When Our Ancestors Feel a Little Closer

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Something about this time of year turns our thoughts toward those who came before us. The evenings arrive earlier, familiar recipes return to our kitchens, and the approaching holidays bring memories of people whose places at the table are now empty.

We may find ourselves remembering a grandmother’s voice, a father’s familiar expression, or the way someone always made sure everyone had enough to eat. Sometimes, an ordinary moment makes a person we have lost feel very close.

This season is often associated with the idea of a “thin veil” between the living and the dead. Irish Halloween folklore includes beliefs that the souls of the departed could return to the family home. In Mexico’s Día de los Muertos traditions, families welcome and remember deceased loved ones with photographs, favorite foods, and offerings. Christian observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day also make this a season for honoring saints and remembering and praying for the departed. These traditions have distinct meanings, but each gives people a time to turn their attention toward those who have died.

Whether we understand that closeness through faith, family tradition, or memory, it offers something for genealogists to consider: How are our ancestors still speaking in our lives?

The Things We Carry Without Knowing

Some family influences are easy to recognize. We know whose wedding ring rests in the jewelry box or whose handwriting fills the recipe cards. Other connections take more work to uncover.

A family’s determination to keep a well-stocked pantry might make more sense after we learn about years of hunger or uncertain employment. An emphasis on education may have begun with someone who had little opportunity to attend school. A language that disappeared between generations may lead us to questions about immigration, belonging, and the pressure to fit in.

We cannot assume we know the reasons behind every family habit. But research gives us a place to begin asking.

Why did they leave? What did they hope to find? What did they want their children to have that they had gone without?

Those questions help us see how experiences from long ago may have reached into our own childhoods—and perhaps into the lives of our children.

Listening Through the Records

Our ancestors still speak to us through the letters, photographs, and other records. As genealogists, we spend a great deal of time looking for names, dates, and places. Those details matter. They help us identify the right people and build an accurate account of their lives.

Yet, there are moments when a record gives us something more.

A signature may reveal handwriting surprisingly similar to our own. A letter preserves a person’s humor, worries, or affection. A closer look at a photograph may reveal a familiar smile or family resemblance we hadn’t noticed before. A newspaper notice may reveal years of service to a community. A census entry can prompt us to investigate what happened when a household lost a parent or took in a relative.

Remembering the Whole Person

Looking closely at our ancestors also means making room for complicated stories.

Some left examples we want to follow. Others made choices we struggle to understand. Many did both. Family history can hold generosity and hurt, courage and fear, accomplishment and regret.

We do not have to excuse someone’s actions to study their life honestly. Understanding a family pattern may help us decide what we want to carry forward and what we hope to change.

That, too, gives genealogy a place in our present lives. What we learn can affect how we treat one another, the questions we ask, and the stories we choose to tell the next generation.

Make Room for One Story

This season, perhaps we can give one ancestor a little more of our attention.

Choose a photograph and find out who is pictured. Ask a relative about a holiday custom. Prepare a family recipe and write down the name of the person who shared it. Return to a familiar document and consider what it reveals about someone’s daily life.

Then preserve what you learn. Record the source, write a paragraph, or add a note explaining why an object matters. Share it with someone who may never have heard the story.

An old photograph becomes more meaningful when someone can say, “Let me tell you about her.”

A Connection Worth Keeping

Whatever your understanding of the idea of a "thin veil," taking time to listen closely to the past can enrich our lives.

Whose story will you make time for this season?

Amanuensis Monday - Marriage Return of Andrew Hatcher & Sarah Ford, 1869, Scott County, Missouri

This weekly blog post was inspired by Amanuensis Monday, created by John Newmark of the Transylvanian Dutch blog. The word amanuensis means "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."                                                         

                                                         ----------------------

This week, I am transcribing the marriage return for my great-grandaunt, Sarah Ford, and her husband, Andrew Hatcher.

Physical Description
Document Type: Digitized 

Document: Handwritten Marriage Return

Condition and Notes:

• A short marriage return handwritten in dark ink.
• The Justice of the Peace is consistent writing the lower case 't' without a crossbar or carelessly crossing the letter mid-air or to the right. 
• No blotches or stains noted. 
• No tears. 
• No mark throughs or illegible words. 
• Original spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and line breaks have been preserved.

"Marriage waivers for minors: Scott, Marriage Licenses 1866-1874," Book 2, p. 180, marriage return for Andrew Hatcher & Sarah Ford, 24 January 1869; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-897G-519Y?view=index : downloaded on 12 June 2026), image 1038 of 1783, FamilySearch Library IGN #007084712; citing Missouri. State Archives.

