The Importance of Revisiting

It's important to revisit sites(online or in person) which are actively adding resources or databases.  Once you have new information such as surnames or specific locations, reviewing helps.  Sure you  have checked the county books for the surnames you were researching in 2005, but have you checked them armed with the knowledge of the discoveries you've made since then?  It does make a difference.

Surnames are not the only thing you should check.  Make sure that you keep up with what is available for the areas.  How do I know?  Yesterday I noticed that a court record index was available that hadn't been accessible from home the last time I'd visited the online records available for a specific area of interest. While reading thru the index, I located a divorce record from 1886.  Given that information I was able to seek out the County Court Records book and find the page on which the case was recorded.  This record answered my question about what happened to the 1st husband of Tennessee Ferguson and why she was using her maiden name when she married husband #2(Henry F Hill.)  I'd suspected a divorce but couldn't locate court records from the time period.  I'd also searched for records on another case from the same general time period in that area and didn't find the years needed available.  Not sure if I just missed it or if it was added.  Just happy to have found it.  The FamilySearch Research Wiki is great for pulling together a locality resources guide.  

Revisit PERSI for those surnames and areas too.  There are many area resources which were published in Genealogy quarterlies that are helpful.  I found one this morning which contained a lot of Dyer Co TN resources.  it was the July 1972 issue of Ansearchin' News(from TN Genealogical Society).  You can access issues of Ansearchin' News which are older than 10 years thru the TN Genealogical Society's website.  The more recent quarterlies are behind the member paywall.  If you have ancestors who were in Tennessee check out the society's website and consider joining.  

Family History Articles, Updates and Ideas

I've been using the Allen Co. Public Library's Periodical Source Index(PERSI) to find what has been published and is out there on my families of interest.  You can order copies of articles of interest thru them or if you can find it available in the FamilySearch catalog at the Family History Library you can use FamilySearch's form for a lookup request.  

I'd submitted 3 articles on some of my families 15+ years back for inclusion in a county book or in the county quarterly.  I'd forgotten about it and have never seen the book but was able to find that they were published in a 2011 county quarterly.  Of course, they all are in need of being updated now.  A year after they were published, the 1940 Census was released and I found my great grandfather alive and living with my paternal grandparents.  He was apparently actually missed in the 1930 census or not enumerated in a way in which I've been able to identify him. In fact I still haven't found him in 1930 which is why it seemed likely that he was the James Jakes who died in 1922.  Add to that the fact that the Jakes are just bad about updating graves with the death dates and you can see how that might happen.  I have an upcoming article in a state quarterly that should provide an extensive update for his family. I do need to publish updates on the Morrow 2nd Great Grandparents and the Jakes 2nd Great Grandparents.  It can make you cringe when you look back on older research but it provides us with opportunity to learn.  Conclusions may not always hold water when new evidence is found and that's ok. 

With the release of the 1950 census this year I'm wondering what surprises others are finding.  I've located all of my immediate family and I'm now working on my more distant cousins.  No surprises so far for me.  Have you had any unexpected surprises from the 1950 census?

Even if you don't fancy yourself a writer it is good to get your thoughts "on paper."  Before family reunions I used to type up a progress report on the family history.  For example if I was attending the Luna reunion I'd write about the Luna, Pittman, Acuff, and Hale lines and put that in a 3 ring binder so that attendees could read.  Many times it would bring up some really good discussions or information from the older generations and on occasion,  exchanging of old family pictures.

My favorite way to keep my thoughts and notes together lately is to dedicate a Composition Book to a particular research topic.  I know these days people like the majority of their files to be digital but I seem to do better when I have a physical piece of paper or notebook.