Key in a door; public domain. Courtesy of Picryl. In genealogy and family history, context is "the examination of individual lives within the framework of a broader history" [1]. Context is Key Context is key because  context unlocks meaning in the records we uncover , and leads us to more (and better) records and collections. For instance, finding a land description and platting it is step one, then when the plat is on a map along with the neighbors, we can see who the ancestor knew, worked alongside, attended church with, and who the singles might have married. Learning the geology of the area leads to understanding what crops were grown, and so how the land shaped the daily lives of those living and working on it. Life on the Great Plains is very different from the hollers of Kentucky or the coastal plains of the East. People often migrated in groups, and in general chose to move to an area where their skills and knowledge would be useful.  Context for land acquisitio...

AI generated by Pixlr 30 November 2024 The Tingle Don't you love that moment in your research when you realize, that YES, you were right when you went out on a limb, and found something not in other public trees? And then, when you find that some of the supporting research work ahead has already been done? O f course you soon also realize that that means you are probably related to this family in multiple ways, which is why some of the work has been completed. Filling In The Map Or is that just me who forgets research from a year or more ago? This is the mixed blessing of pedigree collapse [intermarriage in small communities], FAN research [ f amily, friends, a ssociates, n eighbors], and tracking down DNA matches [people with whom you share significant sized DNA segments]! I dare you to add intriguing DNA matches to your tree, and figure out how you connect. There are so many rewards to taking the chance. One of them is revisiting old research. Tool Kit With this Burnett line, I ...

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 ...