Hot Tips from the National DAR Lineage Research Committee
Research Reminders
Use a pencil until you have evidence. Then use your pen.
Write on only one side of your paper. Don't mix family lines on a single sheet of paper.
Start with what is known. Always work from the known facts to the unknown.
Record positive and negative results. Note if person/family is or is not in a location.
Check through each book. Read the front pages and be aware there may be more than one index.
Look closely at the Index, some use subjects and not personal names.
Look for name variations. Check variant spellings - phonetics and imagination were often used.
Use maps. County and State lines changed from time to time. Check surrounding Counties.
Pay attention to chronology. How old or young is the mother? Is there a generation missing?
Try the "whole family" approach. Follow brothers, sisters, aunts,and uncles.
Use inter-library loan. Ask your local library for information.
Review and re-evaluate. Are there facts that don't fit or were missed?
Use As Clues Only
Family tradition. Information passed down by word-of-mouth can be and is interpreted differently.
Undocumented family genealogies and County histories. They can contain both truth and error.
Similar given names. It is not unusual to find the same name in different states at the same time.
Informatin from computer on-line services. Passed on in good faith does not mean it is correct.
Information from genealogical indexes. Some have slightly different enties for the same person.
Linage Society books. Use as a guide only. May not have correct information
Birth Records
Birth date evidence. Look for Church records, tombstones, Bibles, etc.
Look for Poll Tax and Jury lists. They are evidence of legal age.
Jr. and Sr. may not be related. It could be a younger and older man living in same area.
Marriage Records
Marriage Records. Witnesses and Bondsman could be related to either party.
Marriage evidence. Look at Deeds. They may contain information about the wife.
Death Records
Death evidence. Check for Wills, Letters of Administration, and final Estate Settlements.
Land Records. Use them to separate two persons of the same name in the same community.
Proof of Residence
Tax, Jury and Militia Lists. These are indicators of residence proof for the Patriot.
Land records. Use to place individuals in a specific time and place
Missing land record. If the family lived there for generations, the deed may not have been recorded.
Looking for migration. Check the neighbors and relatives, they often moved together.
Check Deed books. There may be a Power of Attorney in the State of prior residence.
Location of land. This is not always in the County where the purchase is recorded.
Linking Generations
Wills were not intended to be a complete family record. Look at Deeds and other legal records.
Pension files. May contain birth date and place and the names of the wife and children.
Birth records. Be sure to ask for the complete record with the parents' names.
Find the family in each possible census. More than one generation may be listed in household.
Document No. Rgg-1002 (August1995) (0895-1000-PS)
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