Conference Bits and Pieces

Paul Milner's suggestions for maps of England and Wales:

1. The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers
2. Topographical Dictionary of England
3. A Genealogical Gazetteer of England
4. National Library of Scotland   www.nls.uk


Joshua Taylor's recommendations for U. S. plat maps:

Arphax Publishing produces maps organized by county gathered from the BLM database. You can use a search engine on the website to check for surnames which may help to determine in which book a surname appears. Books can be found in larger libraries. http://www.arphax.com.


Dick Eastman's explanation of search algorithms: Your search field has name, location, parents, spouse, siblings, etc. The search is first for the name; then that name at a particular location; then the name at that location with those parents or spouse or siblings or child, etc. He suggests using all of that information.


Amy Harris says to look for unmarried females in probate files, as they tended to make wills and name nieces and nephews. Remember, Ancestry now has a large database of probate records.


Jill Morelli reminds us that smallpox vaccinations began in the early 1800s resulting in fewer infant/child deaths leading to more immigrants because there was not enough land to inherit.