Thanks Connie! Yet another wonderfully helpful video. I appreciate the way that you present the information clearly and illustrate each point you are discussing. I'm excited to use this approach in my research.
Just what I needed--a process. Love the Trifecta idea! It's also helpful to think of the 3rd option as a variable, depending on the person/decade/location I am targeting. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I agree with the comment below about your clarity.
Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge. I've been doing this for 40 plus years and pick it up and put it down. I have notes / notebooks / files, etc. But, had a hard time getting organized electronically. Thank you for sharing all of your strategies for organizing and researching a target ancestor. I've been at a brick wall for one of them for quite a few years, but hopefully this method will help to glean more facts about him :). Thanks again.
Another awesome video! I watched this today and got started with it for a couple of hours. I've learned some new things already! Thanks, Connie, you are such a pro, and I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and ideas. Also purchased one of your shirts to show my appreciation!
I'm chasing rainbows with last name Jones in Mississippi. These people were either very humble or the first entrants into what we now know as the Witness Protection Program.
Really excellent content. I know just the ancestor to put this into practice with. You brought up some searches I had neglected, or not tried yet. Thank you!
Love the comment about Henry and Rebecca. My 3rd great grandmother is Rebecca and her father is Henry. Many Quakers in my family. One of my possible greats donated 800 acres to start a meeting house in Virginia. I say possible because documents have not been found confirming two of my 5th great grandparents. Many, many people have him listed in their tree though. Trying to break that wall.
Thanks for your good ideas. It wasn't clear what a "fan club" was. From one of your spreadsheets you seem to define it as: Search using alternate spellings, Search of friends, associates, and neighbors, organizations belonged to, memberships
Watched this video and decided to follow your trifecta strategy on an ancestor that I thought I had the right documentation. A cousin helped me realize we had combined our ancestor with another one. They had the same name born the same year but in different states. I thought he may have moved but knew in my gut things didn't line up. A closer look and your trifecta method helped me see the error. I also found the slave holding census which really bummed me out. Since they lived in Virginia, I knew there was a good chance but seeing it on paper was a new reality. It showed an older female with 6 kids down to a 3 year old. Made me wonder if my ancestor had fathered any of them. Any ideas how I would be able to find this out besides DNA? Thanks for all you do, your videos are clear, concise and fun!
What fantastic content! I’ve been hoping to find an experienced genealogist who would discuss research techniques. This makes me think outside of the box!
As usual you are the best "explainer" on the internet. However, I'm not sure I'm clear about what a FAN club is. I would like that explained in more detail please
FAN = Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. It's a strategy to tie people and records together by looking at all people on the records... even witnesses, etc.
Recently, I was looking for a brick wall. Desperate, as we've not come up with new information in years. A neighbor's name kept coming up. Found probate papers on the neighbor. The hidden gem...my 5th great grandfathers signature agreeing to be administrator of the neighbors estate. Was not expecting to find anything.
Yes I should. The FAN Club stands for Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. It is how we can tie people together to help prove we have the right person. It's also known as Cluster research.
Good points. I'd like to point out that there may be a high error rate in one or more of the three types of sources one uses, so take everything with a grain of salt. I have been using a variation of this strategy for years, and it's led more to frustration than busting through brick walls. And it's due to what people consider to be "gospel" (i.e. fact) in regards to their family histories. I do believe this is a solid strategy, but it can only be effective after constantly using a discriminating eye, and, potentially, WAY over 27 results.
I have a peculiar situation with my 2nd great-grandfather. Some amateur hack genealogist in the 1960's assumed that ALL males with our surname in a 200 mile radius HAD to be related, wrote a book, and people assumed it was a correct theory and plugged the information into their tree. Once DNA technology became available in the early 2000's, the national organization for our surname sponsored a Y-DNA event, and my dad participated. Long story short, actual DNA science blew holes in that theory. As it turns out, only descendants of TWO of those men matched. My dad didn't even belong to their haplogroup. However...people don't like undoing their family tree and leaving "holes" even when said prior information has been proven incorrect. I cannot get members of my own extended family to release that information even when presenting them with the science. Whatever paper trail might have been available 60 years ago when said fiction was published is no longer available so I'm still left with holes...and I'm a fair genealogical detective and historiographer. I'm about to the point of publishing the Y-DNA data--which I painstakingly tracked down--in order to present science and have something available to offset the original fiction.
Online. Google ProGen study groups and find website. Many pros have gone through the ProGen Study Groups. There are lots of institutes too. GRIP is one that comes to mind. There is no one path like there is to become a doctor or CPA.
not sure if this is relevant, use My Heritage, when you get a hint?, if there is one from GENI go that one and it may give more than you have with their database, it was taken over by My Heritage but retains its own Base
Can you rephrase your question? I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. For European, FindMyPast and Ancestry have great records, but I'd also look at FamilySearch and MyHeritage.
Hi Sue, have you had much experience researching scottish records? My moms mom and dad are both from Scotland, any ideas how to research without draining pocketbook at Scotlands people. You just can't look at the next-door neighbour or down the street, to see friends, or family. Records are not shown on ancestry.
