Are Siblings Important To Family History Research?

Brothers and sisters can prove to be life long friends or alternatively squabble their whole lives but they may not seem a significant part of family history.

Research is generally aimed at looking at your direct ancestors so your relatives' brothers and sisters may seem of little importance.  They do play a vital role in your investigations however!

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Elderly relations often move in with their children and you may find that elusive ancestor residing with a sibling of your direct ancestor.  If this is a female then she may have married so if you get stuck with where an ancestor ended up, it is worth looking at what happens to other family members such as siblings and checking out possible marriage records.

If you hit a brick wall with your research, siblings can be a great way of trying to get over your genealogical barrier. Looking at the family history of a sibling might bring clues to your own direct ancestry. Often, one person inherits all the significant documents or photos in a family and by looking at other people who share some of your family history, you may find information that is important for you also.

Siblings can also help add to the family story.  Although not direct line ancestors to your family, they were the children of your ancestors so have a great significance to the lives that your ancestors led.  

Often migration for example, was to give their families a better life and it can be interesting to look at how people fared.  Circumstances can often change quickly for these people.  Lack of opportunity or education often meant poverty but  a change of country could open up previously unimaginable ways to improve their  situation.

At Kin Tree recently, we had a case where we unexpectedly discovered a whole new part of a family story as a result of looking at a sibling.  We had the death certificate for someone and noticed that the person who had registered the death was the son-in-law of the deceased.  We had no record of a daughter as we only had  sons showing up on census records.  

It turned out there was a daughter who had left home by the time that the family had moved to Scotland.. We found her marriage and her death certificates which confirmed her parents' names.  The family had originally come from Ireland and we were able to track down a birth certificate for her in Ireland which gave us a start on the family's Irish roots.  From that, we were able to trace back two more generations of the family, taking us back to around 1804.

For a free and friendly chat about your family history, email us at kintree@ymail.com

Last article: Does It Matter How You Spell Your Name?

Does It Matter How You Spell Your Name?

Robert II

Today (19 April) is the anniversary of the death in 1390 of Robert II, King of Scots.  Robert II was the first Stewart King, the grandson of Robert Bruce and the son of Robert Bruce's daughter Marjorie and her husband Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland.

The name "Stewart" had been adopted by the the 3rd High Steward of Scotland as a surname, based on his position of "Steward" at a time when surnames were not very common.

It is an early example of how names can change because of a deliberate adoption of a spelling, a mistake or simply because there is not or was not a common spelling for a name.

Unusual names can  help

 genealogists

Looking at names today, we can see that first names in particular are spelt in a variety of ways.  In fact, many parents like to give their children's name a unique twist.  This can make it easier to search for someone but only if the name is correctly recorded.

Surnames now, are usually the same as one of the parent's surnames but once again, this is only as good as the person who recorded the information.

Many people spend hours looking for records and are puzzled when they come up with no results or find gaps where it seems unlikely that there should be one.  

Often people call in Kin Tree when they hit a problem like this.  We have the expertise to look for records quickly and this can save much time and money for those looking for their ancestors.  

What problems can be found when searching for a name?

A look at old birth, marriage, death and census records can show a different spelling on each occasion.  

Misspelt names can make it hard
 to track down ancestors
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Take the name "Baillie" for example.  Having researched the name as a surmane, we have seen it with a number of spelling variations - Baillie, Bailie, Bailey, Bailley, Baylee - all for the same family!

On top of that, if the name has been recorded by someone that has been told the surname but misheard it, then it may recorded as something completely different!  Our Ballie family had one recording of their name where a "P" replaced the "B" and suddenly they were recorded as the "Paley" family. 

Often when we are searching for records, we use an index of recorded names that have been transcribed for the index.  Sometimes these can be incorrectly transcribed and so the index will show the wrong name. When researching a family with the name "Burton", we found a record where the name had been transcribed as "Binton" as the "u" and "r" had been misread. Even though we searched for it using spelling variations it didn't show up and only using our expertise at looking for the family in a completely way, were we able to track them down.

Happy hunting and remember you can call on Kin Tree for a free initial consultation if you want help! Leave a message below or email us at kintree@ymail.com

Next article: Are Siblings Important To Family History Research?

Last article: First Cousin Once removed? Second Cousin? 

Find Out The Difference!

First Cousin Once removed? Second Cousin? Find Out The Difference!

Have you ever wondered about why some people talk about their 2nd cousin but others say their 1st cousin once removed?   Do you know the difference?  It is straightforward once you know what it is!  

At Kin Tree, we can provide you with charts showing the relationships between your ancestors but here is a quick guide.

We all know what a cousin is and they are our 1st cousins. 

• 1st cousins have two grandparents that are the same. 
• 2nd cousins have two of the same great grandparents but different grandparents. 
• 3rd cousins have two great great grandparents in common but different descendants after that.

and so it carries on back through the generations.

