Articles by Angela Breidenbach

Angela Breidenbach, PLCGS, is the Executive Director at the International Institute of Genealogical Studies. She's a multi-published author, speaker, and presenter. Find out more about her books at https://AngelaBreidenbach.com

What’s New? Skill-Building: Breaking Down Brick Walls

What’s New? Skill-Building: Breaking Down Brick Walls

The National Institute is proud to announce our newest course, Skill-Building: Breaking Down Brick Walls. Brick walls are a reality in genealogy research, but fortunately there is hope. In this course, we  look at a variety of strategies you can implement to help turn your research roadblocks into breakthroughs. We begin with a quick refresher of some key research concepts to help focus your research and prepare you for success. Next, we walk through some simple steps to get you prepared for the journey. Finally, we investigate four different approaches you can use to do some brick wall busting. By the end of this course, you should have some new ideas for researching brick walls and the inspiration to forge ahead. Written by genealogist Julie Cahill Tarr, this 8 week course will teach you the methodology you need to solve your toughest research problems. A comprehensive course full of practical examples, Julie says, “I wanted to give students a variety of ideas to help them reframe their research and forge ahead on those difficult ‘brick wall’ ancestors. Instead of telling students about the various techniques, I show them ways to actually implement these strategies and give real-life research examples for further illustration. My hope is that students will walk away from this course with new ideas they can try immediately, and with a renewed sense of hope.” Because this course was created for the professional or the serious minded researcher, it is advised that you complete the Analysis and Skills…

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Some Thoughts On Researching US Occupations

Each  individual  researcher’s  quest  to  understand  their  ancestor’s  “life’s work”  will  have  its  own  twists  and  turns. There  is not  one  record  or  one repository  that  will  give  you  all  the  answers. Before you begin your  research using a specific record, have a general idea what might be found in that record. For  example:  If  you  are  working  in  county  land  records  what  type  of information  would  you  expect  to  find  about  a  person’s  occupation? Here are just a few examples: their stated occupation (i.e: blacksmith, yeoman, trader, etc). location   of   where   they   practiced   this   occupation   (where  they purchased or rented their land). location  of  where  they  last  practiced  their  occupation  (statement  of  a location other than the current county of residence). any partnerships or corporations. where they learned their trade. where they might have acquired their tools. any business difficulties, bankruptcy, sheriff sales, etc. did  they  buy  and  sell  land  repeatedly,  possibly  as  a  means  of  an income (land speculator). A land record has more to tell than the description of the land, and names of   the  grantee/grantor. You  must  evaluate it  with  a critical eye. Repositories  are  numerous  and  the following  is  a  short list  of  repositories that you should  be using: Family History Library and the local Family History Center Genealogy Libraries (Allen County Public Library; Midwest Genealogy Center; Sutro Library; DAR Library;  Clayton Library) Local library and the interlibrary loan system National Archives and its regional branches Library of Congress State Libraries and Archives County…

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Working for the Railroad: A Few Tips

    Spending this Labor Day holiday weekend researching your family tree? Good! Consider learning more about  the occupations of your ancestors. For many, railroad jobs figure prominently in their  family’s story. Here’s a few tips for researching railroad employees from our course US: Occupational Records. The development of the railroad system in the United States opened up new frontiers. It employed people in all aspects from surveying and construction to the porter, conductor and engineer. Some of these individuals worked directly for a specific rail line while others worked for companies that contracted with the rail lines. The first place to begin research for a railroad employee that was employed after 1937 is the Railroad Retirement Board. The Railroad Retirement Board was formed in the mid-1930s, under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935  and began maintaining records in 1936. Until 1964, Railroad workers received a special Social Security number, numbers starting with 700 to 728, and a separate pension plan. The Board’s primary function is the administration and payment of railroad pension funds. The Railroad Retirement Board maintains a genealogy web page with helpful information for researching railroad employees. They will perform a search of their records for a fee. For more information about what is available and how to request a search, see their website. Please note: the Railroad Retirement Act did not include street, interurban, or suburban electric railways. If your family member worked for a railroad before 1936 the Board does not have those records. To locate a…

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What’s New?: Manitoba Ancestors Course Updated

What’s new at The National Institute? An update to the course Research: Manitoba Ancestors. Have Manitoba ancestors? This course will help you learn more about the specifics of researching in this area. The course description states: “Permanent settlement in Manitoba began in the early 1800s. This course will demonstrate how the records the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Dominion, provincial and municipal governments created help the genealogical researcher trace ancestors in Manitoba. Emphasis will be placed on how to access the records and how to use them effectively. Although the focus will be on the major government and religious records, the course will demonstrate how to supplement these records by using local newspapers, cemetery records, community, school and church histories. Other important resources to be discussed are the collections and programs of genealogical, historical and ethnic societies in Manitoba.” Check out the Course  page to learn more.

Planning a Cemetery Trip

  by Tami K. Pelling, PLCGS. Staff, The National Institute for Genealogical Studies Just  as  many  of  our  ancestors  frequently  visited  cemeteries  on  Sunday  afternoon  to  enjoy  a picnic, tend to the care of a gravesite, or pay respect to their loved ones—we follow in their footsteps. A picnic in the cemetery as a child with my great aunt, Lucille, is a memory that I will always treasure.  Another  childhood  memory  that  I  hold  just  as  dear  is  traveling  from cemetery to cemetery with my mother and Lucille to place flowers on  graves of family members—every holiday, birthday, and anniversary—of course, during the warmer months. So now that it’s summer, you might be ready to plan your own cemetery trips. But first, a bit of caution. Safety first!  It doesn’t matter whether you are visiting a big city cemetery or a pioneer cemetery surrounded  by  cornfields and  woods. Safety cannot be emphasized enough–take someone with you and bring a fully charged cell phone! In planning a cemetery trip, the first item on the agenda is to learn the location of the cemetery or cemeteries you wish to visit and determine if they are located on private property, governed by a trustee, association, organization, or corporation. If you are unfamiliar with the area, you may wish  to  contact  one  of  the  local  funeral  homes,  genealogical  or  historical  society,  library,  or government office to determine ownership. At the same time, inquire whether the cemetery has an office along with contact information. It…

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