Hi Connie! I need an explanation. When we start the search from the profile, and then go to the Card Catalog to search Location, are we searching the catalog for our profile person? In other words, does the catalog search automatically grab information from out profile person? From 7:42 to where you go to the Card Catalog, I'm not sure if that's a separate search function, or step 2 (step 1 being the profile search).
Hi Terry. Great question. The purpose of doing the location search in the card catalog first, is to learn what (in this case) Ancestry has to offer in record collections for that location. At 7:42 as you pointed out, we drilled down to Randolph County, NC, USA. In that list, we can see that only one record pops up. No matter the length of the list, I would then hover over each collection, right click, and "open in a new tab" each record collection in the list and search them individually, tab by tab in your browser. When done, just close the tab and move to the next one. When you do the search you can type your ancestors name and in some cases Ancestry will auto populate a list from your tree. You can choose to use one or not. I tend to not auto fill because I want minimal information in those fields. Experiment with just names and the era they lived... play with different spellings too. By searching this way, you are pulling up all possible record collections and will often find records (within those collections) the hint features filtered out. The whole idea behind my Trifecta Strategy is to get in the habit of searching three different ways (Name, Location, & FAN Club), from three different sources (Ancestry, FamilySearch, and one other that makes the most sense). Did that answer your question?
Wonderful! The trick to solving any brick wall is to use cluster research... aka FAN Club strategies. Here is an episode that explains how it works. It's called "What is F.A.N. Club Research for Genealogy and Family History?" ua-cam.com/video/pXODnErWXFw/v-deo.html
Yes. Every hint needs to be evaluated. The word hint implies that it is a hint to the truth. Maybe it should be called a clue instead. A clue to be evaluated as to whether the evidence fits the situation or not.
Hi Joan Frank. I've posted it again in the Community tab blog posts. You should be able to get it there. Make sure you click on the "read more" part as the link is toward the bottom of the post.
I would look at Ancestry and FamilySearch to start. Also see this video Get Started with Your Italian Family History Research here ua-cam.com/video/J6lPsSFVteY/v-deo.html
@@GenealogyTV They just aren't as good as Ancestry. They don't offer month to month options and my tree is large enough that I wouldn't be able to see it if I canceled. With Ancestry I can take off a while and still see my tree and add to it even if I can't research or see my sources.
If you do research at an LDS (Mormon) church, you can use Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past, and several others FOR FREE. Family Search is already free. If you are a member of the LDS church, you can even use those additional websites at your home for free.
I have a double decker brick wall. My third g-grandfather died presumably in the early 1840's in Tallapoosa Co., Alabama, as my third g-grandmother remarried in 1845. She had three children and her second husband in the home with her in the 1850 Tallapoosa Co., AL. I later found another daughter who was already married in 1850, because her mother and step-father signed a consent for issuance of a marriage license for her. We do not know the first name of my third g-grandfather and we do not know her maiden name. We do not know where they came from before they came to Alabama or if there were any more children. I searched everyone of the same surname in the 1840 census in Tallapoosa Co., AL and surrounding counties. None matched them and most were still in the 1850 censuses with their families. Arrena Welch my grandmother has not been found in any census in Alabama or Georgia, prior to 1850. I have conducted many off the wall searches just on the off chance that it would turn up anything at all. What is your suggestion as to what I could do next besides DNA as there are no direct male descendants from this line.
Get really good at FAN club research. a.k.a. Cluster research. Study the history of the area at the time. Were there migrations coming or going for a reason? Was there a major event (hurricane) etc. Was there a big boom in crops or other industry bringing people in or out? If so, where were they migrating to/from? Look for other record sets (military, religious, newspapers, southern claims commission, etc.... prior to 1850, not everyone was listed in the census records. Look at the state archives for special collections for that time/place. Look on FamilySearch... all of the other sites with trees.
I just started doing research in January 2020, I am learning, but what is a "fan club"? I have a membership to Ancestry.com. To do this type of research, do I need to join yet another website?
Yeah... I guess I mentioned the FAN club assuming most knew about it. I will be doing a video soon about it. It means Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. In other words, research the people around your target ancestor (the one you're researching) and keep track of them. When they show up in other records, you know you have the right person. It helps verify records when you're not sure if the record you're looking at is the same person or not. Sometimes witnesses, siblings or other family show up in them which helps you match them to other records. Thus you're researching the community around your target ancestor to help complete a bigger picture of your ancestors lives.
Most research info is free when you do it yourself, ie you travel to the archive and look at the microfilm yourself and make your own copies. What you pay for online is the work websites have done to scan thousands of pages and index them, and create software and run it off immensely expensive server equipment. This allows us quick easy access online which we pay for.