The transcription is as follows:

  This is to certify that I on the 24th 

day of Janua[r]y 1869 Joined in the

bonds of matrimo[n]y Andrew Hatcher

and Sarah Ford both of Scott County

Missouri         John. N. Benefield      [postage stamp here]

                         Justice of the peace           

Your Next Genealogy Clue Might Be on Facebook

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Are you using Facebook to help with your genealogy research? If not, you may be missing out on a helpful resource!

Facebook has thousands of genealogy groups covering just about every topic you can imagine. Some focus on specific states, counties, or countries, while others specialize in DNA, military records, old photographs, or particular ethnic groups.

These groups can be especially helpful when you hit a brick wall. Members may offer research suggestions, share resources you haven't discovered, or recognize a surname or location you've been researching. You might even connect with someone researching the same family!

Of course, remember to evaluate any information you receive just as carefully as you would any other research lead. Suggestions from group members can point you in the right direction, but you'll still need to find and evaluate the original records whenever possible.

If you're not sure where to start, search Facebook for your ancestor's location, surname, or a specific area of genealogical research. You may be surprised by what you find!

Personally, I have had great success with German genealogy Facebook groups. Members have shared valuable information about German customs and history, pointed me to helpful research resources, and even assisted with translating documents. I have also found county and local history groups to be extremely helpful. Members often share historical photographs, information about local cemeteries, churches, schools, and community history that may not be available anywhere else. All of these groups have provided valuable insights and resources that have enriched my family history research.

What Facebook genealogy group has helped you the most? Take a moment to share one genealogy Facebook group that has been especially valuable to you. Whether it's a county history group, a DNA group, or a heritage-specific community, your recommendation could help someone break through a research brick wall.

Learning New Genealogical Skills, One Task at a Time

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Here in Texas, we’re finally getting a little relief from the heat. The days are growing shorter, and the changing season has me looking forward to afternoons spent indoors with my family records.

There is something inviting about settling in with an old document when we have time to give it our full attention. Those moments are perfect for practicing a genealogy skill we've been meaning to learn. It doesn't have to be a complicated project—one new skill applied to one familiar record is a great start. Instruction can open the door, but practice is what helps us walk through it. When we take a new skill and try it on our own research, the learning becomes real and lasting.

Start with Something You’ve Been Avoiding

Most of us have something in our genealogy work that makes us hesitate. Maybe it's deciphering handwriting in an old will, writing a source citation, understanding a land description, or figuring out how to organize the records we already have.

It's easy to put those things aside and return to searching. Finding another record feels productive; learning how to understand it can feel less exciting. But that unfamiliar skill may be exactly what helps us move forward.

Choose one thing you would like to become more comfortable doing—something manageable enough that you can begin without feeling overwhelmed.

Let Your Own Records Be the Classroom

One of the best things about genealogy is that our own records provide opportunities to learn. Every document contains questions to answer, relationships to evaluate, and details to interpret. The records we already have can become our most useful teachers. 

If you want to improve your ability to read old handwriting, choose a short paragraph from a record you already have. Compare unfamiliar letters with clearer examples elsewhere on the page. Transcribe what you can, and mark uncertain words with square brackets and a question mark. Leaving a word unresolved is far better than making a guess look certain. 

You don’t have to work through it alone. FamilySearch provides handwriting help, including examples and letter charts that can help you become familiar with older writing styles. Keep those examples beside your document as you practice.

If citations make you nervous, start with just one record. Identify the record, where you accessed it, and the details someone else would need to locate it. For help learning how to write genealogical citations, visit the Evidence Explained website. You'll find free articles, QuickLessons, and discussions about citing and evaluating historical records. 

Another excellent resource is Elizabeth Shown Mills's book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. It explains citation principles and provides examples for many of the records genealogists encounter. Rather than simply copying a citation example, take time to understand why each piece of information is included. 

Start with one record, write your citation, and compare it with the guidance. Like any other genealogy skill, writing citations becomes easier with practice.

To strengthen your ability to compare evidence, gather three records for a single ancestor and place the dates, places, names, and relationships side by side. Note what matches, what conflicts, and what needs closer review. Classify each record as primary, secondary, or undetermined. When details disagree, decide which record is most trustworthy based on how close it is to the event and how reliable the informant likely was.

Get to Know the Places Your Ancestors Lived

Sometimes the next thing we need to learn is more about a place. We may know the county where an ancestor lived without knowing what records are available.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a useful starting point for learning about a county, state, or country. Its pages offer guidance on record types, local research resources, and background information. Country pages may also point you toward language and handwriting tools.

Choose one place from your family tree and spend a little time exploring its Wiki page. Make a note of a record collection you haven’t used or a repository you want to investigate.

