American

United States Public Records, 1970-2009

13 Mar By Dwight

If you are seeking to either fill in recent data in your research or trying to locate family members lost to you, then FamilySearch has the database for you. Their database “United States Public Records, 1970-2009” is similar, yet different to the Ancestry.com version of public records.

On 15 January 2015, I blogged on the Ancestry.com “U.S. Public Records Index.” It is taken from non-restricted records covers all 50 states from 1950 through 1993. The FamilySearch and Ancestry versions work very well together. The FamilySearch database is free.

The FamilySearch database indexes the names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, and possible relatives of individuals from throughout the United States. The sources include telephone directories, property tax assessments, credit applications and other records already easily available to the public.

It is important when using such a database that the information can be obtained with little effort elsewhere. The databases simply bring a variety of public sources into one searchable format. This means you may find the same person listed several times. A good explanation of what constitutes a public record in the United States can be found on the accompanying link to the database “Learn More” which directs you to the FamilySearch Wiki article “United States, Public Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).”

You will be able to track the movements of individuals; making this handy if you are researching living descendants of an ancestor. Where you have to be careful is you find multiple people by the same name. Knowing a specific birth date or year can help considerably. Also be aware one record may include a middle name and another one may not; yet they are for the same person.

If you contact someone through a public records database, that person may raise privacy questions. “How did you find me?” Simply direct them to the database itself and assure them you found them through the use of public records, not private records.

If you would like help with your genealogy needs please call 385-214-0925.

U.S. Public Records Index

15 Jan By Dwight

I was consulting with a friend the other day who was writing his family history for publication. He was missing some details on distant cousins. I suggested he look at the two-volume “U.S. Public Records Index” hosted on Ancestry.com.

The “U.S. Public Records Index” is easy to overlook on Ancestry.com. You may have use the “Browse Card Catalog” feature to quickly find it.

The information, which frankly is public record, covers all 50 states from 1950 through 1993. It may be a little shocking for some to know what is considered public record in the United States. However, setting any concerns aside for the moment, be aware, Ancestry.com is simply hosting, not actually generating, the information. The data is already available to the public in other formats. Information may include:

A person’s first name, middle name or initial and last name
A street or mailing address
A telephone number
A birth date or birth year
An age

The information is taken from; voter registrations, public filings, historical residential records, various household databases, white pages of the telephone book, directory assistance records, marketing lists, and postal change of address forms. Now saying this, you have to be aware that sometimes an exact date is not attached to the information cited. Yet, for other entries, for the same person, a year is provided making it relatively easy to reconstruct a time line.

There are some limitations. Persons under 18 years old are not listed. Also you may have to look for a female under the name of a former spouse or partner. The best method I have found to use this database is to try all the name variations, such as Patrick Neil Kelly, Patrick N. Kelly and Patrick Kelly. Because the name is common, especially without the middle name, I try to find a birth date. For the deceased you can search the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and usually get that. With a place of residence or a birth date, you will find the databases relatively easy to use.

When used responsibly, databases such as these can be a treasure trove of solid information from which to track down the various branches of your family.

If you would like professional help with your family history call us at: 385-214-0925.

Baptist Archives in the United States

9 Oct By Dwight Leave a Comment

One of the most difficult tasks in Baptist research in the United States is the congregation was the most important entity. For this reason, records may or may not have been kept depending on the congregation. Another difficulty is determining what happened to a congregation, let alone it records. Types of records which can be helpful would include memberships, transfers in and out, disciplinary, adult baptisms and general minutes. The occasional death, marriage and biographical sketches are always handy.

Congregations are Created and Dissolved

In rural areas, congregations came and went. On the frontier, especially in places such as Mid-South in the 1830s, entire congregations were swept up in the rising tide of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. Thus, a one-time Baptist Church became a Christian Church! In settled areas, such as New England, a Baptist congregation may have been in the same town for several hundred years. Some congregations united with others or changed their names when they moved.

In your search for Baptist records, if you do not live locally in the area of your research, then contact the local genealogical society in the county starting with the links found on sites such as the USGenweb. The local state archive may also have deposited records. Never neglect the microfilm at the Family History Library

Major Baptist Historical Archives

For specific Baptist archives, your search query could use a combination of the word Baptist with Archives, Library or Genealogy. Main repositories are:

American Baptist Historical Society

Free Will Baptist Historical Commission

The Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois

Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives

Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society

If you are wondering about your Baptist ancestry, click here to begin your journey…