QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

You can use COMMENTS to ask me for advice on a problem you're facing as you research. I don't respond immediately but will try to fit in a post on the subject whenever possible. The Question and Answer will appear on this blog, ANCESTRY WORSHIP - Genealogy Blogspot, and hopefully be helpful to you as well as other researchers.

I read all COMMENTS before publishing them and WILL NOT PUBLISH your personal information or your exact comment to me. I may also change names you provide for purposes of teaching and to maintain your privacy. 

This seems to have worked well so far!

Christine

CONFUSING LISTING OF GREAT-GREAT GRANDMA'S SURNAME(S) : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Readers please note that I've changed the names given by this reader due to a need for privacy.

Q: I'm looking at some information on the Internet that was added to a genealogy database by someone else, someone I don't know. This concerns my great-great grandmother in Arkansas. My great-great grandmother is listed as Mary Johnson, Formerly Marie Smith. Someone else posted Mary Johnson was Formerly Marie Walker. What does this mean?

Thanks,

Alice

A: Hello Alice. 

I find the way that information was posted as a bit strange - and confusing - as if the postings came from stories or rumors rather than genealogy research. "Formerly" could mean this was a previous surname or previous married name. And as you found the same woman also listed by someone else as "Formerly" with yet another surname, it could be that your great-great grandmother was married twice. Also this could indicate an informal or formal name change. Or an adoption.

Let's go over this:

First, we cannot believe everything that is posted on the Internet or on databases that offer individuals to post their research (or family stories or rumors), especially when no documents are attached, especially because I see these errors uploaded to multiple genealogy sites.

Secondly, the history of name changes in Arkansas is that informal (common law) name changes were recognized for some time, even when the process of legal (court ordered) name changes was introduced in 1851. In other words, she could have changed her name because she wanted to, without being married, widowed, or divorced, and without a legal proceeding.

So, I would suggest that you try to get a birth certificate or church record of her birth/baptism and see what it says. I would also suggest you try to get a death certificate or cemetery/funeral home document. And of course, any evidence of her marriage or marriages through marriage certificates. I trust you have traced her back as far as you can go with census records as well. 

1830 is the first Federal Census for that state and you can also check the State Census' which were done in 1823,1829.1865, and 1911.

There are better ways to indicate that a woman is being listed by her maiden name.

Instead of the word "formerly"

Marie "Mary" Johnson née Marie Smith

Marie "Mary" Johnson born Marie Smith

Marie "Mary" Smith - Johnson

Marie "Mary" Smith, wife of Jed Johnson

Mrs. Marie "Mary" Johnson, born Marie Walker

Ask yourself, which of these forms is least confusing and most informative!

Keep Researching!

Christine

C 2026 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy All Rights Reserved

SLAVERY IN PENNSYLVANIA : RESOURCES? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question :

Growing up back east, I didn't realize there was ever slavery in Pennsylvania. But now I think one of my ancestors might have been involved in that. Can you give me some input on how to proceed?

Walter G.

Philadelphia area

Answer : Every few months I look at what's new on the popular Ancestry TM *** genealogy databases, as well as some others, and I ran a search for you.  At the top of the site there is an option for New Collections.  Actually this is where you find the entire "card catalogue." Run a search for Pennsylvania and run down the list.

Pennsylvania, U.S., County Records of Enslaved and Free People, 1780-1834 

Here are some things to consider:

1) The issue of slavery connects to Civil War records. Some slaves did fight. Some were forced to fight for the Confederacy. Some fought for the Union. And some escaped from slavery during this period - and signed up to fight for the Union.

2) Pennsylvania did not have the sharp Western and Southern boundaries it has today. Some of that territory belonged to Virginia where slavery was legal. (And Virginia included what is now mapped as West Virginia.) The Underground Railroad ran through Pennsylvania. 

3) This doesn't mean that the slave catchers stopped trying to capture escaped slaves just because they were in free territory. In Pennsylvania newspapers ads appeared offering rewards for captures. As well, you may find reportage, opinion pieces, and other information that shows what the arguments were, and who was who. Consider the Quakers and the Abolitionists. See if your ancestors shows up in any biographies and check the newspapers too.

4) If your ancestor did hold slaves in Pennsylvania, you may want to see if there are any wills or court records that mention the transfer or sale of slaves.

