Naturalizations could be registered
at any court. Many people registered
at the NEAREST
court, not
necessarly the one with local jurisdiction.
Ancestry
Finding Aid:
On the home page for
Ancestry the upper menu bar contains : 'Home, My
Ancestry, Search, ...'.
Click
on
'Search'. Toward the upper right of this window is a box titled
'Search Resources'. Click on 'Card Catalog'. You can find
databases and books by searching in the 'Database Title' field. Note
that in the lower part of that window you can also browse database
titles.
With
thanks to John
Weaber for this tip.
=============================================================================================================
Taking
a Step Back to Review
In a world where we can click and add a record to our tree, it's easy
to lose track of all the details we find in a record. As we continue to
gather records, a lot of clues get lost along the way. Periodically
it's important to go back and do a comprehensive review of what we have
accumulated. If we look at the big picture, we're going to spot a lot
more opportunities for further research and we may find that the clue
you've been searching for has been sitting in your files all along.
Here are some tips for reviewing what has been found for an ancestor.
Take some time to step out of the search mode and gather all the
information you've found on an ancestor. Grab a pad of paper or open up
a blank document on the computer to take notes. (If you're like me and
are tempted to run off and investigate the first item you find, you
might want to stick with the pad and paper and leave the computer off.
Many a review session of mine has gone unfinished because I saw
"something shiny in the distance!") Inventory the records you have
collected on the person, and go through and re-read them, taking notes
on any thoughts that come into your head. Make to-do lists as you find
things you'd like to follow up on. I use charts liberally in my
reviewing. For example, if I have an ancestor whose age is inconsistent
in multiple records, I'll create a chart of all of the places where I
have an age for that person, and estimate the year of birth. When I
look at the big picture, sometimes it's easier to figure out what
record or records are more likely to be correct. I've also created
lists of sponsors for families and have often found relations within
these lists. Once you've completed a thorough review, you're sure to
have a healthy to-do list. Now it's time to power up that computer
again and start tackling whatever you can online. With the information
fresh in your mind, your chances for success are very good!
Thanks to Ancestry's
Julianna Smith
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