That small bit of learning can give your next research session a clearer direction.

Learn a Little, Then Try a Little

A genealogy lecture, society program, book chapter, or tutorial can introduce us to a new way of working. We don’t have to absorb everything at once.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars offers free live webinars and a selection of free recordings. A paid membership provides access to its broader library of recorded webinars on many genealogy topics. Choose a subject that connects with a question or skill you are working on now.

YouTube is another place to learn. Genealogists and organizations share videos that walk viewers through research methods and website tools. The FamilySearch YouTube channel is one place to begin. You can also search for a specific task, such as "finding probate records" or "reading old handwriting."

Take a few notes. Choose one idea. Try it while the lesson is still fresh.

If you've been learning about research logs, record a search you conducted, including one that produced no relevant results. Negative searches can be just as valuable as successful ones because they help prevent repeated work and clarify what has already been investigated.

Build a brief timeline for an ancestor whose life story contains gaps, conflicts, or unanswered questions, or revisit a document you have been meaning to read more carefully and practice your transcription skills.

The goal is not to master every detail in a single lesson. Instead, look for one idea you can apply to a current research problem. Small steps taken consistently often lead to the greatest progress.

Give Yourself Permission to Be a Beginner

Being experienced in genealogy does not mean being experienced in every part of it.

We may feel comfortable with census records and completely lost in a probate file. We may have researched our family for years without ever needing to understand records from another country.

There is no shame in beginning again with a new skill.

Go slowly. Ask questions. Keep track of what you still don’t understand. Pause a video, replay an explanation, or return to a reference page as often as you need.

You may need to revisit the same lesson more than once, and that is all right.

Notice a Different Kind of Progress

Genealogy progress isn’t always adding another name to the tree. Sometimes it's reading a sentence that once looked impossible or recognizing that two records disagree. Those accomplishments may be quiet, but they strengthen the work we do.

When life gives us a little breathing room, we can use some of it to become more thoughtful, capable researchers. Our ancestors’ stories deserve that care, and we deserve the pleasure of learning something new.

What genealogy skill have you been meaning to learn? Perhaps this quieter season is a good time to begin—one task at a time.

Tech Tip Tuesday: Grammarly

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Have you ever spent so much time working on a family story that you could practically recite it? Then, after sharing it, you noticed a missing word or a sentence that didn't quite make sense? It happens. We know what we meant to say, and sometimes that is what our eyes see on the page.

Writing requires precision. The right words, phrases, and examples help us avoid miscommunication. A second look can make a difference.

That is where a tool like Grammarly can help.

What Is Grammarly?

Grammarly is a writing assistant that offers suggestions for spelling, grammar, clarity, conciseness, and tone. For genealogy writing, I often review my draft first and then consider its suggestions. Think of it as another set of eyes on your writing.

Grammarly helps refine the family stories, biographies, and messages, but it is not a genealogical research tool. It cannot confirm an ancestor's identity or evaluate evidence. That work still requires research, analysis, and careful attention to sources.

The browser extension brings writing suggestions into supported websites, including Google Docs and some social media text fields.

Where It Fits into Genealogy

Genealogy involves more writing than we sometimes realize—emails to archives, notes to DNA matches, research summaries, family histories, photo captions, and blog posts. Even short explanations attached to an ancestor's profile deserve a careful review.

Writing and Polishing Family Histories

Catching typos and missing words. When we're deep in an ancestor's story, it's easy to overlook small errors. Grammarly can help flag them.

Making the story easier to follow. Suggestions for clearer phrasing or shorter sentences can help your writing flow, especially for relatives and audiences unfamiliar with genealogical terms.

Choosing a tone that fits the audience. A casual Facebook genealogy group post and a chapter in a formal family history book serve different purposes. Grammarly’s tone feedback and suggestions can help us consider whether our wording fits the occasion. We should still choose language that is true to our own voice.

After weeks of research, connections may seem obvious to us, but not to others. A writing review can prompt us to explain those connections more clearly.

Example:
After finding the family in the census and looking at the names and ages of the children and comparing them with the earlier census I thought this might be the same family.

Clearer version:
I compared the children’s names and ages in the two census records. They were consistent, suggesting that both households might represent the same family.

The revised wording makes the comparison easier to follow.

Communicating and Sharing Research

Clear wording helps archives, courthouses, and relatives understand what we need. For formal requests, check that the name, place, date range, and record type are correct. For new cousins, a friendly introduction and a specific question make replies easier.

Reason statements on FamilySearch benefit from polished writing, but they still require supporting records and clear explanation.