Actually, I've been planning some posts in January-February 2026 regarding Pennsylvania so do check back!

C 2025 Ancestry Worship Genealogy  All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

*** This blog is not associated with the Ancestry TM genealogy database company.

HISTORICAL RESEARCH VERSUS THE MOVIES OR YOUTUBE VIDEOS: QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q : Relatives told me to watch The Patriot staring Mel Gibson because it has to do with our Scottish ancestry. Would you please comment on movies and YouTube type videos when it comes to genealogy or historical research.

A: I think you know that in general film makers often take a point of view that might not  be historically accurate. Your question does lead me to point out that in writing your book you need to be specific.

Separate what is documented, what is oral history or opinion, provide references and notes such as “Interview with Aunt Bess - September 6, 2025 - Albany New York. She said the action depicted in the movie The Patriot starring actor Mel Gibson reflects our family history. Research shows our ancestor John Smith was a member of the church that was burned down with people locked inside by the British.”

My advice to all researchers is BE NICHE SPECIFIC. Whatever the general history be sure it’s true for the country, state, county, township, village. Communication was slow compared with today’s and word that a war had ended or slavery had ended, as examples, didn’t get to everyone at the same time. 

C 2025 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

GENEALOGY FOR CHILDREN? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q : At what age do you think children should get involved in genealogy?

A: My first response is MAKE IT FUN FOR THEM!

Like many things we teach children, we should take into consideration the stage of their development and innate intelligence and abilities. I've read that children do not actually understand that grandma is mother's mother for some time, until perhaps about the age of ten. They are not especially interested in reproduction until they themselves have the ability to. Until then the child may understand that the grandma is special to the family but not quite get the relationship... that grandma actually gave birth to or raised mom...

I feel a concern that children may think of genealogy as yet another subject they have to spend time on when they would rather be out playing or that it's more homework. It really isn't for everyone anyway and can be a rather serious subject.

I suspect the best thing to do as an adult is allow them to see what you're working on and talk to them about their heritage and tell family stories. 

You might get them involved in making artistic projects such as creating charts, putting together binders of their drawings, or scrapbooking greeting cards that have been sent to them. Give them books to read about their ethnicity or religion, or perhaps the history ancestors have lived through. 

You might ask them to help you in the kitchen and talk about these things while cooking a recipe that's been handed down.

I also think it can be interesting for children to interview relatives - including their parents and siblings.

Think of fun projects that can be completed in a couple hours or over the course of the school break or vacation!

Every once in a while a very young person will find genealogy fascinating on their own.

C 2025 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

GENEALOGY QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

  I do like to be helpful so feel free to leave QUESTIONS for me.  Just don't expect emergency responses!

HOW TO DECIDE WHICH OF TWO CANDIDATES FOR MARIA IS HER ANCESTOR? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q : I have gone like gang-busters on all my lines but one, my dad's mother's mother. The name is common and I found two candidates. How do I decide which one to go with?  I'll explain.

I found her parents marriage (my great-grandparents) which had the ages of the bride and groom in a Roman Catholic church record in Slovakia. The bride, Maria, is listed as age 20 in 1888.  That would make about 1868 the date of Maria's birth.

Maria #1 is recorded born and baptized in the same church record as her descendants. (Her husband was born elsewhere but in the same general area - just a different church.) However, the only Maria candidate in that church record was not born in 1868 but in 1869.  As her groom is listed as age 24, and his birth/baptism is correct as proven by his birth/baptismal, it doesn't seem to me that she might be a bride who wished to appear younger than her groom or anything like that. The wedding was in mid November and her birthday was in September.

Maria #2 is not in the same church record as her descendants. But again is the same general area, just a different church. Again I found that this Maria is not born in 1868.  In this case she is born and baptized in 1867...  I went back and found her parent's marriage and that was when I realized that her mother was very pregnant with her when she herself married. This Maria was born about a month later. Therefore I can imagine that by claiming to be older than she was, she might have been hiding the fact that her parents "had to get married."

I used FamilySearch database for my research and other candidates are not coming up.

Help!

Lisa

A: I see the dilemma Lisa. It is compelling to think that Maria #2 gave a wrong age at marriage because she wanted to hide her parent's need to get married when pregnant with her. However, it is also compelling to find the birth/baptism of the bride in the same church record, though it's possible the groom met his bride elsewhere. In either case we are speculating when creating a story about what happened. I do it all the time as I'm interested in the story - the culture - the society - which includes religion and expectations upon women. And sometimes that speculation - a hunch - a synchronicity - leads us to the documents we want. 