The method used here to find out what records are available for an area on Familysearch isn't the best. The best is to do a catalog search; you hit the "search" button, then "catalog". After that, where it says "Search by" you hit "place". Then, if you want records at the state level, type in "United States, South Carolina". This will give a list of records available at the state level, in the case of SC, things like colonial royal land grants and state land grants are available online. Or, if you want a particular county, type "United States, Illinois, Madison" and you'll get a list of records at the county level. And, of course, if you're looking for records at the city level, just add a comma after the county name and put in the city. Some records listed for the locality won't be accessible online but in my experience most of them are, and even if it's indicated that they aren't, you should test the link because sometimes it's indicated that it's not available but it actually is. To this add that a lot of state libraries and archives now have online content. For example, the LVA (Library of Virginia) has been adding images of county chancery lawsuits online for over ten years and they also have online images of VA land grants volumes. I don't ever travel anywhere anymore for information. If it's not yet available online I just wait until it is. I don't use Ancestry for much more of anything other than a storage site so I don't have to store a ton of papers at home and don't have to worry about what happens if/when my computer breaks down- all I have to worry about is what I'll do if Ancestry folds, lol. To that let me add that most online family trees are worthless because full of errors or even outright lies that someone perpetrated fifty or more years ago in order to join some organization, so you're much better off to do your own research. One surefire clue that what's in an online family tree is bunk is that there are absolutely not actual record sources shown for the information... a printed family tree/genealogy/membership application is not a record source. Links to other people's trees are not a record source. Etc.
Go to the Community Tab and scroll down the blog posts. There are two for the Trifecta Strategy. One of the two has the links to download the documents. Thanks for supporting the channel Tom. Let me know if you can't find them.
Hey Thanks Melissa for joining the channel membership. Go to the community tab on the GTV YT channel. Scroll through the blog posts and look for the word HANDOUT. Those (with HANDOUT) are the member posts that have them. Open the post and click on the handout link... and download. You can download as many as you wish. Here is a short cut to the Community tab. Thanks again! ua-cam.com/users/GenealogyTVCommunity
Connie How can I find a parent of an ancestor in Virginia of a son who was born 1700/1705 Virginia. His name is Roger Bell and though I find a lot of the son Roger I can't find his parents. I think it is because his parents were probably born or lived in the 1600s. The records are few and I hope you can guide me into where to look. Also Roger's parent could have come from England or Ireland where the Bell name is common. I have searched for 20+ years
all those I had to pay a membership to use it to get information that I look for cause every time I go to research the membership come up so don't tell there free information
Use google to point to those sites, and that will help a little. Yes, some of those sites are BUSINESSES and do cost money, but they occasionally have trial periods, so you can stack up your research queries for those times, and do that. I think Connie touched on some of that. You can also try going to libraries or family history centers (when they reopen) and use their resources for free. (again, stack up your queries)
Your county library may give you free access to Ancestry library edition. You simply input your library card number to access the records. You will not be able to build a tree on that edition, but you will be able to see all of the records and email any promising records to yourself, or download them to add to your tree on your free account. Good luck.
My Target Ancestor is my Great Grand mother's death Maude Lee Payne B- 1886 Mississippi- she died in 1913 -Red River County Parish, Louisiana/Texas - on the way from Mississippi to Texas - I found her wither her parents in the 1900 census in Mississippi When she was 14- she got married 3 years later in 1903 - still in Lee County Mississippi - She Got Married in 1903 in Lee County, Mississippi & she had my grandmother in 1904 in Tupelo - she went on to have 3 sons each 18 months apart - she was living in Petersburg in 1910 Census & no other records for her till the STORY of her death in 1913 - Red River county texas/Red River Parish in Louisiana -its like she vanished - I am having trouble find ANY info on her DEATH - Her Husband Tomas Finch McMullan/McMullen/McMullin - No records till 4 years later 1917 - Registered for the WWI Draft In Paris Texas - stating he was a farmer there - with his nearest Realtive was a Pearl McMullan not a clue who this is - 3 years later in 1920 he's BACK in Kirkville, Mississippi & he's remarried & serval records for him till he died years later - His Brother Grover Married Maude's sister Maggie Leona - she also died young--- All my grandmother could tell me that she Remembers traveling a lot when she was little and one day her mom was gone as she was only 8 years old when her mom died - and a bit later she got her step mom that she grew up with - this is a bonified Brick wall - as I have scowered everything I could think of to try to find her - - KEEP up the great work here - ALWAYS impressed with the info you present
and the free trail are not free either after you click on it it goes to credit card information so don't I've done all of it so I'm at a brick wall I've done my Dna through my heritage and familytree finder but would like to do more research but can' on my heritage our ancsetry our family search our on find my pass
There is a difference between a Free Trial and a Guest Account on Ancestry. With a guest account on Ancestry, you can build a tree, see some records and chase hints to see if they look promising. Here is a video about doing free research that might help. ua-cam.com/video/V3t2xwY7zVE/v-deo.html
With Family Search it is a Free site, but you do have to set up an account. All that requires is your name and email and a password of your choice. This is because of the requirements of the places they have accessed the records they provide free to you. There is no fee unless the image of the record is at a paid site via a link on Family Search. The transcript is free.
