I am in need of some direction.
I am new to Genealogy and vastly confused. I know not to just click on other peoples tree, because I have already found lots of issues.
I am looking for my 2nd great grandfather, David M Riggle. The problem I am running into is I have different state census which have him born in two different states. It isn't just one census, there are numerous ones with these different states...same wife, same kids...etc... His death and children are the same, but the place of birth is confusing. Born: Birth 10 April 1843 in Indiana, United States or Birth 10 April 1843 in Ohio, United States. Death 15 January 1903 in Corning, Adams, Iowa
If anyone has any helpful way to decipher this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Sarah Hendrix ps Happy New Year.....
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
Here are a couple of tips about the US Census.
The 1940 US Census is the only enumeration which cites the informant of the data.
This is important to understand. All prior census don't cite who gave (talked to) the census taker, even a neighbor could have been an informant (if no one was home in the household being enumerated, or language barriers between the census taker and informant proved to frustrating for the census taker).
Inconsistencies in the census data are quite normal, it seems less confusing with more experience. A general understanding is that earlier data is more likely to be factual, as the memory doesn't improve with age.
I looked at your data in your tree.I see you have his birth as 1843, but no 1850, 1860, 1870 Census. You'll want to search for those. The census lends where to search for BMD.
The further you go back, the harder research gets, documents become scarce. Ancestry.com is not the be-all and end-all to documentation. Less than 5% of genealogical data is on-line, that should put it in perspective.
If you haven't done so, take the time to watch "how to" videos in the learning center, if you're really serious there are a couple of excellent books on the basics, it's worth the time. Learning solid and good basics is the cure for confusion.
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
Thank You so much. I am looking into have books transferred inter-library, which I didn't know you could do. I found out last I could. I am finding out quickly people post stuff on their tree and no backing...it is a mess....and I thought it was just me getting confused with all the misinformation...
I would love to know which books you speak of. I was heading to Barnes and Nobles today, but have no Idea what to get... What is a good recommendation on the beginners aspect...and understanding DNA...which I had done and have no idea...
I will do the How to Videos...
Again, Thank You for taking time out of your day to help me....Sarah Hendrix
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
Your local library is a good and free resource, check out the many "How to" offerings (Dewey Decimal number 929.1) there! There's plenty of gene resource that's not free, so take advantage of free whenever you can.
One of my personal favs is Emily Croon's book, "Unpuzzling Your Past,"
Another resource is familysearch.org, the on-line are of the LDS. Their entire card catalog is on-line, film and books can be borrowed (the form is on-line), and sent to your local Family HIstory Center. Some of their holding are indexed and on-line, the bulk of it is not. Ancestry.com and familysearch.org "share" some indexing, but it's an independent site and more than worth devoting some time to poke around and learn what it offers.
Genealogical research is historical research, and it's a slow and thoughtful process, pace yourself and most important; enjoy!
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
Sounds like you are cautious and sceptical - which is an excellent approach!
I'm British and am tracing my American spouse's ancestry so like you I was a newbie a few years ago as far as US sources were concerned. I've found these two books to be very useful:
E,Croom "The genealogists's companio and sourcebook: a beyond-the-basics, hands-on guide to unpuzzling your past".
K.W.Hinckley "Your guide to the Federal Censua for genealogists, researchers and family historians"
Both are available cheaply second hand - try abebooks.com for example.
It's worth using the free resources on familysearch in conjunction with the ones you've subscribed to on ancestry. The various state censuses are very useful as they fall between the Federal censuses. Unless names are very rare, there is always a chance in a population the size of that of the US that there might be two families with the same surname and mostly the same forenames.If ancestors gave significantly varying information at different times it's worth wondering whether they might have been deliberately obscuring their past - and if so, why.
Good luck with your research!
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
I forgot to say:
When working back through the censuses and any other sources, its always best to try and work back sequentially as each successive source provides a better clue to where to look in the next source further back in time.
There is often a great deal of useful information and sources on the county and state sites within usgenweb.
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Re: I am in need of some direction.
I want to thank you...Awesome.. .I am going to order these books...I appreciate your imput so much..thanks a million...PS my moms side of the family and I myself were born in England....lots of history...
Again thank you!!!
Sarah Hendrix
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