As a side I once read that an infertile wife was so unwanted that a first pregnancy without marriage was actually desirable by some.

I looked at the records you referred me to and I think that the first Maria is your best candidate. However, in writing my book I would provide the genealogy for both Maria's with an explanation for why you did that. Remember that we write our books in a way that our reader can follow us and so can another person who may go further with that information if and when more documents are available. State it as a fact that you have two candidates and why.

This is also a case where maybe the answer is in DNA as it's always possible that the man who married the pregnant bride was not the father of her child. I always say that we would still want to do the genealogy anyway because if there is a "match" with DNA an the relationship is given, you still want to figure out who is who. (As these are a set of your great-grandparents, it's not as easy as finding out who a birth parent is where a parent, sibling, or half sibling could be revealed.)

Because there are some church books that have not been indexed by FamilySearch, and some handwriting is sloppy enough for a transcriber to make errors however, and the deaths and marriages are not Indexed for Slovakia which was Hungary in 1888, I would, to have peace of mind, also look for a possible Mary in the church where the groom's birth/baptism was located and around at other parishes in the area. Last but not least, do also consider the names of villages and house numbers as well as the godparents when making the decision.

Love your research!

Christine

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot  2025

MISSING NATURALIZATION FOR IMMIGRANT INTO EARLY 1800's PENNSYLVANIA ? QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q : I'm from early pioneers into Pennsylvania and I can't find a naturalization for my ancestor. What am I doing wrong?

Walter

A: If you found the head of household on a census and/or know the location, such as the county or city, do historical research to learn what the custom was at the time and place for naturalizations. Did your ancestor have to wait a while to declare, simply go into a local courthouse or other location and swear, what were the changes that occurred as the colony became a state?

Here is the link to THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE ARCHIVES:

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/phmc/pa-state-archives/research-online/research-guides/naturalization-and-immigration.html

Key Points Excerpted :  Lists dating before the Revolution do not cover British subjects since their status remained unchanged by their removal from one part of the King's dominion to another.

In addition, naturalization records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1794-1868(opens in a new tab) (Record Group-33) are available for the Eastern District (Philadelphia), Southern District (Chambersburg), and Western District (Pittsburgh). The records cover the period 1794-1868 and usually contain only the following information: person's name, country of former allegiance, date of petition, and affidavit of acquaintance. An index of the records of the Eastern District in Philadelphia covering the years 1794-1868 has been published in Philadelphia Naturalization Records: An Index to Records of Aliens' Declarations of Intention and/or Oaths of Allegiance, 1789-1880, in the United States Circuit Court, United States District Court, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Quarter Sessions Court, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia (Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company, 1982).

The Archives maintains naturalization lists of the Supreme Court and Courts of Nisi Prius(opens in a new tab) (Record Group-21) for the years 1740-1773. These lists consist of names of those people who swore an oath of allegiance to the British Sovereign. Arranged chronologically, these lists were published in Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Volume 2 and have been reprinted as Persons Naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania, 1740-1773 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967), with an index. 

**************

Be aware that the far Western portion of present day Pennsylvania, south of the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh remained Virginia for some time. In which case you'll seek your records in Virginia.

This site will help with that exploration: VIRGINIA PLACES : BORDER OF PA AND VIRGINIA

An exciting site with plenty of colorful maps and the story of establishing the borders, different from the original William Penn land grant.

Christine

C 2024 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

IS THERE ANYWHERE TO GET GOOD FREE FAMILY PEDIGREE CHARTS TO ORGANIZE MY WORK : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question from a Reader via Comments

You seem to be against posting your research on databases. I used to be able to pick up charts free or maybe pay ten cents a piece for them at the LDS.  Where can I find good old fashioned free paper charts for my research?

Answer from Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

I agree that keeping organized is essential for genealogy researchers and family historians. It helps you avoid repeating research you've already done and if you step away from it for a while it will help you pick up where you started. 

On line I found some good free charts from THE NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY that are as free as the cost of printing them. 

There are others available online. I find I have to adapt charts for my own use.

