Author Archive
29 Sep 2018
Often Overlooked Resources: Marks and Brands
By Aaron Goodwin On 29 September 2018 In Uncategorized
Though I was born in Georgia and raised throughout the southeast United States, I’ve lived in New York City since 1989. So I think I qualify as a bona fide city dweller at this point, thoroughly urban
23 Jul 2018
Your Ancestors’ Unmarried, Childless Siblings Could Be the Key
By Aaron Goodwin On 23 July 2018 In Uncategorized
I was slow to learn. When I began genealogy, I was focused exclusively on my direct ancestors. Why would I care about anyone else? Why would anyone? After a while, and begrudgingly, I conceded that researching my
23 Jul 2018
The Bible Issue
By Aaron Goodwin On 23 July 2018 In Uncategorized
In 2002, interim NGSQ editor Jane Fletcher Fiske designed the December issue to be a stand-alone publication centered around “that large body of records loosely gathered within the term ‘Family Bible,’ although some are found in account books,
23 Jun 2018
Surname Shapes and Sounds: Circumnavigating Spelling Variations, Mistranscriptions, and Clerical Errors in Electronic Indexes
By Aaron Goodwin On 23 June 2018 In Uncategorized
Most researchers are at least somewhat accustomed to thinking about surname spelling variations when conducting record searches. Thankfully, many search engine results automatically include some of the more basic spelling variations for us. Augustus and Mary Ann
23 Jun 2018
Business Records
By Aaron Goodwin On 23 June 2018 In Uncategorized
In the March issue of NGS Monthly, “Occupations” reviewed some resources from NGSQ and the NGS Family History Conference for exploring how best to use your ancestors’ occupations as a research tool. In a posted comment on that
29 Apr 2018
Genealogy: What Matters to You?
By Aaron Goodwin On 29 April 2018 In Uncategorized
The New York Times recently published an opinion piece by author John Sedgwick with a title that refers to an old, familiar conflict: “The Historians Versus the Genealogists.”[1] Sedgwick begins by describing how historians typically view genealogists.
29 Apr 2018
Using Spreadsheets as Research Tools
By Aaron Goodwin On 29 April 2018 In Uncategorized
Some researchers use genealogy software to record and track their research. Others use word processing software, writing as they go. I’m probably like many in using a combination of both. But in certain instances, neither of these
28 Mar 2018
Occupations
By Aaron Goodwin On 28 March 2018 In Uncategorized
As far back as I’ve yet been able to discover, my ancestors were rural farmers like most of their neighbors, whether they lived in the Mid-Atlantic, the South, or the Midwest. Among that set, I’ve yet to
28 Mar 2018
Uxornecronyms: A Little-Known Naming Practice
By Aaron Goodwin On 28 March 2018 In Uncategorized
In his slim and excellent volume, The Name Is the Game: Onomatology and the Genealogist, NGS Fellow Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck coins the term uxornecronym: “the name of the first daughter born unto a second wife honoring
26 Feb 2018
Early 19th Century Vital Data from the National Intelligencer
By Aaron Goodwin On 26 February 2018 In Uncategorized
The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser began publication 31 October 1800. In 1810, the Washington Advertiser portion of the name was dropped, and the paper continued as the National Intelligencer until 1869. It then merged with the