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1500 questions
9
votes
3 answers
Huguenot lineage from Flanders creates a brick wall
I have been researching the family history of my wife and I, and whilst researching my wife’s family history, it appears that her mother was descended from Huguenots.
My wife's mother's maiden name was Hoste and her lineage involves people such as…
Chris Rogers
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9
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What WPA projects took place in my (or my relatives') hometown?
Several of the city directory listings I've found list people as being employed by the WPA (Work Projects Administration).
In the comments on Thanks for one government “boondoggle”, on the blog The Legal Genealogist (posted on June 21, 2012 by…
Jan Murphy
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9
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4 answers
What are some strategies for limiting the expenses involved in genealogical research?
This is a community Q&A that came out of the Genealogy.SE Weekly Chat from 30 November 2013
Canadian Girl Scout has previously noted how quickly the expenses can add up when you are serious about your genealogical research. There are online site…
Verbeia
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Who would someone in convict shipping to Australia (ca 1830s-1840s) have worked for?
My great-great grandfather, Walter Cole, was born at Ottery St.Mary, Devon, England in 1810. The family oral history is he shipped convicts to Australia approximately in the 1830's and 1840's. He married Grace Williams in 1843 and had 3 children.…
Jane Ryan
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9
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1 answer
How soon after birth would Roman Catholic baptism normally occur in early 18th century Germany?
In Germany during the 18th century (esp. early 18th century), how soon after birth would baptism commonly take place? Of course it wasn't the same for every child, but was there some sort of usual time frame to be christened? Was there a specified…
Luke_0
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9
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1 answer
Where to find records relating to Great Britain's Black Act?
Family story indicates that a John Edmonds, born about 1716 in Wales, was banished to America about 1732 for "dogging a pet deer". Supposedly, he settled around Jamestown, Virginia.
Having recently become aware of Great Britain's Black Act, I…
woman among men
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Is there a comprehensive repository of pre-1841 local censuses in Britain available online?
The first national Census in Britain was in 1841, but there are several local enumerations of populations of particular parishes and towns, for example:
The parish censuses listed in the answers to this question
The 1795 census of the parish of…
Verbeia
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9
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3 answers
Sources of German birth records (outside FamilySearch)
Most of my ancestors are German or Russian and I tend to use FamilySearch a lot. However, about two months ago, the search stopped working for me and I haven't yet found a fix.
Are there any other online databases of German birth records,…
Luke_0
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9
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3 answers
Who are the Ancestors of William Yensull?
William Yensull (also spelled Yensule or Yencule) became a Naturalized Citizen of the United States on April 20th, 1896. Based on his Naturalization Certificate, issued in the Illinois county of Christian, he was previously a citizen of Russia and…
Xavier Casto
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9
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1 answer
Using lead with discrepancies to break down brickwall?
I have hit a brickwall in my family research but have a possible lead. However, there are some discrepancies in this lead. I have gone to extra-ordinary lengths to research this and I am almost at the point of giving up.
My question is, are these…
stephenmyall
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9
votes
3 answers
Is there a standard reference for alternative forms of a given or personal name?
I learned as a child that Uncle Jim was really my father's brother James. As a beginning family historian, I discovered that my g-g-grandfather often wrote the same name as Jas.
I could learn more of these the hard way (by treating one person in my…
Banquo
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9
votes
2 answers
How can I archive emails and web pages in an easy fashion?
In about every genealogy program I can enter sources with an author, title, date, and text, but no matter where I look, this always means that I have to fill out some big form, and that's something I don't get.
What I mean is this: Emails are…
Enno Borgsteede
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9
votes
5 answers
Gravestones without date of death seems odd. Is it common?
One of my objectives is to find the gravestones of my ancestors. I notice many of them have date of death and age of the deceased instead of the birthday. This makes a certain sense to me since it's something known at the time of death. However some…
Duncan
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9
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1 answer
Sources for late 19th and early 20th century Belgium and France?
I have in my tree an interesting, if hard to pin down, individual named Francis (sometimes François) Unwin who was apparently born in Brussels around 1885.
I first encountered him in the 1891 Census of England (RG12/3653/73) when he was living in…
TomH
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9
votes
2 answers
Freehold and copyhold land in 18th century England?
The will of my ancestor, Matthew Wilson of Wannerton, dated 1776, refers to "my Freehold or Copyhold Lands or Tenements in the parish of Clent or elsewhere".
What do the terms freehold and copyhold mean? What is the difference between them?
Sue Adams
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