I once saw an amazing chart that a man had hand designed, a fan chart that he set up on an easel with a family crest (coat of arms) in the center.  I love the visuals!  It gives a good perspective.

Since my personal research goes back more than three generations, all my research would not fit neatly on one page but at the same time, it's the format that works best for binders.  So I might modify a predesigned chart.  Also, I always include any siblings of various persons and information on their marriages as well as those who are never married and were without children.  I don't want to forget that they too lived and contributed to the family and are part of the lineage. I find family group sheets are best for that.  Using family group sheets and handwriting discoveries on them helped me both find and eliminate families in pre-database days. I still do this.

C 2022 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

Update 2025  I note that the once free without question charts of the above organization now require opening an account.

HER DNA SUGGESTS RACE AND ETHNICITY - WAS IT MARRIAGE OR RAPE? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question for Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

(Please note that this person showed me her results and asked me to interpret them.)

My genealogy research takes me back to Southern Poland and parts of what is now Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine. I know this was the Austrian Empire, but my ancestors always had their "ethnic I'm" as these ethnicities. I'm showing Asian ancestry on one side and Near Eastern ancestry on the other. Percentages would l be about one sixteenth of each - so that would be great great grandparents - right? Is this the end of my standard paper trail research?  Please comment.  Thanks.

G.

Answer from Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

Not necessarily.

First remember that all results are statistically based and dependent on all the people who have chosen to contribute their personal data to that particular company's results and that stats are reworked based on an ever-growing number of considerations. Also, as more understanding of genetics and DNA comes forth, it can get more specific - such as what tribe (be that Native American or Native European - so to speak). Sometimes this information can lead us past a block.

One sixteenth could be a great great grandparents. We each have two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, and sixteen great-great grandparents. However, it could be some other combination such as four of the thirty two great great great grandparents. Or some small strain in many ancestors that adds up.

Today many people simply feel American or Canadian or British - or whatever - though only one of their lines show that. Other people relate to an ethnicity or way of life - including attitudes and lifestyle - that they may be criticized for adopting because there is no biological evidence for it.  (This is one of the reasons I think sometimes that a past life experience is why.)

As for the paper trail - standard genealogy - it is always worth pursing even if it is at odds with the DNA or genetic results.  However, the notions that genealogy will prove generations of marriages - chosen and happy marriages - or unite a fractured family are myths. People may have lives that were more controlled or regimented or limited than we have come to expect as Americans, but there were still affairs and there was rape. Rape is so common that I doubt there is anyone alive who doesn't have some DNA as a result of rape.

Some areas of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine, experienced invasions and occupations that included murder and rape. I suspect you will not likely find church or temple records going into the 19th or 18th century that reveal that. You might want to read about the Tatars, Mongols, and Ottoman Turks.

In my years as a genealogist, I've rarely found notations in records that expand on the explanation of illegitimacy, for instance. (Once in a while an understanding priest wrote in "father in America" or something about a death before marriage - alluding to a romance or plan to be married when the unfortunate happened.)  It's so sad to me when I find a woman in the records who had one child after another without a father and see how soon those children died. I always wonder if she was a woman repeatedly taken advantage of by men in the village - perhaps an orphan or someone born without average intelligence - someone who might have been forced into prostitution.

A W G

C 2020 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy Blogspot

SHE LOST HER PASSWORD ON HER ANCESTRY ACCOUNT : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question to Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot:

I lost my password for my Ancestry Genealogy Account and it's been a couple years at least since I used it and worked on my genealogy.  I can't remember but I haven't paid any money in at least that long so I don't think I have a membership.  How can I retrieve my charts and other research?

Nancy

Colorado

Answer:

Try going to your nearest public library that has the free Library Edition Ancestry.

You may not be able to change the information you posted or add to it on the database, but you will very likely find your work on there and can print it out.  More data is loaded on frequently and you can continue your research for free at such a library.

*** This blog is not associated with the Ancestry TM genealogy database company.

C 2020 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

DNA TEST and SENECA NATION TRIBAL : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q:  My DNA Test came back and I'm 1/4th Native American.  My grandfather was Native American.  So how do I join the Seneca Nation?

