In tennis lessons years ago, the instructor kept stressing "follow through" which meant that the stroke was not finished once I hit the ball, but only when my momentum was used to set up the return. I learned the same thing when learning to shoot a firearm—steady, aim, fire, follow through.  It has taken years to figure out that follow through is important in research, for the same reason.  In order to get around my stubborn streak, I began the research log for a new project by identifying and prioritizing the most useful databases, then creating a citation for each database before digging into the searches. Getting the "dirty work" out of the way first made it easier to gather the other details, such as date consulted, search terms used, FANs identified, and analysis of any useful records found—even when there were no or negative results. Momentum is powerful! Follow through results in more effective research and saves a great deal of time. A FamilyHistoryFanatic...

David Rumsey Map Collection Genealogy Chat I had a great time at our latest Genealogy Chat session on 28 November. This is an open group that meets the fourth Monday of each month 1 - 3 pm Pacific time; no agenda, just whatever comes up. Land Records This last Monday we talked a lot about land records and where to find them. Alexis and Kathryn talked about the Tennessee State Library and Archives for records. Alexis showed us a set of plat maps for historic counties in South Carolina; the plats were for land granted before the Revolutionary War! History of the Old Northwest Sandra brought up David McCullough's book The Pioneers  for the settlement of the Ohio territory and the importance of the Northwest Ordinance in US history. Several people spoke up about their ancestors having gone to Ohio from other areas--New England especially Connecticut, Virginia and Kentucky. There was a great migration to Ohio and later to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois because of the federal ...

Was Sampson Caudill (1784 – 1863) the father of Hugh Caudle(1812--1859)? Genealogists and family historians have long speculated about the identity of the father of Hugh Caudle (1812 – 1859).   Clayton Cox, the genealogist and long-time authority on the Caudill family, never provided an answer. [1] An article in Cordell Clippings , the newsletter of the Cordell Family Association (now inactive) No.10, January 1994, may be the source of the many assertions that Hugh was the son of Sampson Caudle. [2] The Caudills (Caudles, Caddells, Coddles, Cordels, Codills, and many other spellings) are a large and well-documented family.   The first documentation of a Caudle in America is a Virginia Land Grant to Stephen “Cawdle” from King George of England in 1731. [3] By the time of the Revolutionary War, the family had migrated to North Carolina. [4] The family had begun migrating to eastern Kentucky by 1789. [5] TRACKING THE MIGRATION OF TWO FAMILIES In 1820, Sa...

The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. By Val D. Greenwood. Published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.; 3600 Clipper Mill Road; Suite 229; Baltimore, MD 21211;  http://www.genealogical.com/ ; 2017. ISBN 978-0-8063-2066-3. Paperback, $59.95. “Read Greenwood from cover to cover—several times or until you feel you have well learned its content” - Elizabeth Shown Mills Elizabeth Shown Mills' advice is for genealogists making the transition from genealogy as a hobby  to genealogy as a profession.  However, I believe it is good advice for all genealogists – beginning as well as seasoned professionals.   The Researcher’s Guide is both a textbook and a reference manual. The topics range from planning research to detailed explanations of various records; how to find them and how to use them.  It was first published in 1973, and Greenwood has updated and kept it current over the ensuing forty years.  At first glance, its 738 pag...