Title: Big City Genealogy Research
1Big City Genealogy Research
- Cafi Cohen
- Education Chair
- SLOCGS
2Big City Genealogy Research
- OUTLINE
- Advantages/disadvantages
- Research process in big cities
- Urban research strategies
- Resources online and everything else
3Urban Research - Downside
- Bureaucracies
- Huge volume of records
- More unindexed records
- Difficult access
- Fewer volunteers
- More likely you will hire a researcher - APG
- Records in one large city will differ from those
in another large city
4- Urban Research The Upside
- Cities w/RESOURCES to collect/disseminate info
- City governments get more info on residents
- Vital records may begin EARLIER than elsewhere
- Example 1878 birth return Chicago,
IllinoisSource pilot.familysearch.org
5Genealogy Research Process
- Goal? Ask a question
- Existing research? Compiled sources?
- Research
- Find new data
- Original sources
- Organize data
- Filing
- Update database
- Documented family group sheets
- Analysis Correlation
- Set new goal, refine original goal
6Gen Research Process Modified for Big Cities
- Goal? Ask a question
- Existing research? Compiled sources?
- Pre-Research Each New Big City
- Research
- Organize data
- Analysis Correlation
- Set new goal, refine original goal
7Pre-Research
- Wikipedia articles
- History
- Jurisdictions
- Maps
- City Public Library website
- Online genealogy databases
- Google
- St. Louis genealogy
- italians chicago genealogy
- Record overview
- Ancestry use the Search Tab ? Card Catalog
- Family History Library Catalog
8Pre-Research Example
9- EXAMPLE St. Louis, Missouri Wikipedia info
- History
- 1830 population 5,000
- 1840 population explodes
- Influx of Germans, Bohemians, Irish
- Jurisdictions 1876 City of St. Louis secedes
from St. Louis County became an independent
city - Map
10- St. Louis Public Library - Genealogy
11Google St. Louis, Missouri genealogy ?
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13Record Overview - Ancestry
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15Record Overview - FHLC
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17Pre-Research
- Wikipedia articles
- History
- Jurisdictions
- Maps
- City Public Library website
- Online genealogy databases
- Google
- St. Louis genealogy
- italians chicago genealogy
- Record overview
- Ancestry use the Search Tab ? Card Catalog
- Family History Library Catalog
18Big City Research
- Create a Tool Kit Expect ?
- 1-5 hours to PRE-RESEARCH your big city
19Urban Research Strategies
- Difficult research
- Begin with your ancestral lines from rural areas
- In big cities, begin with less common surnames
- Shattuck before Kelly
20Urban Research Strategies
- Difficult research ? use proven techniques
- History geography pre-research
- Family sources first
- Solid generational links
- GPS
- Identifiers for direct/collateral ancestors
- Cluster genealogy
21- Family Sources First
- Info not necessarily available tomorrow
- Include collaterals
- Post your tree online post to message boards to
find unknown cousins
22- Solid pedigree evidence links Genealogical
Proof Standard - Reasonably exhaustive SEARCH
- Complete source CITATION
- ANALYSIS correlation of evidence
- RESOLUTION of conflicting evidence
- Soundly reasoned written CONCLUSION
- http//genealogy.about.com/cs/citing/a/proof.htm
- Excellent article - genealogical proof standard
23Genealogical Proof Standard
- Nemonic ? SCARCApplications Brick walls
Situations with conflicting evidence Big
Cities ? - Reasonably exhaustive SEARCH
- Source CITATION
- Source/information ANALYSIS
- RESOLUTION of conflicting evidence
- Written CONCLUSION
24- URBAN RESEACH STRATEGIES
- Difficult research ? use proven techniques
- History geography pre-research
- Family sources first
- Solid generational links
- GPS
- Identifiers for direct/collateral ancestors
- Cluster genealogy
25Identifiers for direct and collateral ancestors
- Needle in a haystack? Use identifiers ?
- Name
- Age/birth date
- Gender
- Birth/death place
- Residences
- Family members ?spouse, children, parents, sibs
- Occupation
- Ethnic group
- Religion
- School
26- URBAN RESEACH STRATEGIES
- Difficult research ? use proven techniques
- History geography pre-research
- Family sources first
- Solid gen links
- GPS
- Identifiers for direct/collateral ancestors
- Cluster genealogy
27- Cluster Genealogy
- Bag those collateralsBetter Christopher Kelly
than John Kelly - 1880 US census NYC John Kelly 771 hits
- 1880 US census NYC Christopher Kelly 11
hits - 1876 NY Times John A. Kelly, the man who was
killed on Friday night, was thirty years of age,
and although a dissolute character, was a member
of a respectable family living at No. 199
Mulberry street. He was a machinist by trade.
28Cluster Genealogy How-To
- Kimberly Powell article
- Sleuth Book for Genealogists
- The Family Tree Problem Solver
29- URBAN RESEACH STRATEGIES
- Difficult research ? proven techniques
- History geography pre-research
- Family sources first
- Solid generational links
- GPS
- Identifiers for direct/collateral ancestors
- Cluster genealogy
30Big City Sources Fun Tour
- Suggestions for first passes
- Examples
- Not a definitive list
- In-depth research ? Re-do the pre-research step
Cast a wider net
31Big City Sources
- Vital Records
- Death Indexes.com
- City Directories
- Censuses
- Medical Records
- Newspapers
32Big City Sources
- Vital Records
- Online
- LDS microfilm, books, databases
- Local
- Library
- Courthouse
- Gen Society
33Online Vital Records
- DeathIndexes.com
- Google for others
- SEARCH TERMS Philadelphia marriage records
- FOUND Philadelphia marriage index 1885-1951
34Deathindexes.com
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36Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio
37- City Directories
- Use in conjunction with other sources
- Multiple years useful
- No directory all-inclusive
- More than one directory published some years
38- City Directories
- Put together families at same address
- Online, search on ADDRESS only
- Indirectly find deaths widows specified
- Discover occupations
- Track families through time
- Multiple years same address ownership?
- Frequent moves renter?
1876 NYC Directory at Ancestry
39City Directories
1885 Philadelphia, Footnote
40- Censuses
- 1850-1870 US census, cities divided into wards
- Dual US 1870 enumerations for
- New York City, Philadelphia, Indianapolis
- 1880 second enumeration for St. Louis
- Families listed twice in same census
- State and special censuses
- NYC 1890 Police census
- 1905, 1915, 1925 NYC state census
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42James Pryor household 1870 NYC First Enumeration
11 Jul 1870
2nd Enumeration 19 Dec 1870
43Brooklyn, New York 1890 census
444 June 1900 US Census 99 E. 110 Street, New York
City
7 June 1900 US Census 223 123rd Street, New York
City
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46- Medical Records ?
- Medical category in city locations of the FHLC
47Family History Library Catalog www.familysearch.or
g
48Records Pertaining to Hospital on Blackwell
Welfare Island New York City, New
York Transcription 18 May 1910 Pryor James, age
80, born US, plumber Widowed Ward BAC Disease
20/880 Discharged 10 Sep 1910 Remarks 8
49Family History Library Catalog Boston
Massachusetts Medical Category
50- Newspapers
- NY Times online 1851-1925
- Historical Birth, Marriage, Deaths at Ancestry
51New York Times 1904
521908 NY Times
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55- Big City Research
- Beginner? Start elsewhere!
- Pre-Research
- History, geography, jurisdictions
- Sound pedigree links
- Genealogical proof standard
- Focus on IDENTIFIERS
- Pursue standard alternate sources
- Be prepared to hire a local researcher
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