Marilynn
Pennsylvania

A:  SENECA NATION ORG

EXCERPT:  Please be aware that the tribal census records of the Seneca Nation of Indians do not date prior to 1858.  Therefore, we are unable to assist you with searches prior to that year.  Also, enrollment/membership in the Seneca Nation of Indians is based on MATRILINEAL descent. In other words, the mother must be an enrolled member in order for the children to be enrolled. Keep in mind that our census records list ONLY members. If an enrolled Seneca man married a non-Seneca woman, the names of the wife and the resulting non-enrolled children DO NOT APPEAR in our records. As an additional point of information, too often we receive inquiries from individuals who erroneously believe they descent from the "Iroquois Nation." Please note that "Iroquois" is a non-native term which is used collectively to represent six aboriginal nations which united to form a confederacy, a.kl.a "The Iroquois Confederacy."  These six aboriginal nations are" The Seneca, Cayuga, Onandaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora. Each is a separate political and geographical entity with its own government, land base, and membership. ...

COMMENTARY:  Since it's MATRILINEAL (the mother's side) that counts with the Seneca, I don't think you have a chance,  However, you still might find the genealogy department at the tribe able to help you go further back in documenting your connection to the tribe.

FIVE SISTERS ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT MAIDEN NAME FOR MOM : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

QUESTION FOR ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY

My mom, who was born in the 1930's, died a few years ago. I started doing the genealogy for her family.  My four sisters and I got together and we all have remembered a different maiden name for mom. Three of the names begin with a the same letter.

I took a DNA test - maternal - and mom said she was Italian - but no Italian showed up on the test.  Ukrainian, Polish, Slovak areas did.

Your advice, Please!

ANSWER

The situation isn't as uncommon as you may think. I suggest you proceed with standard research methods and see what comes up. Mom may not have known her own ancestry, she may have been adopted - and not been told, she could have been lied to or her own mother might have been. Or she could have been born with one name and her own mother might have remarried and her new husband adopted her.

1) Get a copy of her death certificate and/or burial and see what maiden name is mentioned.

2) Get a copy of her birth certificate and see what maiden name is listed.

3) Send away for her original application for Social Security which she probably applied for in the 1950's for her first job.

If the maiden name is consistent on these three, or appears with a slight variation, it's probably correct.

Consider the following: That the maiden name was pronounced in another language but could have been assumed to be spelled a certain way by the person who was writing it down. That a formal or informal surname change may have occurred.  Run an Internet check on the surname and see if it comes up as clearly Italian or Ukrainian or what ethnicity it suggests.  See if  you can find one of those on-line translators that also has a voice that pronounces the word and think about how you'd spell that. Find the meaning of the name. Consider that the name might mean the same thing - or similar - but in different languages. Or changed to reflect a pronunciation that is "easier."

I've encountered the following: An S added to the ending of the name. A common name in Hungarian turned into the same meaning in English ie. Szabo is Tailor. The suffix of a name, such as ski, szke, son, dottar, removed from the name to make it shorter. Siblings with different surnames due to being half siblings - which they knew but descendants did not. Silent first letters of names eliminated in pronunciation. Surnames that are changed to eliminate confusion of multiple consonants.

4) Since she was born in the 1930's let's get her on the 1940 census and see if we can follow her parents or siblings back to the 1930's, 1920's, as far back as we can go. If the confusion continues, well, try to find her parent's marriage certificate. Did they marry in the Old Country or here? In the Old Country, their marriage may be in a church record rather than a civil registration.

Finally DNA is proving how nomadic or mobile humans have been and how much ethnicity and race are mixed.  Quite possibly your mother's ancestors simply moved from a Central-Eastern European country to Italy and considered themselves culturally Italian.

I can't wait to hear what you learned!

Christine

C 2018 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

WHO SHOULD SHE SHARE HER GENEALOGY RESEARCH WITH? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Hi there AWG!

Because of all the information available on the Internet I've easily found the addresses of a number of relatives who I've had no contact with in 20 or more years and all around the country too. I've done the genealogy and haven't shared it. I thought I'd publish a little book someday and send it out. Now I'm thinking that I should try and contact some of these people and establish connection again. The problem is that I stopped connecting with most of them years ago because of a family scandal which effected me badly.  t seemed to me no one wanted to take sides or get involved or that I didn't want to put them in the position of having to. The perpetrator is still alive. I have no idea what her relationship is with others in the family. 

