One of my main focuses when I research is to find my ancestor’s story. Understanding where they lived and who they associated with is key to learning more about them.
Your ancestors had a FAN Club…those friends/family, associates and neighbors who lived and worked with your family. In this blog post we’ll explore more about the neighbors. Want to know more about the FAN Club? You can read all about it here.
I am working hard on one of the elements of my portfolio to submit to the Board for Certification of Genealogists. So far, this is a fun journey and I’m continually learning just like you. Check out my blog post about that here.
As I look at many different record groups and maps, I realize the one thing many of these documents have in common is a neighborhood. Have you thought to look at the people surrounding your ancestors when you research them?
Let’s take a look a the many different ways you can find your ancestor’s neighborhood.
Keep In Mind…
Our ancestors were not very inventive when it came to naming their children. There were many “John Smiths” and “David Johnsons”. When using the following strategies, make sure you are connecting with YOUR ancestor.
Starting With Census Records
Census records are loaded with information. They provide a snapshot of a household every 10 years. If you’re fortunate to also access a state census you can gather information for the years between federal censuses. Census records provide details such as the names of household members (1850 and later), ages, birthplaces, and occupations. Knowing what your ancestors did for a living can help you understand the nature of their neighborhood.
To start, locate all the census records for your ancestors. Websites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are great places to look. Once you have the records, look at the information about the household. Pay attention to the occupations listed. For example, if many neighbors were factory workers, your ancestor likely lived in an industrial area.
Also, make note of who lived on either side of your ancestor. Many genealogists keep track of several pages of people before and after. If you can’t find your ancestor in a census, tracking neighbors may help.
Example:
Look at this wide range of occupations from a neighborhood in Sacramento, California in 1870. A large city like Sacramento attracted people from all over the world and all walks of life contributing to a diverse neighborhood.
Then you might have a situation like this from Cape Elizabeth, Maine where every neighbor worked in a similar job: fisherman, ship’s carpenter, master mariner, and seaman.
Using Tax Records
Tax records are another valuable resource. They can help pinpoint exactly where your ancestors lived and give clues about their finances. These records often list property values and types of property owned.
Finding tax records may require a bit more digging. Some are online, but if they’re not, check out local archives or historical societies. Once you find the records, study them to see what property your ancestors owned. This information can help you visualize their neighborhood.
The one annoying thing about tax records, is they can be alphabetized. That doesn’t help you put a neighborhood together easily, but if the lists are small enough you can get a sense of who’s there.
Example:
My 3rd great-grandfather was John Krewson. Notice there are two of them listed. I’ve done the work to know which one is my ancestor. Tax records can help to separate men of the same name. In this example from Newtown, Pennsylvania in 1851, we can see the tax amounts for acres of land along with horses and cattle.
Exploring Maps
Historical maps can be important clues into your ancestor’s life. They show how areas changed over time and can help you locate specific properties.
To find historical maps, check out local libraries, archives, and online databases like the Library of Congress. Compare old maps with current ones to see how the neighborhood has evolved. You can often identify old streets and landmarks that still exist today.
Example:
Two of my favorite map collections at Ancestry are the U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Maps and the U.S. Historic Land Ownership and Reference Atlases. This is a land ownership map from Cape Elizabeth, Maine in 1871.
These maps are fun to browse to see where your ancestors lived and who their neighbors were. Keep in mind, not everyone is listed on this type of map. Be creative. What other maps can you use to piece together your ancestor’s neighborhood?
Digging into Newspapers
I love newspapers! They can provide so much context about our ancestor’s life including personal information, advertisements, and news about their neighborhood. This was the social media of the past.
Search newspaper archives online or at local libraries. Look for articles that mention your ancestors or their community. Subscription services like Newspapers.com or Genealogybank.com are good resources to use. Chronicling America is another place to look and is a free service from the Library of Congress.
Example:
Here’s a snippet from a 1904 paper out of Portland, Maine. Finding out about the local scene is a fun search in newspapers.
Using City Directories
City directories are a great way to put boots on the ground in between census years. They often include addresses, occupations, and other useful details.
Ancestry and MyHeritage have wonderful city directory collections. You can also find them at local libraries or historical societies. Many directories are in alphabetical order, but some are listed by street name to help you easily see the neighborhood:
Compare this information with census and tax records to build a more complete picture.
Examining Land and Property Records
Land and property records include deeds, mortgages, and plats. These documents can reveal property ownership, transfers, and even property boundaries. Here’s a line from an 1839 Jefferson County, Tennessee deed: “twenty acres of land adjoining the land of John Frank”. Hello, neighbor!
Outside of visiting local courthouses or archives, one of my go-to sites for land research is FamilySearch. Whatever type of record you find, make sure to transcribe it and get every nugget of information you can.
Looking In The Cemetery
You may not think to look in the cemetery for you ancestor’s neighborhood, but you should. Your ancestors may have been buried around family members or neighbors whose surnames were different than theirs. It may not seem like there’s a connection, but look around and make note of who is buried next to your people.
Understanding Social Context
Beyond records, understanding the social context of a neighborhood is important. This can help you determine the ethnicity of where your ancestors lived along with how affluent they were. For example, a neighborhood with many immigrants likely had a unique culture and strong social networks.
Online you can find historical books, local histories, and articles at Google Books, HathiTrust, or Internet Archive. Including this kind of information in your genealogy research makes your ancestors come alive!
Finally
Once you’ve gathered all this information, it’s time to put it together. If you write about each record as you find it, you’ll discover it’s easier to correlate it all and make connections that you might not have before.
One of the best ways to stay organized is to make a timeline of your ancestor’s life. If you’re not sure how to do that, check out my blog post here. Timelines allow you to see gaps in your research and help you figure out what records to look for next.
Researching ancestors’ neighborhoods can be incredibly rewarding. It brings their world to life and provides a deeper understanding of their daily lives. By using census records, tax records, historical maps, newspapers, city directories, and more, you can uncover a richer connection to your past.
Genealogy tip: All of these record groups take time to go through. Make an appointment with yourself to tackle one each week. Within a short amount of time, you’ll have a clearer picture of your ancestor’s life and be able to share that with others.
Are you trying to put together your ancestor’s neighborhood, but need a little help? I’d love to hear about your latest project. Click below to get started.
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