If you look at our chart below, you will see that 

• Hannah and Martin are 1st cousins as they share two of the same grandparents.  
• Hannah daughter Olivia and Martin's son Robert are 2nd cousins as they have different grandparents but share two of the same great grandparents.
• Olivia's son William and Robert's daughter Zoe are 3rd cousins

So what about a cousin once removed?

A cousin once removed comes into play where you have a common ancestor but are in different generations of the family tree.  If you are one generation different then it is called once removed, two generations is twice removed and so on. So your mother or father's cousin is your cousin once removed, your grandmother or grandfather's cousin is your cousin twice removed etc.

In our chart, look at how people are related to Kate.  

• Hannah and Kate are 1st cousins.
• Hannah's daughter Olivia and Kate are 1st cousins once removed.
• Hannah's grandson William and Kate are 1st cousins twice removed.

So To Remember

• 1st cousins: Share two grandparents.
• 2nd cousins: Share two great grandparents (but not the same grandparents)
• Cousins Once removed : One generation apart in the family tree
• Cousins Twice removed: Two generations apart in the family tree

Remember Kin Tree can help you with any questions you have about your family history so please get in touch!  Leave a message here or email us at kintree@ymail.com for some friendly help.

Last Article: Ten Tops Tips For Family History Research
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++++Ten Tops Tips +++Ten Tops Tips+++Ten Tops Tips +++Ten Tops Tips+++Ten Tops Tips +++Ten Tops Tips+++Ten Tops Tips +

Ten Tops Tips For Family History Research

1. Family Information 

Most families have access to some birth, marriage and death certificates so it is always a good place to start by asking relatives what information they have.  Families can also be a wealth of information on where people lived, their jobs and interests. These can all be keys to filling in your family's story. This is something that Kin Tree professional researchers will always encourage people to do.

2. What Do You Want To Find Out

Think about what you want to find out. Are you interested in birth, marriage or deaths, surname origins, places, occupations... Plan out how you will do this. You may find out that your interests widen as you find out information.  That's great but remember to add these new interests into your plans.  Kin Tree often find that people come to us for their family tree details but then ask us to research why a family might move or to give them more information on an occupation, a work place or the living conditions of the family.

3. One Branch At A Time

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Its not so good to try to do different parts of the family all at once.  It can be hard to not get confused with names, dates and places otherwise.  Whether doing research for one tree or like Kin Tree for a variety of families, its important to have files for each family and their branches.  Keep a note of where you get information.  It makes it much easier to go back and check if you need further information or to clarify anything. 

4. Keep Records Of Searches

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Keep a note of what you are doing. Recently, for example, one of Kin Tree's researchers was at a Scotland's People Centre and came across a birth where the mother's maiden name was not the one expected.  Although our researcher was fairly sure it was a mistake, she took the time to check out these new details for this mother - birth certificate, census records and a marriage - to check if this was a different person.  No details of anyone with the unexpected maiden name were found but our researcher noted down the research carried out.  This prevents duplication.  It is easy to forget what might have been done when you look back some time later.

5. Family Stories

Family stories can be a great source of clues to the past but sometimes they are not accurate. Our researchers were asked to find the death certificate of someone who was originally from Scotland but who had died in the USA.  He was supposed to have died helping to build one of New York's iconic buildings. The family had hit a brick wall and called us in to help.  We checked USA records on the person but could find nothing for a death.  We decided to check the Scottish records and found his death in Scotland some 10 years after the building was finished.  

6. Archives

Many archives hold great information unavailable elsewhere.  Often though these are not online.  Archives will be indexed in different ways so if you don't find the information you are looking for, try to think of a different way of looking and you may be surprised at the results! Kin Tree have experience of accessing a wide range of archives so please get in touch if you need some help.

7. Write Down Your Thoughts

Have a notebook to jot down your thoughts as you go along.  This is great for when something pops into your head at a time when you are busy but you might forget later. It's especially useful when you are searching records and it makes you think of a follow up which might also be relevant to another branch of the family tree.  

8. Be Sensitive

Sometimes you will find out unexpected information which you may find fascinating however others may feel sensitive about what you have found.  Kin Tree would suggest that you talk to people about the information before putting it all down in a book.  Kin Tree would always pass on this information but never put it down in black and white without permission.

9. Looking To The Future

If you are attending a family event, record who was there along with the date and place.  Was there anything out of the ordinary - perhaps a wedding in a location with a significance to the couple etc? What might be known to you will not be known to future generations when your family history book is passed on.

10. Expert Help

Professional genealogists such as those at Kin Tree have a wealth of knowledge which can be very useful. Do you need help when you hit a brick wall or can't access an archive yourself? Would trawling through records cost too much? Kin Tree can help save you time and money as our expertise means we know what is possible and practical and are used to costing out research. We have studied not only genealogy but also history so we can provide a rounded service to give you an extensive picture of your family's story.

If you have any questions or enquiries, please contact us! 

You can contact us by email:  kintree@ymail.com

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Next Article:  First Cousin Once removed? Second Cousin? Find Out The Difference!