Sharon

Answer:

Hi Sharon,

Without giving me all the details I can say I know what you mean.  I've heard of situations like this many times.  Every family has secrets and maybe some of them should stay secrets.  Genealogy books can be "just the facts" or a bit more elaborate with memoir-like details and you might feel like letting it "all hang out" is honest (and accurate).  However, I'm going to try and be pragmatic here.

You can have the book published and send out copies to everyone, some may be interested, some not, and some relationships may be reestablished.  When they gossip they can say you were fair and sending EVERYONE a copy.

OR

You can contact everyone and say there is a book available and you'll be glad to send it, but request that they send a donation for the shipping, something like that, which might prove to you who is or isn't interested in the genealogy, appreciative of all your work, or who does not want to start contact with you for whatever reason.

OR

You could contact the people you feel more sure about and tell them you are working on a genealogy and family memoir book and ask for their memories, photos, and so on, including them in on the finished product, and a few of them will show interest and most won't, even if they say they will.

OR

You could publish limited editions of your book and put it on the shelves of libraries all over the country.  Most libraries are interested.  My city library keeps thousands, not in the stacks, but in back, to be used within the library by special request.  (You could then send notes stating that your published genealogy and family history rests in their local library.)  I intend to do this someday, and right now it will probably be in only four cities, but if I find clusters of relatives elsewhere, maybe more.

As for getting into what happened years ago and how it effected you, I understand that you equate the facts found in genealogy research through documents with truth and honesty, but I just don't know.

C 2017 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

SHOULD SHE HIRE A RESEARCHER IN POLAND? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question:

Hi there.  I'm trying to trace a line of ancestors that came from Galicia, Poland, and am not Jewish.  I joined Jewish Gen and have looked at their databases but wasn't actually expecting anything to come up for me.  Latter Day Saints doesn't have anything useful.  Should I hire someone in Poland to do the research for me?  Any advice would be appreciated.   Anna


Answer:


Anna,

As I understand it there are reliable people in that part of Poland who can walk into archives and do research for you. Before you hire someone though, at least research what archives you can expect the information to be in. Be prepared to hand over - by mail - the research you've done that would lead the researcher to these people, some documentation that you deserve to have the information, such as an explanation in a letter - preferably translated into Polish - on how you are related to them. Present any researcher with a list of the goals you want to achieve and have focused upon. Have a clear idea about how much you can afford and how much time you want to allow for the research to be done. As you know, sometimes information is found very easily and sometimes you have to dig.  There is no such thing as a "rush order" genealogy.

What you are hoping for is someone who knows their way around and has developed a personal relationship with some of the people who work in the state run and church run archives that hold documents. You can always reassess as the project goes on.  Have the person mail you copies of what documents they find, even if this can all be done by e-mail, uploading photos and so on. Be sure that they are checking in with you and giving a progress report at least every other week.

As for how to hire someone who does this professionally and what their background might be, for this I think I would make some phone calls and other inquires based on the region and town where you expect they lived before immigration. JewishGen might be a useful tool for you, since they have groups based on towns and regions and people reporting in when they do heritage tours.  However, consider contacting the priest at the local church for a referral.  Call heritage tour operators, even if you have no plan to go soon yourself, and ask them who they might know there.  Also the Polish Genealogical Society in Chicago might have some leads.  See if you can talk to the people who have hired someone on the phone to get a feel for how it went. 
Yes there are some areas of Poland, some areas all over the world where the Latter Day Saint Missionaries have not been allowed to copy or film.  We are spoiled by the ease of renting films from them instead of traveling ourselves or hiring others.

Wishing you the best on this, Anne!

C 2016 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

DO LDS MISSIONARIES AT FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS TRY TO CONVERT RESEARCHERS OF OTHER FAITHS? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Q:  My friends say I should start going to the closest Family History Center and order in films (to continue my genealogy research) but I'm not Christian and I hear that the missionaries there try to convert people. I don't want to be rude but I don't want to talk religion. I just want to do my work.

Do they really do that?

Michelle


A:  I think they do pray for people who are doing research at the Family History Centers when they go on breaks in the back room and take an active interest in you and your religious beliefs. But that doesn't mean you have to bring it up or get into it with anyone. 