Keep the Evidence in Charge

Grammarly is great at writing, but words such as possibly, probably, appears, and suggests may be essential to an explanation. They show how confident the evidence allows us to be. Removing them can turn a tentative interpretation into a statement of fact.

Do Not Use on Historical Transcriptions

An old letter, will, or marriage record may contain unusual spelling, inconsistent punctuation, or grammar. A faithful transcription preserves the wording, spelling, capitalization, and line breaks. If a word cannot be read, we mark the uncertainty rather than guessing.

How to Get Started

Try Grammarly on a short paragraph you have already written. Review suggestions one at a time. Consider the reason for each change. Verify names, dates, places, relationships, and statements of certainty against your sources.

Read the paragraph aloud. Does it sound natural? Does it still sound like you?

Before using any online writing tool with information about living relatives, private correspondence, or client research, review the service's privacy information. 

Grammarly can help us notice problems with the words on the page—you decide how much or how little to accept. 

Have you used Grammarly for your genealogy writing? What kinds of suggestions have you found helpful?

Grandma's Tech Tip Snapshot 

Today's Tool: Grammarly

How It Can Help:

• Catching typos and missing words
• Flagging unclear or tangled sentences
• Suggesting smoother phrasing
• Helping match tone to the audience
• Polishing reason statements and research summaries
• Improving readability for relatives unfamiliar with genealogy terms

Grandma's Tip: "Before you hit publish, let Grammarly take a quick peek. A tiny suggestion can make your family story shine without changing your voice."

Looking for more genealogy tech tips? Explore all the tools in my Research Toolbox.

Making Time For Those Who Matter

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This week, I said goodbye to a friend for the last time.

He was a loving husband and father who cared deeply about his family, but his kindness didn’t stop at his own front door. When my children were growing up, he included them in his family’s outings. He made room for them, made them feel welcome, and was there when they needed him. A mother doesn’t forget that.

As I’ve reflected on his life, I keep coming back to this: the mark we leave on others isn’t usually made by grand accomplishments. It’s made by simple kindnesses, the time we give, and the way we make people feel.

The Stories Behind the Names

As someone who researches family history, I spend a lot of time searching for the people who came before me. Records can tell me when someone was born, where they lived, and when they died. What I really want to know is what kind of person they were. Were they kind? Generous? Funny? Someone others could count on?

Records rarely answer those questions.

Someday, a researcher might find my friend’s name in a census or an obituary and learn where he lived, whom he married, and the names of his children. They won’t learn that he welcomed other people’s children into his family’s activities, or that mine could always rely on him. Yet those are the details that bring a person to life.

We Always Think There Will Be More Time

How often do we say, “We should get together soon,” or “I really need to call them”? Then life gets busy, and we don’t. But later isn’t promised.

Preserving memories matters, but this week reminded me that we also have to make the time to create them. So:

• Call the friend you’ve been meaning to call.
• Visit the relative you haven’t seen in a while.
• Take the photo, even if everyone complains about how they look.
• Share a meal, reminisce, and laugh together.

A Legacy of Kindness

When I think of my friend, I will always think of the man he was, the love he had for his family, and the kindness he showed mine. He may never have known how much those ordinary acts meant, or how long they would be remembered. But I remember, and so do my children.

This week, reach out to someone who matters to you. Don’t wait for a special occasion. Tell them what they mean to you.

Walking Among Stories Carved in Stone

For a genealogist, a walk through a cemetery often turns into a slow, thoughtful wander. We come looking for one ancestor, but before long we’re pausing at another headstone—and then another. A single visit can leave us with new names, new questions, and a research list longer than the one we arrived with.

Family plots often reveal surprises: a child we hadn’t yet found in the records, a spouse whose name never appeared in earlier documents, or a shared marker that hints at a relationship waiting to be explored. Even the graves nearby can matter. Relatives, neighbors, church friends—people whose lives touched our family in ways the records don’t always show.

And still, a date carved in stone isn’t always correct. So we photograph the marker, note its location, and compare what it tells us with other sources. A headstone is a clue, not a conclusion—another piece of a story that deserves checking.

But standing where an ancestor is buried offers something no database ever can. The searching slows. The noise of research fades. For a moment, we remember that behind every name and date was a person who lived, loved, worked, hoped, and was missed.

Sometimes, simply pausing to read their name feels like a small act of remembrance—one that connects us not just to their story, but to the reason we do this work at all.

