate how to recognize contextually suggestive silence and develop it into solutions for situations in which no document explicitly answers our research question. *** This class requires a password and an active webinar membership to attend. On the day of the webinar, obtain the password (located at the top of FamilyTreeWebinars.com when logged in as a member). Then click the Join Webinar link in your confirmation/reminder email, and enter the password when prompted. ***

Oscar Philibert’s World War II draft card included a surprise, the description of a tattoo. That knowledge posed a challenge. What could Gena learn about this tattoo that would enhance his life story? This case study includes genealogical and social history resources that provide ideas for how genealogists can incorporate social history into the facts they find on a genealogically relevant record.

It’s so exciting! You’ve just received a new certificate and have new family names. There’s so much new research to do and before you know it it’s 2am and somehow you missed dinner. Finding new family can be exciting, but sometimes it pays to slow down and plan your research.

When weaving DNA and paper trail evidence together, how do we know when enough is enough? There’s often a thin line between a convincing case and one that falls just short of meeting genealogical standards. When we look at specific cases, what guides us in determining when we have enough DNA or enough documentary evidence or enough of both-and when more will be needed to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard?