Sharon Tate Moody is a board-certified genealogist. Send your genealogical methodology questions and event announcements to her at stmoody0720@mac.com. She regrets she is unable to assist with personal research and cannot respond to requests for locating or researching individuals. Past Heritage Hunting columns are available online at tbo.com, search words “Sharon Tate Moody.”

Don’t let lack of records stop your search
BY SHARON TATE MOODY
Tribune correspondent
Published: March 22, 2015

Do you have an ancestor who seems, to you, a one-dimensional cardboard figure? He’s the guy who left few records and you feel lucky just to have approximated his dates of birth, marriage and death. Maybe the courthouses where he lived always burned. Or he may have been unable to read or write, eliminating the possibility of letters and diaries.

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You don’t want to fictionalize your ancestors, but with some imagination, steeped in local history and cultural awareness, you can learn and write about what life probably was like for them.

With what few records you have, build a place and time frame for a family. If you have nothing but censuses, look closely at questions asked in the various years. For example, the 1900 census actually asks the month and year of birth. The 1910 census asked for the number of years in the current marriage. The 1920 census asked questions about immigration and naturalization. Beginning in 1880, a relationship between the head of the household and each person in the household was stated. By using the censuses alone you can find much to build a timeline.

Once you have your ancestor in specific places at specific times — and with luck you’ve learned his occupation — it’s time to explore what was happening around this one-dimensional man, your ancestor.

More: http://tbo.com/lifestyle/dont-let-lack-of-records-stop-your-search-20150322/