Tricks & Tips Thursday

One of the best tips I can give you is simply - "spelling don't count".  Yep you heard me correctly.  Time and time again I've heard,  "that can't be my family the name isn't spelled the way my grandmother always said it was spelled".  

While I can appreciate grandma's attention to detail and wanting the family name spelled what she believed was the correct way, I also understand the logistics of having a German talking to a Swede, or an Italian, or vice versa. 

Working for Mr. Brown Eyes in the tax business that we own, I've come to understand more clearly the census takers issues.  We have alot of different ethnic backgrounds coming to our service and when they call, try as I may, the name gets spelled the way I hear it.  Often times its not close to what ends up on the tax return.  Luckily for me they don't see how badly I can scramble their names.  Its not intentional, but it does happen.  I'm sure the census takers in the early years had the same issues. 

When you think of the situations when the census taker was in the field, perhaps it was raining, storming, snowing or who knows what else.  Maybe the couple he was interviewing had 10 kids all of them running around wanting attention.  Perhaps the couple was reluctant to give information so you got what you got.  Who knows? 

Whatever the reasons, no matter how badly butchered, spelling don't count!  So keep that in mind next time you are searching for your ancestors on the census or in other records. 

So How Do You Spell It Anyway?

One of the things I learned early on in my genealogical journey was that "spelling don't count".   I hear people say things like "my grandmother always said it was spelled _____________".  You fill in the blank, I'm sure you've heard it as well.  And I think most people would agree that you really can't be too hung up on the spelling of the surnames in your genealogy! 

But that really isn't what this post is all about.  What I want to know is how do you handle all the variations in your files?  Take for instance my Gebhart lines. For the most part its spelled Gebhart. But then you go into court records and you find a handful of Gebharts that decided to use the spelling Gephart instead, and when you go out into the cemetery there it is bigger than life itself - the headstone using the same spelling! 

Do you enter in your data base with the spelling you found it as or do you "standardize" all the spellings into one spelling, perhaps entering the alternate spelling in your notes??

No, spelling don't count, but I am curious.  How do YOU handle the multiple spellings in YOUR files & data bases?  I'd love to hear from you with your thoughts on this dilema.

Happy Researching
Karen

Four Things To Remember...

Do you want me to say it again? They say the average person has to read or hear something SEVEN - yes, I said SEVEN times before it is actually retained in the brain. Boy are we dense or what? There are FOUR things in genealogy that I think need to be restated as many times as possible - some people still won't get it. But hey, at least I am trying...

1. Spelling don't count


2. Review Review Review


3. Do your census homework


4. Cite your sources

Those four things will carry you far IF you take them to heart - let me explain.

1. Spelling don't count - in the world of genealogy spelling names exactly as your remember them doesn't matter to much to people of different ethnic backgrounds who may or may not be able to successfully interpret what it is your ancestor is telling him. Krugman becomes Krockman when a German talks to a Scot. No where on the census form does it give the ethnic background of the person taking the census so trying to guess how your surname may have been written can be a real challenge. So if you are really hung up on the correct spelling of your ancestors surname, ask me about the quilt shop I know of. They'd love for you to come in and take up quilting.


2. Review Review Review - no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you work, there is ALWAYS going to be some little detail that maybe just doesn't work in your file right now. But next year or the year after it fits perfectly! In my file organization project I am finding obits & other documentation - each paper is being reviewed, each tiny detail being checked against my data base. Its amazing the tiny details that are overlooked in our excitement at finding the document. You will find yourself going back to reread, review, recheck those documents over & over. I promise!


3. Do Your Census Homework - No, I am not kidding! Each and every direct line ancestor should be located on every census available for his lifetime. The amount of information that can be gleaned from those census records is so understated. Tracing the paths of your ancestors tells you where to look for records regarding his life, his family and more. How do you know where to search for those records without knowing where he lived? Census takers were given rules on how to enumerate, but often they stepped outside the box, adding full birth dates or county names and other tidbits. Without taking the time to locate your ancestors on the census its like leaving Christmas presents unopened under the tree. You wouldn't do that would you?


4. Cite Your Sources - I know you've got tons of excuses of why this doesn't apply to you - but it does? Its simple, doesn't require rocket science brain to do it, there are some excellent books out there on sourcing, find something that works for you & USE IT! I see ads for companies wanting people to write children's books (fairy tales) all the time. If you are not sourcing your material perhaps you should apply for one of those positions - after all genealogy that is not sourced is nothing more than a fairy tale!

I challenge all of you to take a minute and think about those four things and how they affect YOUR genealogy. As I work on this file reorganization project here in my office at the Krugman castle - I too am finding holes in my work, Sources missing, Census missing, little details overlooked when picking apart articles etc., so I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I am acknowleging that even someone who has been researching for 20 years still faces some of the same issues YOU DO!

Happy Researching!

Karen

Top image is view from our living room garden window - Sept 2009