Eventually, every genealogist hits a stumbling block. What do I do now? Where can I find the information I need? What records have I missed? “In short, family research is a big Detective game.” To answer some of these questions, Vera McDowell began writing letters in a Dear Abby-esque manner for the Augusta Genealogical Society’s monthly newsletter. When Your Ox is in the Ditch: Genealogical How-to Letters is a compilation of these insightful articles. Vera’s thoughful research suggestions can help the family researcher overcome all manner of issues.
Each page in this book is its own letter. At the top of each page is a short note of introduction. Each hints and the nature of the letter, but doesn’t always give away the full extent of what the reader can expect in actual letter. Here are a few examples:
- Death Notices Found in Consular Dispatches. all sorts of records are kept by “Big Brother” on American citizens traveling or residing overseas. An act of 1792 ordered death records sent home—and they’re all at the National Archives!
- Mortality Schedules. If your ancestor died in the 12-month period before 1 June 1850, 1860, 1870, or 1880, details may be in the Mortalities!
There is even a letter on writing letters. In all, there are approximately 150 letters covering a 10 year period found in this book. Each on a different topic, organized into chapters based on research similarities. The letters were originally published to “universal acclaim” in 1992, but letters were published to universal acclaim in 1992. With the Society’s permission, it is now being released to an even wider audience by GPC.
When released, this book received many positive reviews, such as:
“Through the device of good-humored, chatty letters to her cousin, Bette, Vera manages to give sound advice and detailed instruction, and to make genealogy sound like fun–which it is.” – THE CONNECTICUT NUTMEGGER (March 1993)
“…clear and easy-to-read…offer[s] a wealth of basic instruction…lends [itself] to browsing.” – THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Fall/Winter 1996), pp. 437-438.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Getting the Record Straight
Chapter 2 Charting a Course on the Research Road
Chapter 3 Daily Mail: Incoming, Outgoing
Chapter 4 You Can go Home Again
Chapter 5 Names and Other Family Foibles
Chapter 6 Were Your Ancestors “Counts” or “No Counts”
Chapter 7 Sources: They’re Everywhere!
Chapter 8 Courthouses: That’s Where the Good Stuff Is!
Chapter 9 Printed Words: Libraries/Books/Indexes
Chapter 10 Dictionary Time: Meaningful Meanings
Chapter 11 Historical Perspectives
Chapter 12 Cemeteries: A Genealogist’s Last Resort??
Chapter 13 “When Your Ox is in the Ditch”
Epilogue And after all that, “Why Genealogy?”
Subject Index
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