@@rover790 I use family search and every time I want tosearch the it come up with a credit card to get information that should be free to you to reseach
@@dorothygallagher7690 I have never had Family Search itself request my credit card number, but if I click on something like a census image or some other record that originally is from Ancestry or Find My Past, it comes up with a warning that I will be accessing a paid site to see that record so I don't go further.
@@dorothygallagher7690 what information are you trying to access that they ask for your CC? If you are having trouble contact Family Search help section.
Oi vey! I think I need to sit down and make that question and person. I think I have the correct relationships established in my tree because of DNA, but a name change that came from the trip across the pond has proven to be problematic. So I am thinking my person has to be plural. I need to place a son with a father with different last names.
Be careful about searching for ancestors in specific counties and towns. I grew up in Baldwin Park California. I found myself in the 1950 census records with my parents however we are shown living in El Monte California. El Monte is the town adjacent to Baldwin Park. Check to see what the area you're looking in was called at the dates you're researching. My twin brother and I were 1 in 1950, the transcriber listed my brother as 2 and me as 7 even though it clearly is marked 1. Going back in time this happens a lot. Another example is people born in the 1700's in Tennessee. Tennessee was first called Transylvania, then The State of Franklin, then it was part of the Carolina's and only during the revolution did it becomes Tennessee. And in fact, until the Revolution Tennessee and the entire Owens Valley was referred to as Lower Canada. Another thing is until after the Revolution people born in the Colonies were born in The British Colonial Colonies (BCC) not the USA. The territory of the Colonies stopped at the Appalachian Mountains. If your ancestor was born before 1814 in Louisiana, then they were Spanish Louisianan subjects California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and all of the Western States belonged to Mexico until 1843. Oklahoma was Indian Territory until abt 1914.
I’ve been using family search (fs)double checking with geni through google, so building my tree on fs but then building & using hints on ancestry as I find also ancestry uses fs as well & at times I’m using MyHeritage. But am checking at times with find a grave. So I guess that’s a bit beyond the trifecta ? But still looking for more Info or anything. Might try these mentioned if not already doing it though but are there more recommendations?
Good! You're looking in all the right places. Try to do the same searches, Name, Place, and FAN club members on all the sites in the different ways described, it takes time, but sometimes there is gold at the end of the rainbow.
@@GenealogyTV It's not just you. Yours are shorter than most! I think YT producers think of the intro as if they had a captive physical audience of people who had never heard of them, and a fixed amount of time on a conference schedule. You give people some time to get mentally prepared to hear your message, etc. A YT video is an entirely different medium. As a YT viewer, faced with a list of hundreds of videos I would like to watch if I had plenty of time, I glance at the length of the video, listen to a little of it to decide what playback speed to set, and as I watch ask is this really a high priority. Then I might jump to random points to see what's there. It's like flipping through a book at the library to see if I want to borrow it. I often click to "Save/Watch later" and then come back to go through a few dozen videos and pick a few out of dozens. A YT video that starts off with real content is rare. It doesn't matter if I missed some key information. I can replay it. A minute would be a long time for me to make a decision about whether I want to watch the whole thing. Often I am gone before that time.
So informative! I am going back to my brick wall ancestor and use the trifecta method. Thanks so much!
Fantastic
Thanks Connie! Yet another wonderfully helpful video. I appreciate the way that you present the information clearly and illustrate each point you are discussing. I'm excited to use this approach in my research.
Glad it was helpful!
Just what I needed--a process. Love the Trifecta idea! It's also helpful to think of the 3rd option as a variable, depending on the person/decade/location I am targeting. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I agree with the comment below about your clarity.
Thanks back at cha
Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge. I've been doing this for 40 plus years and pick it up and put it down. I have notes / notebooks / files, etc. But, had a hard time getting organized electronically. Thank you for sharing all of your strategies for organizing and researching a target ancestor. I've been at a brick wall for one of them for quite a few years, but hopefully this method will help to glean more facts about him :). Thanks again.
Thanks
Another awesome video! I watched this today and got started with it for a couple of hours. I've learned some new things already! Thanks, Connie, you are such a pro, and I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and ideas. Also purchased one of your shirts to show my appreciation!
Thanks Trish. I appreciate it.
I'm chasing rainbows with last name Jones in Mississippi. These people were either very humble or the first entrants into what we now know as the Witness Protection Program.
LOL... use the FAN club to separate the Jones'.
I’m a Jones as well and stuck on my 2nd great grandparents!
Really excellent content. I know just the ancestor to put this into practice with. You brought up some searches I had neglected, or not tried yet. Thank you!
Wonderful! Glad it was helpful.
Wow! Tremendously helpful. You are rockin it! Thank you 🙏🏻😊
You are so welcome!
This is so informative. Really expands beyond the "Hints".
Thank you!
Thank you, Connie, for including cost cutting tips!
Yes, I get it.
Love the comment about Henry and Rebecca. My 3rd great grandmother is Rebecca and her father is Henry. Many Quakers in my family. One of my possible greats donated 800 acres to start a meeting house in Virginia. I say possible because documents have not been found confirming two of my 5th great grandparents. Many, many people have him listed in their tree though. Trying to break that wall.
