Category Archives: Research Tips

The Historian’s Historian

If you have ever checked out the acknowledgements in a non-fiction book, particularly a history volume, you will find that the author credits at least one archivist for help. It is virtually impossible to write a credible history without visiting … Continue reading

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Were the Good Old Days Really So Good ?

Do you ever find yourself longing for those good old day, when everything seemed so cheap? Or at least, everything seemed cheaper than today’s prices. Using old newspapers as often as I do, I am astonished to find grocery prices, … Continue reading

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Finding Absolute Treasures in Special Collections

Recently, I wrote about a terrific conference sponsored by the Dallas Genealogical Society that I attended earlier this month. One of the most useful topics discussed was Finding Aids. Finding Aids can be found in many libraries, archives, special collections, and … Continue reading

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From a Simple Question to an Interesting Search

It all began with a simple question. Why did Rhoda sell eighty acres of her husband’s 320-acre homestead in 1864 when he was still living and supposedly without his consent? Perhaps it was because Texas is a community property state. … Continue reading

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Claims for Confiscation of Cotton

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram of April 7, 1914 noted “R. F. Spearman of Greenville had been chosen special counsel for the Department of Justice to represent the government in claims arising in Texas during and after the Civil War for … Continue reading

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1940 Census

At 12:01 A.M. Monday, April 2, 2012, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will release the long-awaited 1940 Census data. After a seventy-two year wait for privacy reasons, the public will learn about ancestors who survived the Great Depression … Continue reading

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Using State Archives

Last weekend I was in Austin, Texas, for a Texas Historical Commission workshop.  I played hooky one afternoon to visit the newly renovated Texas State Archives.  For years I have researched there.  The records and staff were great, but the … Continue reading

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Divorce Records in the Courthouse

My last blog encouraged readers to go into the courthouse and hunt for treasures found there.  I gave a few gentle clues regarding good courthouse manners.  Now, it’s time to use some of those records. For me the most interesting … Continue reading

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Working the Courthouse

  There are some great legal records hiding in county or parish courthouses just full of genealogical information.  But they are not often consulted for various reasons.  Some researchers are leery of the courthouse.  They feel the staff members in … Continue reading

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