Discover Your Origins

The 1890 U.S. Census was lost in a fire in 1921. But some fragments of the census survived. This video shows you how to find the locations that survived and what it can tell you about your ancestor. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-good-look-at-the-1890-us-census/

The 1880 U.S. census is the first census that asked about the relationship to the head of household. It also asked about the birth location of each person and their parents. This census is the last census for Colby Ross, so we take a look at him one last time. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-good-look-at-the-1880-us-census/

The 1870 U.S. Census had some controversy. We'll dive into the details of why. Plus we look at Drucilla Waits and what happened to her family during the American Civil War. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-look-at-the-1870-us-census/ https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-look-at-the-1860-us-census/

The 1860 U.S. Census is important because it captures information about people right before the American Civil War. We also take a look at the Colby Ross family and the big changes that had happened in the family. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-look-at-the-1860-us-census/

In this video I review the 1850 U.S. Census. This census is the first to record the names of everyone in the household. This helps us connect individuals in earlier census to census counts. We also take a look at Colby Ross in Alabama again to see what we can learn. Read more at the blog post: https://discoveryourorigins.com/the-1850-us-census/

In this video we take a look at the 1840 U.S. census to see what has happened to Colby Ross and his family. See how close analysis reveals more family members and what they were doing. Read more at the blog post: https://discoveryourorigins.com/1840-us-census/

In this video we take a look at the 1830 U.S. Census and then analyze Colby Ross of Tennessee. We discover some more unknown people! Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-look-at-the-1830-us-census/

Let's take a closer look at the 1820 census and what it can tell us about Luri Brockway. Two more mysteries are revealed about the Brockway family. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/the-1820-us-census/ Rootstech Video: https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/antebellum-emancipations-and-free-people-of-color

See how the 1810 Census can be used to find out more about your family. We look once again at Samuel Brockway III to see how his family had changed since the 1790 census. A new mystery is discovered! Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/the-1810-us-census/

The 1800 U.S. Census is the second census taken since the ratification of the constitution and it shares a lot of similarities to the 1790 census. Watch how I analyze the 1800 Census for more information about Justus Brockway. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/good-look-at-the-1800-us-census/

The 1790 U.S. Census was taken three years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this video I show you how you can use the 1790 US cenus for family history. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/the-1790-us-census/

We all have names, first names, last names, and nicknames. Our names and the names of our ancestors can give us clues about who we are and where we came from. This guide will help you learn about names and family history research. More at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/a-beginners-guide-to-names/

Many think family history is all about searching libraries and archives for names, dates, and places. Or some may think it begins and ends with DNA testing. This video explains how to start doing family history. Family history starts with telling your own story before researching anyone else. More details at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/02/28/family-history-for-the-beginner/

Learn how to attach records in three easy steps in Ancestry. Read more at the blog article: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/02/20/how-to-attach-records-in-ancestry/

Watch this case study of how I identified the friends, associates, and neighbors (FANS) of my ancestors William Jasper Eaton and Darthula Ross. This research technique is useful for opening up new avenues of genealogical research for a brickwall ancestor. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/02/13/fans-of-your-ancestors/

It is possible your ancestor is missing in a census. This is especially true for the 1870 census in the Southern States. I discuss reasons why this might happen and research strategies for searching the census. Read more at: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/02/06/searching-for-missing-ancestors-in-the-1870-census/ https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/06/stewart-or-stuart-dealing-with-name-variations/

This video demonstrates how to attach record hints to person profiles on FamilySearch. First become acquainted with your ancestor, second evaluate the record hint to see if it is a match, and finally attach the record hint as a source. By doing this you help make the Family Tree better, learn more about your ancestor, and discover new things. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/01/30/how-to-attach-records-in-familysearch-family-tree/

Family Search and Ancestry now auto generate a simple life sketch. Here are some tips on how to write a more interesting and engaging life sketch about your ancestor. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2023/01/09/how-to-write-a-life-sketch-for-your-ancestor/

While researching descendants of William W. Waits, I came across the story of Joseph Thomas Snell and the founding of Snellville, Georgia. I share his story in this video. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/28/joseph-thomas-snell-and-snellville-georgia/

Family naming patterns can provide clues for further family history research. In this video I look at the naming patterns in the Langford and Waits families. While it doesn't provide direct evidence for a connection to Darthula Ross, it suggests a possible connection. Read more at the blog article: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/27/naming-patterns-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-7/

DNA research may be the only way to connect Darthula Ross to her parents. In this video I share recently discovered DNA matches (anonymized) that descend from William W. Waits. These matches were found through Ancestry Thrulines. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/27/beginning-dna-research-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-6/

Part of my research for Darthula Ross required looking for a marriage record in the Lauderdale County, Alabama marriage records. I show how to look at these records by asking for help from volunteers. I showcase the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness site and the Reclaim the Records organization. Read more at the blog article: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/22/lauderdale-county-alabama-marriage-records-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-3/ Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness https://raogk.org/ Reclaim the Records reclaimtherecords.org

The William B. Langford family lived in Gravelly Springs, Alabama. Gravelly Springs played a pivotal role in the final days of the Civil War. In this video I give the history of Wilson's Raid and how it impacted the Langford family. Read more at the blog: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/23/gravelly-springs-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-5/

Reading newspapers from the era of your ancestor can help you understand what life must have been like for them. In this video I show the Civil War and Reconstruction Era newspapers available at the Alabama Department of History and Archives online. Read more at this blog entry: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/22/civil-war-era-newspapers-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-4/

Colby Ross is a possible parent of Darthula Ross. In this video I share the research I have done on Colby Ross and suggest further research. Read more at this blog article: https://discoveryourorigins.com/2022/12/18/colby-ross-the-search-for-darthula-ross-pt-2/