Genealogical Proof Standard #4: Resolving Conflicting Evidence

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Throughout this series, we’ve been exploring the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and how it helps us build a solid answer to a research question. Its five elements are:

• Reasonably exhaustive research
• Complete and accurate source citations
• Thorough analysis and correlation
• Resolution of conflicting evidence
• A soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion

Although we are examining each element separately, in reality, they are interlocking components of the evaluation process. Research brings us to the records; citations document where our information came from. Analysis helps us evaluate each source, while correlation lets us compare the evidence for agreements, differences, and connections. Often these steps send us back to one another—new conflicts require more research. All of this supports the final written conclusion.

In the last post, we looked at analysis and correlation. Sometimes the pieces fit neatly. Sometimes they don’t. Today’s example of conflicting evidence comes from my own family tree.

The Photo That Started It All

I recently shared a photograph of the Lukas family headstone found among my mother’s belongings. It lists the birth and death dates for my great‑grandparents, Johann "Hans" Lukas and Elisabeth Bräu, my grandmother Hedwig, and three of my mother’s siblings who died young.

A cousin in Straubing told me that Elisabeth’s maiden name was Straubinger, but the headstone said Bräu. I needed to know more, so I continued researching. I looked for:

• Civil records from Straubing
• Catholic church records on Matricula Online
• Newspaper searches 
• Cemetery information 

With these records gathered, it was time to analyze. I thought I was only seeking proof of a maiden name or possibly a second marriage, but what I found was much more.

 

Analyzing the records

I evaluated each record as original, derivative, or authored works, then considered whether the different pieces of information contained within was primary, secondary, or undetermined.

Headstone Photo

• Source type: It is an original. An image that is clear and easily viewed with no signs of cropping can be treated as a representation of the original.
• Information: The headstone photo lists Elisabeth’s death date as 4 June 1937 and identifies her as Eliese Bräu, married Lukas.¹
• Information quality: It is not known who supplied the names and dates or when the inscription was added. Therefore, the information is undetermined. 

Catholic funeral book

• Source type: Original
• Information: The parish listed her as Elisabeth Bräu and her death as 1 March 1939 and burial on 3 March 1939.² 
• Information quality: Burial date is primary, because a priest officiated the funeral and it was documented near the time of the funeral. However, the death date is undetermined because the informant is not identified. We should not assume that the clergy were present at the death. It is likely that a family member supplied the information.

Catholic marriage records

• Source type: Original
• Information: The parish lists a marriage date of 18 May 1897 for Johann “Hans” Lukas and Elisabeth Straubinger³ and another marriage date of 8 August 1922 for Georg Bräu and Elisabeth Lukas.⁴
• Information quality: Both records give primary information for the marriage dates and spouses, because a parish priest officiated the weddings and documented the evidence soon after the ceremonies.

Civil marriage records

• Source type: Original
• Information: Two certificates were received. One for the marriage of Elisabeth Straubinger to Johann Lukas⁵ (18 May 1897) and a second for Elisabeth Lukas to Georg Bräu⁶ (8 August 1922).
• Information quality: The marriage date is considered primary, recorded at or near the time of the event, with two witnesses testifying for each document.

Civil death record

• Source type: Original
• Information: Reports Elisabeth’s death on 1 March 1939 at 6:30 a.m. Identifies her son, Johann Lukas, as the informant with personal knowledge.⁷
• Information quality: Death information is primary.

Newspapers

• Information: Newspapers.com does not carry papers for the Straubing area, and OldNews.org does not carry digitized newspapers for Straubing from the years of 1900 to 1939 which would have included Elisabeth's married to Georg and her date of death. Negative evidence of a newspaper article for a wedding between Johann Lukas and Elisabeth Straubinger in 1897.⁸

Cemetery information

• Information: Negative evidence: Since many of my mother’s family members had been buried in Friedhof St. Michael, I contacted the cemetery to see what information could be found. In email correspondence, I was informed that due to cemetery rules regarding plot leasing, the headstone would have been removed many years ago. They could not confirm nor deny that the headstone had ever been in that cemetery, because older funeral records were not digitized when the system changed and were no longer accessible.⁹

With the analysis for each record complete, the next step was to compare the records information to one another.

Correlating the evidence
Placed side by side, it was clear that Elisabeth’s name on the headstone was a married name as corroborated by both civil and Catholic marriage records and her first marriage clearly identified her as Elisabeth Straubinger. The bigger issue was her date of death.

• Headstone: Eliese Bräu, died 4 June 1937
• Catholic funeral book: Elisabeth Bräu, died 1 March 1939; burial 3 March 1939
• Civil death record: Elisabeth Bräu, died 1 March 1939 at 6:30 a.m.

The church and civil records agree. The headstone stands alone with a date nearly two years earlier.