It seems like all Quakers had Rebbecca and Henry names in their family multiple times.
Thanks for your good ideas.
It wasn't clear what a "fan club" was.
From one of your spreadsheets you seem to define it as: Search using alternate spellings, Search of friends, associates, and neighbors, organizations belonged to, memberships
Good point! Here is a video about What is F.A.N. Club Research. ua-cam.com/video/pXODnErWXFw/v-deo.html
Watched this video and decided to follow your trifecta strategy on an ancestor that I thought I had the right documentation. A cousin helped me realize we had combined our ancestor with another one. They had the same name born the same year but in different states. I thought he may have moved but knew in my gut things didn't line up. A closer look and your trifecta method helped me see the error. I also found the slave holding census which really bummed me out. Since they lived in Virginia, I knew there was a good chance but seeing it on paper was a new reality. It showed an older female with 6 kids down to a 3 year old. Made me wonder if my ancestor had fathered any of them. Any ideas how I would be able to find this out besides DNA? Thanks for all you do, your videos are clear, concise and fun!
Excellent Sandy. Glad the Trifecta Strategy helped. Other than DNA, there might be court records, but DNA would be my first strategy.
What fantastic content! I’ve been hoping to find an experienced genealogist who would discuss research techniques. This makes me think outside of the box!
Glad it was helpful! Keep watching. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. Thanks for the compliments.
Thanks Connie🙂
My pleasure.
As usual you are the best "explainer" on the internet. However, I'm not sure I'm clear about what a FAN club is. I would like that explained in more detail please
FAN = Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. It's a strategy to tie people and records together by looking at all people on the records... even witnesses, etc.
Good question. Thanks for the answer Connie.
Recently, I was looking for a brick wall. Desperate, as we've not come up with new information in years. A neighbor's name kept coming up. Found probate papers on the neighbor. The hidden gem...my 5th great grandfathers signature agreeing to be administrator of the neighbors estate. Was not expecting to find anything.
I have never heard of the FAN club, could you do a video explaining this please?
Yes I should. The FAN Club stands for Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. It is how we can tie people together to help prove we have the right person. It's also known as Cluster research.
I agree, a video explaining this would be very helpful to us new to genealogy 😊
How do I use Roots Magic to sync information from ancestry and family search?
Sorry, I don’t use roots magic so I can’t help you there.
Wish there was a checklist or crib sheet to remind us how to put this into action
Since you may find different information in each of the various sites, how and where do you consolidate all that information into a single data set
Joe, I compile it all in my Research Notes. One for each ancestor in my direct line... or anyone where I'm working a problem.
Great tips, Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Good points. I'd like to point out that there may be a high error rate in one or more of the three types of sources one uses, so take everything with a grain of salt. I have been using a variation of this strategy for years, and it's led more to frustration than busting through brick walls. And it's due to what people consider to be "gospel" (i.e. fact) in regards to their family histories. I do believe this is a solid strategy, but it can only be effective after constantly using a discriminating eye, and, potentially, WAY over 27 results.
👍 yes so true.
I have a peculiar situation with my 2nd great-grandfather. Some amateur hack genealogist in the 1960's assumed that ALL males with our surname in a 200 mile radius HAD to be related, wrote a book, and people assumed it was a correct theory and plugged the information into their tree. Once DNA technology became available in the early 2000's, the national organization for our surname sponsored a Y-DNA event, and my dad participated. Long story short, actual DNA science blew holes in that theory. As it turns out, only descendants of TWO of those men matched. My dad didn't even belong to their haplogroup.
However...people don't like undoing their family tree and leaving "holes" even when said prior information has been proven incorrect. I cannot get members of my own extended family to release that information even when presenting them with the science. Whatever paper trail might have been available 60 years ago when said fiction was published is no longer available so I'm still left with holes...and I'm a fair genealogical detective and historiographer.
I'm about to the point of publishing the Y-DNA data--which I painstakingly tracked down--in order to present science and have something available to offset the original fiction.
I would like to become a professional genealogist. Does anyone have any tips, classes to take, etc? Any advice is much appreciated.
Look up the ProGen Study Groups.
@@GenealogyTV Thank you.
Genealogy TV is that an online study or real classes??
Online. Google ProGen study groups and find website. Many pros have gone through the ProGen Study Groups. There are lots of institutes too. GRIP is one that comes to mind. There is no one path like there is to become a doctor or CPA.
Tried Family search , the site is difficult to use and a lot of wrong info on my family. Very frustrating
Yes. I try not to get frustrated by it. It is a great place for clues and records. Just like source, we need to verify it.
not sure if this is relevant, use My Heritage, when you get a hint?, if there is one from GENI go that one and it may give more than you have with their database, it was taken over by My Heritage but retains its own Base
I need info Inyo childhood of certain ancestry as well as European so any suggestions?
Can you rephrase your question? I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. For European, FindMyPast and Ancestry have great records, but I'd also look at FamilySearch and MyHeritage.
I have assembled family trees on Ancestry and FamilySearch. Is there a way to meld them?
Third party software like family tree maker can help you merge trees.
