Family History Hunt

As I get further along in my research and in learning how to research properly, I find that I have a deeper desire to find out more about my ancestors' lives.  Sometimes they live very short lives and don't leave a lot of records.  Other times you have a strong connection to a relative and want to find out more about where and how they lived and possibly visit that place. My paternal side of the family has lived in Western New York since the early to mid-1800s, most of them farmers that moved west from Connecticut or Massachusetts.  One such family I was researching, the Kilbys, did just that about 1856.  I have figured this date from one of the sons being married in early 1856 but having a child in New York in 1857.  The entire family shows up together in the 1860 census in Mansfield, New York. I started to look for land records or maps for this town and found a great land map from 1856 right before they would have arrived.  Here is a snapshot of it: ¹ Thi...

 One of the biggest things I have noticed on FamilySearch that holds back connecting the family tree is not connecting all the people listed on a marriage record.  These records often are a great way to connect two families and sometimes even find elusive maiden names.  Today I will give you a walkthrough of how to connect the marriage records correctly. 1. Connect all the people on the page FamilySearch automatically brings up.  This is usually one spouse and the parents of the first spouse.  Sometimes at this stage, you need to add in the other spouse. In the image below, I have connected the record to the bride, her parents, and added in the husband.  Then click the change button (highlighted in yellow) and select the other spouse, in this case, John. 2. Once you change the focus person, they will be in the selected person spot. This will allow the parents of the second spouse to be linked or added. 3. If there are others that are part of the family that...