Resolving the conflict

When resolving conflicting evidence, we consider:

• Records created closest to the event
• Primary vs. secondary or undetermined information
• Original vs. derivative sources

The civil death record carries the strongest weight for her actual date of death: it was created at the time of the event, gives an exact date and time, and names an informant with firsthand knowledge.

The Catholic funeral book supports the same date and provides primary evidence of the burial.

The headstone offers a conflicting date with an unknown informant and unknown timing of inscription.  

After analyzing and correlating the records, the conflict could be resolved: the evidence supports 1 March 1939 as Elisabeth’s best-supported date of death.

With the conflict resolved, it was finally time to write a clear conclusion to support Elisabeth’s date of death—and that’s where we’ll pick up in GPS #5.

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¹ Lukas family headstone photograph was held in a private photo collection by Elisabeth "Kathy" Lukas Hall and passed down to her daughter Lisa Petersen upon her death in January 2021 [address for private use]. The far left-side of the headstone is inscribed with the name Eliese Bräu Lukas and the date of death as 4 June 1937, photographer unknown, likely Friedhof St. Michael. 

² St. Jakob parish, (Straubing, Bavaria), "Sterbe-Register [Death Register], 1910-1940," p. 461, entry 37, Elisabeth Bräu geb. Straubinger, died 1 March 1939, buried 3 March 1939; digital images, Matricula Online (https://data.matricula-online.eu/ : accessed 1 October 2025) > search terms: Straubing > St. Jakob > Beerdigungen, Register Beerdigungen, 1911-1939 > St. Jakob 047 > image 466; citing Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg. 

³ St. Peter parish, (Straubing, Bavaria), "Trauungen Bd. IX [Weddings, Vol. 9] 1888-1922," p. 70 entry 16, John. Bapt. Lukas and Elisabeth Straubinger, married 18 May 1897; digital images, Matricula Online (https://data.matricula-online.eu/ : accessed 17 March 2026) > search terms: Straubing > St. Peter > Trauungen, 1888-1922 > St. Peter 028 > image 73; citing Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg.

⁴ St. Jakob parish, (Straubing, Bavaria), “Trauungsmatrikel [Weddings], 1908-1928," p. 193 entry 79. Georg Bräu and Elisabeth Lukas (widow) married 8 August 1922; digital images, Matricula Online (https://data.matricula-online.eu/ : accessed 6 Oct 2025) > search terms: Straubing > St. Jakob > Trauungen, 1908-1922 > St.Jakob 041 > image 0196; citing Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg.

⁵ Germany, Standesamt Straubing, "Heiratsbuch [Marriage Register] 1897," no. 51, Johann Baptist Lukas and Elisabeth Straubinger, married 18 May1897; certified copy received 10 September 2025, held by Renita Collier [address for private use]; original records maintained at Stadtarchiv im Salzstadel, Rentamtsberg 1, Straubing.

⁶ Germany, Standesamt Straubing, "Heiratsbuch [Marriage Register] 1922," no. 118, Georg Bräu and Elisabeth Lukas, geb. Straubinger, married 8 August 1922; certified copy received 10 September 2025, held by Renita Collier [address for private use]; original records maintained at Stadtarchiv im Salzstadel, Rentamtsberg 1, Straubing.  

⁷ Germany, Standesamt Straubing, "Sterbebuch [Death Register] 1939," no. 114, Elisabeth Bräu, geb. Straubinger, died 1 March 1939; certified copy received 10 September 2025, held by Renita Collier [address for private use]; Stadtarchiv im Salzstadel, Rentamtsberg 1, Straubing.      

⁸ OldNews, database and digital images, (https://www.oldnews.com/en/newspapers/germany/bavaria/straubing : accessed 1 October 2026), search for "Straubing, Bavaria Newspapers"; the search returned a landing directory listing four digitized titles (Straubinger Tagblatt, Straubinger Zeitung, Straubinger Wochenblatt, and Niederbayerische Allgemeine Zeitung), with collective coverage ending no later than 1876; no holdings were available for the post-1876 years relevant to Elisabeth Straubinger’s life. Also. Newspapers.com, database and digital images, (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 October 2026), search for "Straubing, Bavaria" and "Straubing Bayern"; the search returned zero results for digitized historical newspapers published in this location.

⁹ Catholic Cemetery Administration St. Michael (Straubing, Bavaria, Germany), Manuela Fisch [clerical officer] to Renita Collier, email, 10 March 2022, “Lukas family Monument”; privately held by Renita Collier [address for private use]. Fisch explained that cemetery regulations require removal of headstones and remains after the lease period expires, and that computerized files included only plots that were active and current at the time of digitization; older records are no longer accessible.

