Ninja Genealogy and Serendipity among the Cacti and Taxidermists

~ Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail" ~ 1 Comment

I am on my way home from a research trip to the Texas Hill Country to find the land my Gooch ancestors occupied from the late 1840s at least through the 1880s.  I know Texas would rather consider itself part of the South than part of the West, but that’s where my folks were before they moved to Arizona, and if a trip through the county roads of central Texas is not On Granny’s Trail, then I don’t know what is.  Besides, any state with the amount of cacti and roadside taxidermists I saw surely qualifies as “Western.”

My specific goal for this trip was to locate my ancestors’ original land tracts on a modern map, so I could drive there and take pictures of the surroundings.

This post recounts the steps I took in the research process and the fun surprise ending. I plan to follow up in the future with some helpful advice for planning a research trip but I couldn’t wait to share what I found, because it involved what I call Ninja Genealogy and some delightful serendipity. The post is long, but not nearly as long as the 25 year journey I took to this particular tract of land. Continue reading “Ninja Genealogy and Serendipity among the Cacti and Taxidermists” →

Land Grants in Texas – Link to a helpful guide and images

~ Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail" ~ Leave a comment

While preparing for a trip to Texas I came across excellent digital images of land grants and patents on the Texas General Land Office website.  I must say, “Well done, Texas. Your General Land Office website is the Biggest and Best state land office website I have found on the web!” Continue reading “Land Grants in Texas – Link to a helpful guide and images” →

Tracks West: Railroad and migration maps for you

~ Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail" ~ 1 Comment

I like to collect maps to help in my research and often create maps to suit my needs.  Today I am posting a few maps that help in my understanding of migration into the western states.  Every western states researcher should have a sound understanding of migration routes, railroads, and rivers that affected the movement of emigrants and influenced settling patterns.  You can create your own maps using templates found at www.nationalatlas.gov by looking under “printable maps”.

Here is a map I marked with the major overland migration routes west, with key cities or forts that were either stopping points or final destinations. Continue reading “Tracks West: Railroad and migration maps for you” →

Hitched Out West? Find it in the Western States Marriage Record Index

~ Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail" ~ 2 Comments
Franklin Thomas Pomeroy and Sophia Isadora Morris, married 28 Mar 1893, Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona

If your kin were hitched in Arizona, Idaho or Nevada you are really, really in luck, and if they tied the knot in California, western Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, eastern Washington, New Mexico or Wyoming you are just plain in luck.  If they ran off to Alaska to get married you are out of luck, unless you are descended from one of the 33 couples whose records are included in the Western States Marriage Record Index. Continue reading “Hitched Out West? Find it in the Western States Marriage Record Index” →

Wild West Digitized: New Mexico Records

~ Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail" ~ Leave a comment

This is fourth in a series of posts about digital databases for the Western States found on FamilySearch.org.  Previous posts have covered California, Arizona, and Colorado.

FamilySearch has been digitizing the 3 million+ microfilms in the Family History Library.  Every week new records are posted, and it seems to me they are progressing at a good pace.  Eyeballing the list of collections from the United States it appears they have made vital records a priority.

Let’s take a look at what they have available for New Mexico: Continue reading “Wild West Digitized: New Mexico Records” →