Refocus Zoom Meeting - May 20 These are all links to more information

Meeting Purpose

To discuss and share insights on vital records research, focusing on birth and marriage documents.

Key Takeaways

• Only ~15% of vital records are available online; in-person research often yields more comprehensive results
• Multiple document types exist for births and marriages, each potentially offering unique information
• Analyzing witnesses, sponsors, and other seemingly minor details can provide valuable genealogical clues
• Discrepancies in dates, names, and locations across documents are common and can reveal interesting family stories

Topics

Types of Birth Records

• Birth registers, certificates, baptismal records, newspaper announcements
• Delayed birth records often created for Social Security purposes
• Baptismal records can provide sponsor names, often relatives
• Catholic families sometimes named children after godparents, leading to multiple same-named children

Marriage Documentation

• Marriage bonds, licenses, certificates, returns, affidavits, newspaper announcements
• Marriage returns provide detailed information, including parents' names and previous marriages
• Witnesses on marriage documents are often relatives or close friends
• Marriage bonds were contracts between groom and bride's father, sometimes including financial penalties

Research Strategies

• Check multiple document types for each event (birth, marriage, death)
• Pay attention to witnesses, sponsors, and other named individuals
• Build timelines and spreadsheets to track name spellings, locations, and other details
• Look beyond online resources; visit courthouses, archives, and historical societies
• Consider cultural naming patterns and practices when analyzing records

Interesting Findings

• Age discrepancies on marriage documents (e.g., underage brides lying about their age)
• Multiple marriages and complex family situations discovered through document analysis
• Unexpected locations for marriages or births can lead to new research avenues

Next Steps

• Continue the discussion next month, focusing on death records
• Attendees encouraged to share their own stories and findings related to vital records
• No meetings in July or August; will resume in September
• Explore local historical societies and specialized websites (e.g., German Genealogical Society) for hard-to-find records