Hints on tracing your ancestry!

**sirdaniel1975** · 31st August 08, 09:13 AM

The below document is of a US patent, my grandfather's sister Catherine, invented a "Knitting needle." She is the child listed in the manifest above. I have swirled the # to protect the document. It is a photo copy and it took two copies and scans to get the image of the document. That explains the poor alignment of the document.

**sirdaniel1975** · 17th December 08, 08:55 PM

Well, www.ancestry.co.uk has been very helpful for me. Especially since I already had a good wealth of info from the family. A really wonderful thing that has happened is meeting a distant relative through the site.

As any good detective one is always a wee bit cautious when something like this happens. When the other person starts sending you photos from over 100 years ago with family members that you have photos of... well confirmation of the relation is pretty solid. Unless the person has somehow come up with the most unbelievable con that is imaginable. 100 year old photos with you direct relations is quite impressive.

So I'll first show what I think is the best proof of our relation. He acquired the photo from his Aunt in NJ, over Thanksgiving. The picture clearly has my GG Grandmother Henrietta in it from 1904. In his email that he sent me, he said most of the people are named on the back. There is a child in a kilt and he appears to be wearing the very sporran and possibly a Glengary I've inherited.

The next photos he sent are from previous emails and probably of no direct ancestry, but I'd thought it great to share them being as they are awesome kilt photos. The are both military men...

Unknown person, but he has several of this gentleman in two different uniforms.

This one is of a James Lawrence of Glasgow from WWI.

I hope you all enjoy these and can use this as inspiration to get "Crackin" ! Even the most amateurish investigator can turn up startling results.

**Derek Conley** · 17th December 08, 11:31 PM

Those pics are great!

I've been almost living on ancestry.com lately, and have traced one specific line back to 1777 New Jersey, also finding an unknown blood relative (indeed, an entire line) living here in Florida! Also along the way I did find branches in the 1860's to England (name: Dodson) and Ireland (name: Corwin). I've yet to pursue those lines yet, though, as I'm not sure how easy it is to do the genealogical research for English/Irish/Scottish ancestors.

**macwilkin** · 18th December 08, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by sirdaniel1975

The next photos he sent are from previous emails and probably of no direct ancestry, but I'd thought it great to share them being as they are awesome kilt photos. The are both military men...

Unknown person, but he has several of this gentleman in two different uniforms.

This one is of a James Lawrence of Glasgow from WWI.

I hope you all enjoy these and can use this as inspiration to get "Crackin" ! Even the most amateurish investigator can turn up startling results.

Those appear to be civilian attire very heavily influenced by military dress. Do you know the units these men served in?

Todd

**Scotus** · 18th December 08, 04:05 PM

How can one not LOVE the Glengarry?! Great photos!

**sirdaniel1975** · 18th December 08, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

Those appear to be civilian attire very heavily influenced by military dress. Do you know the units these men served in?

Todd

Not, sure.. but here's the first Gent in this photo:

**Matthew Siegmann** · 28th December 08, 12:00 PM

Very interesting thread. I have to say I'm lucky in my family. My grandmother on my mom's side has done extensive research on her family and has done as much as she can on my Grandfather. My dad's side is a little bit more difficult but I have lucked onto many gems at my my grandparents house (my grandparents are both gone now). Many many labled photgraphs from my grandmother's side and she does have a fairly decent record of geneology. This is the line that the Keiths come in. I have a photo of my great great grand mother and her sister, Ada and Ida Keith. Luckly my dad saved many photo albums and phots from my great grandmother's house on the Siegmann side as well. While two albums aren't labled very well, or in one case at all, I have found many connections with relatives of my grandfather. My great great grandfather was an imagrant. I've had a dickens of a time trying to find all of his decendents. He only had seven children but it's been difficult trying to find them. However my grandmother saved EVERYTHING, and so at her house crammed in two close hampers a chest of drawers and a cedar trunk are mostly letters and cards she's recieved from people. I have not been able to go through them but I have a feeling I'll find many many family connections in those cards and letters.

A word of advice to anyone who has grandparents, parents or other relatives who pass away... go through everything. If they saved cards and letters, save them, because they will help you in your research... they will help very much! Another tip, when you're done with your research and you have no idea what to do with all of the cards, letters etc., see if any historical societies in the places they were sent or came from would like them. Often times because the cards and letters refer to events and every day life in those places the historical societies are very interested in them. Never throw them away. You can always find a home. If your children or other family (or if you don't have any family) don't want the photos, make arrangements to have them donated to the respective historical societies where the people came from. They are always glad to recieve those items as well.