When you walk in they often ask if you are member of the church or not. Answer honesty.  They're collecting stats on usage of the centers. Also they have some resources that are open ONLY TO CHURCH MEMBERS and you have to respect that. Additionally, we respect their religion and lifestyle beliefs by dressing modestly and not bringing coffee or caffeinated tea or soda drinks with us when we bag our lunches. We try to keep the area we're working in clean and neat and obey the rules of the library.

But then when you say no, you are NOT LDS, they know then that you are not a member of LDS.  I can't say for sure that they will or won't try to convert you, but the next questions is not "and so what religion are you?"  AS I UNDERSTAND IT, by opening those research centers that are so vital to many of us to EVERYONE, they are supposed to JUST LET YOU RESEARCH.  If anything the libraries are great PR for the church, because just about everyone (I say that having encountered a few stinkers over the years) that works there has been CHOSEN for a SPECIAL MISSION. These people feel honored. Many of them finance their own apartments to live away from their homes for a couple years in order to be there and be helpful. Some are or have become expert genealogists, others not so much.

I know that many genealogy clubs and groups come into research, such as the local Jewish genealogy group, and don't seem to have any religious conflicts or issues.  I would like to think that is always the case, and that one of the things genealogy research teaches us is a respect for different beliefs and cultures.

These days due to the availability of some of the same electronic resources available at LDS at other libraries and societies, much of  your research work can be done without going to LDS but the microfilms they have are of great value!

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THERE ARE ERRORS ON THE 1940 CENSUS WITH A NEIGHBOR REPORTING - CAN I STILL USE IT AS A DOCUMENT? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question:

On the side next to my ancestor's family on the 1940 census it's noted that the information was given by a neighbor. I know that there are errors in the information. One child is recorded as male, but was a female. My grandmother's name is in error, but I know it's her because she's the right age and between two siblings whose names and ages are correct. Strangely, at the bottom my grandmother is also listed in detail, that she's employed and where and so on.  How would the neighbor know that detail?  Why would a census taker talk to a neighbor and not verify these things with the family?

Can I still use this bad census information to proof?

David
New Jersey


Answer from Ancestry Worship Genealogy

Yes, you can use it as part of the proofing process. Simply you write it much like you just explained it to me, sighting the correct information and the errors. You would then use other information to substantiate the correct information.

The census takers did talk to neighbors, when they could not find the family itself welcoming, at home, or when the language differences made it difficult. May I suggest that the neighbor might have been someone who was trying to do their best to be cooperative?  Sure, this neighbor could have been a busy-body, the town gossip, or she could have been the landlord.  (Can you find her on the census nearby, such as in the same building, next door, or down the street, perhaps in a single family home?  Could be interesting and informative!)

In the last US Census, census takers had to try an address twice and then engage their supervisors.

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SHOULD YOU COLLECT SURNAMES as part of your PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY PROJECT? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question:

Is it ever worth it to collect families by surname?  I've been running mine on Ancestry, the popular databases, and there are dozens in many countries.  How can I connect them?

Annie

Answer from Ancestry Worship Genealogy

Probably not.

Back in the day, I met one woman, pre-databases, who had spent years documenting thousands of families with her Spanish surname.  I thought that was kind of crazy, and it's probably unlikely that she ever got that name, fairly common, back to one patriarch.  Plus that is not genealogy...

Genealogy is when you go back generation after generation, as far as you can go, documenting. In the process you might document a great number of family groups whose connections take a long time or never to prove, on the chance that they are related. However, you might document them only because they lived in the same place as a proven ancestor or have some other viable connection. For instance, if you find on Naturalization Papers a different town than the one named on a Steamship arrival to the USA, for the same person, you likely would investigate both places looking for family members.

If your surname is quite uncommon, it might be worth it to see if they are related, since an unusual surname might after all originate with a particular patriarch. HERE IS WHERE DNA COLLECTION SURNAME PROJECTS might be useful.  Once you have proven a relationship that way, you might find yourself working with others who are related to put the family story together, with their help in their other countries.

For instance, I know someone who has a Polish surname for which there are no more than 600 people alive in the world, some in the United States, Canada, France, England, as well as Poland, possibly the Ukraine and Slovakia. This is a history of people fleeing Poland as immigrants fairly recently to other countries. Because some of their members were on borders, they have had seizures of persons and properties by Russians as well as Nazi's... This surname appears, though not Jewish, in concentration camp records,  also among men killed in the forest who were soldiers, and among men taken to Siberia. The family was being liquidated.

