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1500 questions
13
votes
3 answers

Could these three personae be collapsed to a single individual?

I believe that the following represents a plausible case to describe the life of one man. William Harley (3) Married Margaret Heathwood(e) in Brisbane, Queensland 22 September 1863 (Reg# 1863/B671) Died 25 Feb 1912 in Queensland (Reg # 1912/C1932).…
Fortiter
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13
votes
1 answer

Why would these 3 be buried westward facing?

3 related family members were buried (Church of England, deaths from 1913-1926) at Bell, Queensland cemetery facing westward. They are the only 3 doing so. What may have been the reason/cause for this change to protocol?
Peter
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13
votes
3 answers

Recording/verifying information from pedigree chart in Legacy?

I have recently received a printed pedigree chart of 20 pages. My mother is included in the chart. How/where do I start recording this information in Legacy? How/where do I start to verify the information? It covers England and Australia.
Charles
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13
votes
2 answers

What does "Effects under" refer to on proving a will?

On proving of a will in 1866 in Ramsbury, England, the executors state 'Effects under thirty five thousand pounds'. Was this a general figure for wills or would this represent a rough net worth?
Peter
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13
votes
4 answers

What is needed in a Name?

I wanted to find a way of raising this question within the limited strictures of SE so please bear with me on the explanation. When we think of personal names, we immediately think of given-names and surnames, often using the more informal and…
ACProctor
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13
votes
5 answers

Can anyone decipher the comment above Louis' name on this 1940 census record?

Finally posting my first question, after answering many ;-) The following 1940 census record from Bronx, New York has a comment written above Louis' name. It seems to start with "Party has" or "Party was" -- but I can't figure out the last two…
efgen
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13
votes
4 answers

Understanding why my relatives were in prison

1841 was a bad year for my ancestor William Walters and his family of Pont Wedwst in Cilrhedyn, Carmarthenshire, Wales. They buried one son, Samuel, aged 25, on 8th February 1841. And the Census of England and Wales taken on 6th June 1841 shows 2…
user104
13
votes
4 answers

Determining cause of 1908 death in France

How do I find the cause of death for a Thomas Gordon Dickinson who died in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1908? I have his French death certificate, but it does not state the cause of death, neither do the notices of his death in the local newspapers.
Geoff
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13
votes
3 answers

Has a modern genealogy been traced back to a biblical person?

I have heard claims that people have traced their genealogy back to King David of the Old Testament. But I've also heard that most (if not all) have major gaps or assumptions in the lineage. Is there any published genealogy that is properly sourced…
lkessler
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13
votes
2 answers

What is this individual's military service number?

Below is a clipping of a 1942 military document detailing promotions of personnel. The column listing "service numbers" seems to specify them in an abbreviated fashion. Given that assumption and specifically for the first individual (Nicholas B. Van…
fbrereto
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13
votes
2 answers

How can I get all the military records available through NARA (USA) for an individual veteran?

When requesting the military records for an individual veteran from the national archives, I was only sent the discharge summary. How do I know if there are any more records available for the individual? Is there a better way to request the records…
David Smith
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13
votes
2 answers

When should I publish my data to an online tree site?

I have decided to start my family tree again to include sources. I will use a software program to record the research. At what stage / how many individuals is it best to first publish to an online repository?
Garry
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13
votes
6 answers

Determining ethnicity according to ancestry

My sister, cousins, and other relatives speculate that my mom's grandmother was Jewish (for various reasons). I've heard people say at times things like, for example, "I'm 50% German" or "I'm 25% Swedish." This has to do with their ancestry. How…
Daniel
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13
votes
8 answers

How can I identify all the possible alternatives for a surname

My ancestor Mary Ann Harper is frustratingly elusive as mentioned here. However, Harper is a surname that would lend itself to different spellings in censuses, birth records and the like — Harper, Harpur, Harpe are just a few that come to mind — and…
user104
13
votes
5 answers

Organizing Research: Should I start a binder system?

In today's day and age, are newbies still starting binder systems? I am reading Unpuzzling Your Past, 4th edition by Emily Anne Croom and it is very good. She advocates binders that organize by generation and location. Probably three times as many…
Canadian Girl Scout
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