Amanuensis Monday: Two Ford-Lynch Marriages

This weekly blog post was inspired by Amanuensis Monday, created by John Newmark of the Transylvanian Dutch blog. The word amanuensis means "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."  

Why transcribe? Genealogists transcribe letters, postcards, and documents to focus on slowing down and noticing those hidden details, to create a readable backup for fragile records, and to share the evidence with others. A transcription also makes a record more accessible to readers who find older handwriting difficult to decipher.

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These are the marriage records for my 2nd great-grandparents Greenberry Ford and Nancy Lynch, alongside the record for Jesse Lynch and Lavina Ford. The clerk recorded both licenses on 15 June 1839. The marriage returns are recorded on the right-hand side of the page. Although there is a marriage date for Jesse and Lavina, the actual day was omitted for Greenberry and Nancy. The service was performed by the same person, although it is hard to make out the name. It is probable the two couples were wed on the same day.

Greenberry and Jesse would become brothers-in-law twice over: Greenberry married Jesse’s sister Nancy, while Jesse married Greenberry’s sister Lavina. 

"Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1169/records/1342912 : accessed 20 April 2023), p. 10, marriage license no. 113, Green B W Ford and Nancy Lynch, 15 June 1839 and marriage license no. 114, Jesse Lynch and Lavina Ford, 15 June 1839, Claiborne County, Tennessee; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville. Microfilm.

Here is the transcription for the marriage record above:

113 Marriage License Is^d 15^th June 1839 to Green B.W. Ford for his        inter marriage with Nancy Lynch on This 15^th June 1839- W^m Neil Clk [right-hand side] Executed and returned June 1839 C. [?]

114 Marriage License Is^d to Jesse Lynch for his inter marriage with Lavina Ford on This 15^th of June 1839 W^m Neil Clk [right-hand side] Executed and returned June 18^th 1839 C. [?]

Census Sunday - 1950 Census - Ethel Ford and Sons

1950 U.S. census, Nueces County, Texas, population schedule, Corpus Christi, enumeration district (ED) 258-81, sheet 20, dwelling 181, Ethel A Ford; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2022).

The 1950 U.S. Census gives us a quick snapshot of my grandmother, Ethel A. Ford, and her two sons, William E. Ford and Clay F. Ford.

One detail that caught my attention is the small box beside William's name that says “Sample Line 29.” This means William was selected for additional questions on the 1950 census. Those questions provide a little more information about his work, education, earnings, and military service.

The family was living at 442 Virginia Street, Apartment #7. Ethel was listed as head of household, 47 years old, widowed, and born in Arkansas. She was not working.

William, age 27, was unmarried and working as a truck driver for a private trucking company. He had completed the fifth grade and had worked every week during the previous year, earning $3,850 in 1949. The census also tells us that he had served in World War II.

Clay, age 15, was unmarried and still living at home. He was born in Texas.

Looking at this census record, I can see a little of what everyday life looked like for my family in 1950. But one record doesn't tell us everything about a person's life. It gives us a snapshot—and sometimes a few clues worth following.

Tombstone Tuesday - Lukas Family Headstone, Straubing, Germany

     

Lukas family headstone photograph

Growing up, I knew very little about my mother’s family. My mom was from Straubing, Germany. When she came to the United States at fourteen, she left behind her family, her language, and her country. She rarely talked about her childhood, and years later, during an interview, she was not able to recall the names of her grandparents and great-grandparents.

After she passed away, my sister found a photograph tucked among her possessions. That single image sparked my curiosity about the family Mom had left behind.

The photograph shows the Lukas family headstone. It names my mother’s paternal grandparents, Hans Lukas and Elisabeth “Eliese” Straubinger. The inscription identifies Elisabeth as Eliese Bräu; she had remarried after Hans’s death. My mother’s mother, Hedwig Lukas, née Walter, and three of Mom’s young siblings are also named on the stone.

The headstone is no longer at Friedhof St. Michael in Straubing, so this photograph is the only image of it I have. Grave plots in Germany are generally held through time-limited rights of use, with the terms governed by the cemetery’s rules. ¹ Those rights may be renewed, but when a plot is eventually cleared, its headstone may disappear. That makes this photograph especially precious to me: it preserves a trace of my mother’s family that I can no longer visit

¹ Straubing Stadtverwaltung, Ämter und Dienststellen, Stadt Straubing, (https://www.straubing.de/rathaus-verwaltung/verwaltung/aemter-und-dienststellen/index.html?catID=1168&detID=14813&utm : accessed 21 September 2026).

Genealogical Proof Standard #3 - Thorough Analysis and Correlation

Even when we search broadly, locate original records, and carefully cite every source—those records do not automatically give us an answer.