Christine

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WHAT DOES "LONG ILLNESS" MEAN on OLD FRENCH DEATH RECORD : SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question for Ancestry Worship Genealogy

I've been reading old records from a parish in or near Paris from the 1800's and the priest keeps writing in "Long Illness" in the death records.  What does this mean?

Alice

Answer from Ancestry Worship Genealogy

"Long Illness" can mean anything from cancer to TB to any other illness that takes a long time to kill a person.  It can also simply mean Old Age, and all the debilitations through the years; that a person just wasn't themselves or feeling good for a long time.  A Long Time itself is subjective.  To me a Long Illness is years on end, but to some people six months is a long time to suffer.

It's therefore a mystery illness, particularly one that was not well understood at that time and place.  You may have to be satisfied with that.  However, here are things you could check into before you write it up.

1) At that time and place were death records only kept in the village or town or only at the church?  Were the records duplicated or also kept in the Dioceses archives or perhaps sent to a larger administrative center, and kept as a civil record?  See if both records agree or one has more to say about the death.

2) Where is the person buried?  Does the cemetery have any records that might not only give you a grave location but also testify to the reason for death?  (In the USA the death certificate and burial/cemetery record usually back each other up.)

3) Was the death covered in a newspaper article or other published account, for instance if the person was a member of a club, university, team, or union, or employed with a large company, or notable as a dignitary or politician, lawyer or doctor ? Possibly their obituary will give more information.

4) At the time and place of their death were there any prevailing illnesses or plagues?  For instance, you say that the priest keeps writing "Long Illness" and that makes me think that maybe there was TB in that town.  Knowing this would not prove that your ancestry died the same way,  but it would be OK to add a paragraph about diseases of that time and place for the purposes of historical interest!

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QUESTION FROM READER : HOW CAN I DO GENEALOGY WHEN I COME FROM A SCREWED UP FAMILY? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question for Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

I would like to do family history research and genealogy, but I'm getting nowhere with my screwed up family. There is no cooperation and I don't even think they're much interested. When I go to research at my local Family History Center I'm surrounded by people who have decent families that are happy, helpful, and excited to learn more about their people. I say not a word, since I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to tell the truth, that in my family no one says I love you, there's no sharing at the dinner table, and the only thing that can be counted on are crazy scenes.  It's lonely.

Should I just forget it?

Elizabeth

Answer from Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

Elizabeth, you're not the only person who's embarked on the exciting adventure of learning more about your family history and ancestry without cooperation. Seems to me the one thing you cannot count on is that your research work will heal your family. But since there are so very many reasons why people do get into their research work, I urge you to stick with it, just for YOU!  Maybe you'll achieve a greater understanding of your people, which will be interesting for you, if not healing. 

At Family History Centers and other research libraries, though many people do share about their families and their research, and you can learn a lot from each other on how to, it's best to keep to a professional attitude. Pretend the family you are researching isn't yours!

Also take heart in knowing that almost every family has some stinkers. While researching aside other people I've heard many stories about what got dug up... in particular domestic violence. One researcher learned that her great grandfather had been killed when his granddaughter finally retaliated and he went rolling down the stairs. There were news articles about it and interestingly, the granddaughter was never arrested or prosecuted because everyone in town knew this man was a monster.

Researching history and genealogies has actually made me more of a feminist than ever. I'm so glad women have more choices about their lives and don't have to marry or stay married to have a place in this world.

I've also met people who were so not politically correct, they didn't even mind being known as bigots. I had networked for one family because of a dead end, and learned that a dozen researchers were working on the same issue, which brother, living in a Carolina compound, had which father. To know would have meant proofing the link to a well known historical family in Scotland.  DNA had just become available, and this person had reached out to me to locate someone who would be willing to take the test, and I knew exactly where the only candidate lived. But before I could write to this man and plea the case of the very many researchers who needed to know, it was suggested to me that the family had been Jewish. I put that out there for comment.

I got a railing, seething e-mail that made my heart pound as someone suggested to me this could not be because, to paraphrase, "The family is Christian and loves Jesus Christ and everybody knows Jews are "Christ Killers" so it is impossible!"

So, Elizabeth, get ye down to your local Family History Center and learn to be a genealogist.  It will preserve your intellect far better than doing crossword puzzles, and someday you too will meet others with screwy families!

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