First Tip

      The first thing that must be remembered when going through data bases of records is to keep an open mind about what you are searching for. I shall use records from 1916, 1920, 1930, and 1940 to give an example. When the census records, or any records for that matter, were recorded it was usually done by an official of the government. Those government official did their best with their current education level and the education level of those whose abodes they were visiting to collect information. For those who did not know how the census records were collected an officiant of the government would be elected to different sections of towns/cities. Those officials would visit each abode in the area gaining as much information about the familial unit and any people outside the family who resided in that home at that time. If the family was not home during the hours that the census collector came around it was required that they collect as much data as was practical from the nearest neighbors about the inhabitants of said address. A very good overview of early census collection methods can be found here.

     This means of collecting information meant that in order to translate the collection data the people giving the data would need to be reliable and intelligible with good handwriting. It was preferable that the informants were literate in the English language as well (at least for American Census records). If you are like me, however, and have relatives from countries whose native language requires a whole different alphabet make sure that you are flexible in your search options, or you may miss something important.

     My favorite database to tread is Familysearch.org. They give me free access to census records that I would have to pay for on Ancestry (though I do not know if ancestry would be more detailed). I have completed a large portion of my family tree tracing back my lineage with an average year and names. So I digress.

1916: Saroka marries Gregorkiewicz

1920: Horyhorkowicz

1930: Rihorkewicz

1940: Rehorkewig

     Each of these last names belonged to the same two people. However, the 1930 and 1940 census told me my great-grandparents wedding year. I had known the location of the area they lived and that they had met once they had immigrated to America. I found the 1920's census by chance thanks to that website I listed earlier. It will throw at me all names it thinks are of a similar sound and I happen to get a hit. I then took their wedding year and knowledge of what could have been different ways to spell their last name and was able to track down their marriage record. 09 Jan 1916.

     To this day no one has a proper spelling of that last name. It definitely makes it harder tracking people down, but with the aid of first names, general living areas, and knowledge of a few dates I was able to deduce that all of those records told me another piece of the puzzle that helped to create me.