In Mastering Genealogical Proof, Thomas W. Jones explains "Analysis and correlation test genealogical evidence."

Analysis helps us evaluate the reliability of each source and each detail contained within it. Correlation compares those details across multiple records to identify agreements, conflicts, and patterns. Together, they help prevent us from reaching conclusions simply because they match our expectations. 

When we find a record, it can be tempting to focus on the one piece of information we were looking for.

• A death certificate that gives us that elusive birth date.
• A census gives us a birthplace.
• A marriage record gives us the name of a spouse.

But genealogical analysis requires us to look more closely and ask:

• Who created this record?
• When and why was it created?
• Who provided the information?
• Would that person have known the answer firsthand?
• Was the information recorded near the time of the event?
• Is the record an original record or a later copy or transcription?

Analyzing Records

Most importantly, we need to remember that a record is not the same thing as a fact. A record contains information and the information becomes evidence after we evaluate its reliability.

Start by Analyzing the Source

Sources fall into three categories: 

Original records are the first recorded form. A good quality digital copy or photocopy may be considered an original record, unless it has been altered (cropped) or unreadable.

Derivative records are transcriptions, abstracts, indexes, or other reproductions. For example, an original handwritten marriage register kept by a county clerk is different from a published transcription of that register. The transcription may be perfectly accurate, but each copy introduces the possibility of error. 

Authored works are different. They are compiled interpretations or summaries created from multiple sources, such as family histories or genealogies. 

Derivative records and authored works can be extremely useful. Sometimes they may even be the only surviving source available. But when an original record exists, we should try to examine it ourselves.

Not All Information in the Same Record Is Equally Reliable

Within any record, information varies in reliability. Information falls into three categories: 
Primary information comes from someone with firsthand knowledge of the event. For example, a mother providing information about the birth of her child is reporting something she personally experienced.

Secondary information comes from someone who learned about the event from another person or source. A son reporting his mother's birthplace on her death certificate many decades later may know the answer—but he was not present at her birth.

Undetermined information is provided by an unknown informant, meaning we cannot assess its reliability. When a record does not identify who provided the details, we cannot determine whether the informant had firsthand knowledge, secondhand knowledge, or no knowledge at all. 

Census records are a common example. Most U.S. censuses do not indicate who spoke to the enumerator. For example, it could have been an older child, a second wife, a neighbor. There is no way to determine the reliability of the information given. The only exception is the 1940 U.S. census, where enumerators marked the informant with an X, allowing us to assess whether the information likely came from someone knowledgeable. 

A single record may contain both primary and secondary information. A common example would be a death certificate. An attending physician may have had firsthand knowledge of the death or its circumstances. The information concerning the death is therefore likely to be primary information.

The deceased person's birth date, birthplace, or parents' names may have been supplied by a grieving spouse, child, neighbor, or other informant decades after the person's birth. For those events, the informant was probably relying on secondary information.

It is important to evaluate each piece of information separately. It is also important to remember that primary does not automatically mean the record is correct, and secondary does not automatically mean it's wrong. Someone with firsthand knowledge can make a mistake, while information passed down through the family may turn out to be completely accurate.

Then Comes Correlation

While analysis looks at individual pieces of evidence, correlation looks across them and brings the evidence together. It asks:

• Where does the evidence agree?
• Where does it disagree?
• What patterns emerge when records are compared?

Suppose several records give birth years of 1882, 1884, 1885, and 1887. Which one is correct? We cannot simply choose the date that appears most often. We need to consider whether the information is primary or secondary, who provided it, when it was recorded, and how it compares with the other evidence. 

• Perhaps the 1882 date appears on a death certificate created 70 years after the birth.
• The 1884 estimate comes from a census.
• The 1885 date appears in a Bible entry that seems to have been written years later.
• But the 1887 church baptismal record was recorded shortly after the child's birth.

Correlation requires examining all evidence—both supporting and conflicting. Only then are we able to evaluate the information and begin forming a hypothesis.

Create a Working Hypothesis

Genealogical conclusions should be based on the best available evidence—but remain open to revision if a new record appears. As evidence accumulates, we form a working hypothesis and test it by asking:

• Does the age fit?

• Does the location fit?

• Do the family relationships fit?

• Does the chronology work?

• Do the names make sense?

• Do the records contradict one another?

• What evidence would we expect to find if our hypothesis were correct?

• What evidence would prove us wrong?

Thorough analysis and correlation help us understand what our evidence is—and what it is not. When conflicts remain after this step, the next task is not to ignore them or force agreement, but to resolve them. That process is the focus of the fourth component of the Genealogical Proof Standard.