Hi Sue, have you had much experience researching scottish records? My moms mom and dad are both from Scotland, any ideas how to research without draining pocketbook at Scotlands people. You just can't look at the next-door neighbour or down the street, to see friends, or family. Records are not shown on ancestry.
Hi Deb, Connie here. The trick is knowing where they lived in Scotland before jumping the pond.
Where can I find this Trifecta Research Log?
Tancy, I believe you have this now.
Really good!
Thanks!
Hi Connie! I need an explanation. When we start the search from the profile, and then go to the Card Catalog to search Location, are we searching the catalog for our profile person? In other words, does the catalog search automatically grab information from out profile person? From 7:42 to where you go to the Card Catalog, I'm not sure if that's a separate search function, or step 2 (step 1 being the profile search).
Hi Terry. Great question.
The purpose of doing the location search in the card catalog first, is to learn what (in this case) Ancestry has to offer in record collections for that location.
At 7:42 as you pointed out, we drilled down to Randolph County, NC, USA. In that list, we can see that only one record pops up.
No matter the length of the list, I would then hover over each collection, right click, and "open in a new tab" each record collection in the list and search them individually, tab by tab in your browser. When done, just close the tab and move to the next one.
When you do the search you can type your ancestors name and in some cases Ancestry will auto populate a list from your tree. You can choose to use one or not. I tend to not auto fill because I want minimal information in those fields. Experiment with just names and the era they lived... play with different spellings too.
By searching this way, you are pulling up all possible record collections and will often find records (within those collections) the hint features filtered out.
The whole idea behind my Trifecta Strategy is to get in the habit of searching three different ways (Name, Location, & FAN Club), from three different sources (Ancestry, FamilySearch, and one other that makes the most sense).
Did that answer your question?
Connie, I am going to try this method for my brick wall great uncle. I am not sure I understand what the "fan club" is? Thank you
Wonderful! The trick to solving any brick wall is to use cluster research... aka FAN Club strategies. Here is an episode that explains how it works. It's called "What is F.A.N. Club Research for Genealogy and Family History?" ua-cam.com/video/pXODnErWXFw/v-deo.html
The leaves can be wrong also
Yes. Every hint needs to be evaluated. The word hint implies that it is a hint to the truth. Maybe it should be called a clue instead. A clue to be evaluated as to whether the evidence fits the situation or not.
Sorry, but I don't see where to download the Trifecta strategy printouts
Hi Joan Frank. I've posted it again in the Community tab blog posts. You should be able to get it there. Make sure you click on the "read more" part as the link is toward the bottom of the post.
Hello Connie! I love your videos! I would like to know which app would you recommend to search for italian ancestors. Thank you!
I would look at Ancestry and FamilySearch to start. Also see this video Get Started with Your Italian Family History Research here ua-cam.com/video/J6lPsSFVteY/v-deo.html
What is the “Fan Club”?
Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. Watch tomorrows episode. I answer the question.
MyHeritage's payment plans are very inconvenient for my budget.
They have free options.
@@GenealogyTV They just aren't as good as Ancestry. They don't offer month to month options and my tree is large enough that I wouldn't be able to see it if I canceled. With Ancestry I can take off a while and still see my tree and add to it even if I can't research or see my sources.
If you do research at an LDS (Mormon) church, you can use Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past, and several others FOR FREE. Family Search is already free. If you are a member of the LDS church, you can even use those additional websites at your home for free.
Good to know. Thanks.
I have a double decker brick wall. My third g-grandfather died presumably in the early 1840's in Tallapoosa Co., Alabama, as my third g-grandmother remarried in 1845. She had three children and her second husband in the home with her in the 1850 Tallapoosa Co., AL. I later found another daughter who was already married in 1850, because her mother and step-father signed a consent for issuance of a marriage license for her. We do not know the first name of my third g-grandfather and we do not know her maiden name. We do not know where they came from before they came to Alabama or if there were any more children. I searched everyone of the same surname in the 1840 census in Tallapoosa Co., AL and surrounding counties. None matched them and most were still in the 1850 censuses with their families. Arrena Welch my grandmother has not been found in any census in Alabama or Georgia, prior to 1850. I have conducted many off the wall searches just on the off chance that it would turn up anything at all. What is your suggestion as to what I could do next besides DNA as there are no direct male descendants from this line.
Get really good at FAN club research. a.k.a. Cluster research. Study the history of the area at the time. Were there migrations coming or going for a reason? Was there a major event (hurricane) etc. Was there a big boom in crops or other industry bringing people in or out? If so, where were they migrating to/from? Look for other record sets (military, religious, newspapers, southern claims commission, etc.... prior to 1850, not everyone was listed in the census records. Look at the state archives for special collections for that time/place. Look on FamilySearch... all of the other sites with trees.
Also look for the historical or genealogical society in the area for more info.
How can I email you with a question. I’m trying to use the Leeds method but looking for information on my 4ggparents. Thank you! I love your videos!
Thank you. You can try to get through to me from the contact link at genealogytv.org. I don’t want to post my email publicly here.
Laramie! My home town.
