What's Your Problem?

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While the NGS Monthly is free, I've been going through these short to-the-point articles. WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? by Aaron Goodwin put a point on the issue for me and how I've been doing research lately. Mr. Goodwin stresses setting up a standard: start your plan with a focused question based on known information. [1]

What's the Question?

I realize that while I have been posing some research questions, they may not be based on known information. So my first action is to created an extremely detailed timeline of Effie McBee's life, since my first question is about her last husband, Mr. Hunt, when and where they married and when and where he died. I think this is necessary to find out when and where she died. Her last known married surname and location is in her older brother's obituary:



What Facts are Known?

Effie was my great-aunt, so not a huge brick wall. I know who her one child was, and the descendants of that child. Still, I want to know when and where she died. Already in the gathering of this detailed information, I have a clue to when her sister Rosa died. I never noticed before that her mother, my great-grandmother, gave different answers to the questions about how many children she had in 1900 and 1910. 1900: 7 born; 5 living. 1910: 7 born, 4 living. The deaths of this family are known, except Effie and Rosa. Effie is definitely alive in 1910, which means that Rosa died between 1905 and 1910. Now to find evidence of that!

Create a Detailed Timeline

Before this, I'd been making do with the built-in timeline on Ancestry.com. Since I want to test out working in a far more focused way, I've created the detailed timeline. It has been quite a bit of work; so far it is well worth the trouble and I've already found new facts and new side questions, such as Rosa's death. 


I decided to keep track of the timeline at Wikitree since it is available to all, and it fits right in with the WikiTree mission. You can see the timeline on her profile: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/McBee-250

I'm really happy I've done this work, because so many avenues have come to light. If you haven't tried this, pick a smaller question, and dig in!

1. Nancy A. Peters and Allen R. Peterson, “Editors’ Corner: Start with a Plan,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 107 (March 2019): [3]; PDF, NGS Quarterly Archives (www.ngsgenealogy.org/ngsq/ngsq_archives/ : 22 May 2019).


Valorie Zimmerman

Comments

  1. ValorieFebruary 4, 2024 at 7:21 PM

    By the way, I have found Effie in the 1950 Census living with Mr. Hunt. I have found his first marriage and family and even his death, but nothing beyond 1950 for Great-aunt Effie. Someday, perhaps....

    ReplyDelete

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