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Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Broaden those search terms

December 12, 2017 By Janine Adams 4 Comments

For about a year, I’d been trying to find my great grandfather’s half-brother, Wayne Horace Adams (1907-1976), on the 1920 census. His parents had divorced and I could not find Horace or his father, my 2nd great grandfather George Washington Adams, on that census. I knew that 74-year-old George had received custody of 12-year-old Horace in the 1919 divorce. And I knew that George would enter the Home for Disabled Soldiers in 1922. My curiosity about what happened to this teenager was strong.

I searched for him hither and yon, using everything I knew about him in my search terms. I thought I had searched for him with all his half siblings but in September I found him living in Oklahoma with his half brother John Quincy Adams, whom I apparently had missed checking on. That was an exciting find! (Because I was in a library when I found it, my cheers had to be silent, but that didn’t make them less exuberant.)

Once I found Horace on the 1920 census I wondered why he hadn’t come up in my searches on his name. I found the culprit: The enumerator had made a correction making Horace’sĀ  age, which was 12, look like 42. (That’s a close up at the top of this post.) It was indexed as 42 and so he didn’t come up in my searches.

I realized that if I had left out his year of birth in my searches, I would have found him more easily. Lesson learned!

Filed Under: Challenges, Genealogy tips, My family Tagged With: Adams, excitement

Comments

  1. BookerTalk says

    December 12, 2017 at 10:02 am

    A good reminder for all of us with brick walls.

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      December 13, 2017 at 6:53 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Maria Tello says

    December 13, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    another lesson in less is more!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      December 13, 2017 at 6:54 pm

      Yes! That’s my motto in most things in my life!

      Reply

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about me

I'm Janine Adams, a professional organizer and a genealogy enthusiast. I love doing family history research, but I find it's very easy for me to get overwhelmed and not know where to turn next. So I'm working hard to stay organized and feel in control as I grow my family tree.

In this blog, I share my discoveries and explorations, along with my organizing challenges (and solutions). I hope by sharing what I learn along the way I'll be able to help you stay focused and have fun while you do your research, too.

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