I want to go someday!
I just started doing research in January 2020, I am learning, but what is a "fan club"? I have a membership to Ancestry.com. To do this type of research, do I need to join yet another website?
Yeah... I guess I mentioned the FAN club assuming most knew about it. I will be doing a video soon about it. It means Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. In other words, research the people around your target ancestor (the one you're researching) and keep track of them. When they show up in other records, you know you have the right person. It helps verify records when you're not sure if the record you're looking at is the same person or not. Sometimes witnesses, siblings or other family show up in them which helps you match them to other records. Thus you're researching the community around your target ancestor to help complete a bigger picture of your ancestors lives.
on some site of genealogy your have to pay for all information that should be free for to research
Most research info is free when you do it yourself, ie you travel to the archive and look at the microfilm yourself and make your own copies.
What you pay for online is the work websites have done to scan thousands of pages and index them, and create software and run it off immensely expensive server equipment. This allows us quick easy access online which we pay for.
The method used here to find out what records are available for an area on Familysearch isn't the best. The best is to do a catalog search; you hit the "search" button, then "catalog". After that, where it says "Search by" you hit "place". Then, if you want records at the state level, type in "United States, South Carolina". This will give a list of records available at the state level, in the case of SC, things like colonial royal land grants and state land grants are available online. Or, if you want a particular county, type "United States, Illinois, Madison" and you'll get a list of records at the county level. And, of course, if you're looking for records at the city level, just add a comma after the county name and put in the city.
Some records listed for the locality won't be accessible online but in my experience most of them are, and even if it's indicated that they aren't, you should test the link because sometimes it's indicated that it's not available but it actually is.
To this add that a lot of state libraries and archives now have online content. For example, the LVA (Library of Virginia) has been adding images of county chancery lawsuits online for over ten years and they also have online images of VA land grants volumes.
I don't ever travel anywhere anymore for information. If it's not yet available online I just wait until it is. I don't use Ancestry for much more of anything other than a storage site so I don't have to store a ton of papers at home and don't have to worry about what happens if/when my computer breaks down- all I have to worry about is what I'll do if Ancestry folds, lol.
To that let me add that most online family trees are worthless because full of errors or even outright lies that someone perpetrated fifty or more years ago in order to join some organization, so you're much better off to do your own research. One surefire clue that what's in an online family tree is bunk is that there are absolutely not actual record sources shown for the information... a printed family tree/genealogy/membership application is not a record source. Links to other people's trees are not a record source. Etc.
What am I trying to figure out. You are a good teacher for me...But I am not sure exactly why. Your approach is like mine.
Thanks, I try.
How do I become a youtube member, I would like to have access to the forms and handouts.
I’ve become a UA-cam member, bit still can’t find the forms.
I found the notes from your talk, but can’t find a reference to the excel worksheet. I already have office 365, is that a help?
Go to the Community Tab and scroll down the blog posts. There are two for the Trifecta Strategy. One of the two has the links to download the documents. Thanks for supporting the channel Tom. Let me know if you can't find them.
where is the print out?
Hey Thanks Melissa for joining the channel membership. Go to the community tab on the GTV YT channel. Scroll through the blog posts and look for the word HANDOUT. Those (with HANDOUT) are the member posts that have them. Open the post and click on the handout link... and download. You can download as many as you wish. Here is a short cut to the Community tab. Thanks again! ua-cam.com/users/GenealogyTVCommunity
Connie How can I find a parent of an ancestor in Virginia of a son who was born 1700/1705 Virginia. His name is Roger Bell and though I find a lot of the son Roger I can't find his parents. I think it is because his parents were probably born or lived in the 1600s. The records are few and I hope you can guide me into where to look. Also Roger's parent could have come from England or Ireland where the Bell name is common. I have searched for 20+ years
That's a tough question to answer. I'd start with the state archives if I were you.
all those I had to pay a membership to use it to get information that I look for cause every time I go to research the membership come up so don't tell there free information
Use google to point to those sites, and that will help a little. Yes, some of those sites are BUSINESSES and do cost money, but they occasionally have trial periods, so you can stack up your research queries for those times, and do that. I think Connie touched on some of that.
You can also try going to libraries or family history centers (when they reopen) and use their resources for free. (again, stack up your queries)
Your county library may give you free access to Ancestry library edition. You simply input your library card number to access the records. You will not be able to build a tree on that edition, but you will be able to see all of the records and email any promising records to yourself, or download them to add to your tree on your free account.
Good luck.
Yes thank you!
