MONDAY MUSINGS: Genealogy tips

Free Genealogy Link

You can search land patents in Alabama for free online via the Bureau of Land Management. after reaching the site.. click on the menu item SEARCH DOCUMENTS…then type in the state and surname of the person you are researching (if the above link does not take you to the website… type the following in your browser:http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ to reach the website.

Genealogy Tip

This genealogy tip is from Clark Joiner:

Try searching for the middle name rather than the first name and no last name. I could not find my grandfather, Allison Holmes Joiner or my father Roy C. Joiner in the 1920 Census. I knew my grandfather was likely living in Dooly County, Georgia in 1920. When I finally found him he was indexed under the name Holmes H. James with household members; a wife named Edwina, son Roy C. and daughters Faustine and Onie. Recognizing my grandmother, father, and my aunts, I knew I had the family I was looking for. I can imagine the census taker asking my grandfather what his name was and my grandfather replied, “Holmes”, as this was the name he always went by Then the census taker asked what is your middle initial and the reply was, “H” I was very much surprised to find my father at age 21 living in the household of his father in the 1920 census. A search for Allison or Alison would have returned no results.

Do you have a family research tip to share? Email it to [email protected] and we may post it on the website.

Where Do I Start?: HINTS and TIPS for BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS with ONLINE RESOURCE Do you need some guidance in your genealogy search? Save time and avoid pitfalls in your research. This book provides simple, no-nonsense instructions to help you get started. Many FREE research links included.

Tips include:

WHERE TO FIND – on-line resources, experienced genealogists will not be aware of many of these.
COURT RESEARCH – how to do courthouse research, where to find birth, death, social security records free on-line.
EIGHTY – ONE QUESTIONS – you should ask your elderly loved ones before it’s too late.
TIPS ON BREAKING DOWN THE WALL – Everyone faces some difficulties in research, often called a ‘brick wall’ but WHERE DO I START? provides suggestions for overcoming them.

About Donna R Causey

Donna R. Causey, resident of Alabama, was a teacher in the public school system for twenty years. When she retired, Donna found time to focus on her lifetime passion for historical writing. She developed the websites www.alabamapioneers and www.daysgoneby.me All her books can be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. She has authored numerous genealogy books. RIBBON OF LOVE: A Novel Of Colonial America (TAPESTRY OF LOVE) is her first novel in the Tapestry of Love about her family where she uses actual characters, facts, dates and places to create a story about life as it might have happened in colonial Virginia. Faith and Courage: Tapestry of Love (Volume 2) is the second book and the third FreeHearts: A Novel of Colonial America (Book 3 in the Tapestry of Love Series) Discordance: The Cottinghams (Volume 1) is the continuation of the story. . For a complete list of books, visit Donna R Causey