My Target Ancestor is my Great Grand mother's death Maude Lee Payne B- 1886 Mississippi- she died in 1913 -Red River County Parish, Louisiana/Texas - on the way from Mississippi to Texas - I found her wither her parents in the 1900 census in Mississippi When she was 14- she got married 3 years later in 1903 - still in Lee County Mississippi - She Got Married in 1903 in Lee County, Mississippi & she had my grandmother in 1904 in Tupelo - she went on to have 3 sons each 18 months apart - she was living in Petersburg in 1910 Census & no other records for her till the STORY of her death in 1913 - Red River county texas/Red River Parish in Louisiana -its like she vanished - I am having trouble find ANY info on her DEATH - Her Husband Tomas Finch McMullan/McMullen/McMullin - No records till 4 years later 1917 - Registered for the WWI Draft In Paris Texas - stating he was a farmer there - with his nearest Realtive was a Pearl McMullan not a clue who this is - 3 years later in 1920 he's BACK in Kirkville, Mississippi & he's remarried & serval records for him till he died years later - His Brother Grover Married Maude's sister Maggie Leona - she also died young--- All my grandmother could tell me that she Remembers traveling a lot when she was little and one day her mom was gone as she was only 8 years old when her mom died - and a bit later she got her step mom that she grew up with - this is a bonified Brick wall - as I have scowered everything I could think of to try to find her - - KEEP up the great work here - ALWAYS impressed with the info you present
Don't know what FAN club is?
It is an acronym for friends, associates, and neighbors.
and the free trail are not free either after you click on it it goes to credit card information so don't I've done all of it so I'm at a brick wall I've done my Dna through my heritage and familytree finder but would like to do more research but can' on my heritage our ancsetry our family search our on find my pass
There is a difference between a Free Trial and a Guest Account on Ancestry. With a guest account on Ancestry, you can build a tree, see some records and chase hints to see if they look promising. Here is a video about doing free research that might help. ua-cam.com/video/V3t2xwY7zVE/v-deo.html
With Family Search it is a Free site, but you do have to set up an account. All that requires is your name and email and a password of your choice. This is because of the requirements of the places they have accessed the records they provide free to you. There is no fee unless the image of the record is at a paid site via a link on Family Search. The transcript is free.
@@rover790 I use family search and every time I want tosearch the it come up with a credit card to get information that should be free to you to reseach
@@dorothygallagher7690 I have never had Family Search itself request my credit card number, but if I click on something like a census image or some other record that originally is from Ancestry or Find My Past, it comes up with a warning that I will be accessing a paid site to see that record so I don't go further.
@@dorothygallagher7690 what information are you trying to access that they ask for your CC? If you are having trouble contact Family Search help section.
Oi vey! I think I need to sit down and make that question and person. I think I have the correct relationships established in my tree because of DNA, but a name change that came from the trip across the pond has proven to be problematic. So I am thinking my person has to be plural. I need to place a son with a father with different last names.
Be careful about searching for ancestors in specific counties and towns. I grew up in Baldwin Park California. I found myself in the 1950 census records with my parents however we are shown living in El Monte California. El Monte is the town adjacent to Baldwin Park. Check to see what the area you're looking in was called at the dates you're researching. My twin brother and I were 1 in 1950, the transcriber listed my brother as 2 and me as 7 even though it clearly is marked 1.
Going back in time this happens a lot. Another example is people born in the 1700's in Tennessee. Tennessee was first called Transylvania, then The State of Franklin, then it was part of the Carolina's and only during the revolution did it becomes Tennessee. And in fact, until the Revolution Tennessee and the entire Owens Valley was referred to as Lower Canada.
Another thing is until after the Revolution people born in the Colonies were born in The British Colonial Colonies (BCC) not the USA. The territory of the Colonies stopped at the Appalachian Mountains. If your ancestor was born before 1814 in Louisiana, then they were Spanish Louisianan subjects
California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and all of the Western States belonged to Mexico until 1843.
Oklahoma was Indian Territory until abt 1914.
not if you can't get in to them without pay a big some to do the reseachon you genealogy
I’ve been using family search (fs)double checking with geni through google, so building my tree on fs but then building & using hints on ancestry as I find also ancestry uses fs as well & at times I’m using MyHeritage. But am checking at times with find a grave. So I guess that’s a bit beyond the trifecta ? But still looking for more Info or anything. Might try these mentioned if not already doing it though but are there more recommendations?
Good! You're looking in all the right places. Try to do the same searches, Name, Place, and FAN club members on all the sites in the different ways described, it takes time, but sometimes there is gold at the end of the rainbow.
I used to use my heritage in my research then I made the mistake of making an account. Now I can find a dang thing.
Starts at 1 min mark
I'm trying to make those openings shorter.
@@GenealogyTV It's not just you. Yours are shorter than most! I think YT producers think of the intro as if they had a captive physical audience of people who had never heard of them, and a fixed amount of time on a conference schedule. You give people some time to get mentally prepared to hear your message, etc. A YT video is an entirely different medium.
As a YT viewer, faced with a list of hundreds of videos I would like to watch if I had plenty of time, I glance at the length of the video, listen to a little of it to decide what playback speed to set, and as I watch ask is this really a high priority. Then I might jump to random points to see what's there. It's like flipping through a book at the library to see if I want to borrow it. I often click to "Save/Watch later" and then come back to go through a few dozen videos and pick a few out of dozens.
A YT video that starts off with real content is rare. It doesn't matter if I missed some key information. I can replay it.
A minute would be a long time for me to make a decision about whether I want to watch the whole thing. Often I am gone before that time.
Good feedback. Thanks.