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Do you think people from lower income or lower social status leave fewer records? I'm researching my daughter's paternal tree and am having a great deal of difficulty with her paternal Grandmother who was, for want of a better phrase, total white trash. I know the names and dates she used, but still can find only a few records. I hate to sound snobbish, but her family's social status is the only cause I can think of for this.
Do you think people from lower income or lower social status leave fewer records? I'm researching my daughter's paternal tree and am having a great deal of difficulty with her paternal Grandmother who was, for want of a better phrase, total white trash. I know the names and dates she used, but still can find only a few records. I hate to sound snobbish, but her family's social status is the only cause I can think of for this.
I would venture a guess that you are correct in your sumation of the grandmother. She wouldn't have been writtened up in the social column of the newspaper as some of our ancestors were. IMO
Not necessarily, no. There could be many reasons you're not finding records for an individual. I'd say it depends more on the time period and location. And where you are looking for records, what type of records you're looking for, etc.
By a certain point in history (circa 1900), state registration of BMDs (births, marriages, deaths) were mandatory by all and therefore it didn't matter what economic class one was. Compliance of registration wasn't 100% in the beginning and people in rural areas were less likely to comply. Prior to state registration, some counties and cities had non-mandatory registrations but this was again less likely in rural areas.
Many/most state issued certificates aren't available online, you will need to contact the state Department of Health to get info on availability of birth/death certificates. Some aren't public records so you can't order them if you're not immediate family. Those that are public, are normally only such after a certain period of time has passed - ie, birth certificates in PA are only available after 105 years after the date of birth, for privacy reasons, obviously.
Pre-state registration, birth and death records are hit and miss since they weren't always mandatory. Really doesn't matter what class they were but again, rural areas were less likely to register.
So depending on when someone was born/died, there may not be any birth/death records available for them, either because they aren't public or they never existed.
As for marriage records, if they aren't available online you'll usually find them from the county clerk.
US census records are only public up to 1940. So if her grandmother was born after 1940 and lived in the US, you won't find her on any census records. If she was born before 1940, there are many reasons you might not be finding her on the censuses. Her name might have been misspelled, or other details incorrect. Or maybe her family was just missed on a census.
A lack of money would explain the absence of records like an obituary or gravestone - but not when it comes to legal documents/vital records.
Not necessarily, no. There could be many reasons you're not finding records for an individual. I'd say it depends more on the time period and location. And where you are looking for records, what type of records you're looking for, etc.
That is the puzzling part - she was born in the 1930's and is dead, so her records should be readily accessible. I cant find records of her birth, her marriages, the births of her children.............anything other than 2 census records, which is how I got her parents names. And I can't find them elsewhere either!! As far as I know, she was born & lived her entire life in Michigan, but just to be safe I looked nationwide - still nothing. Very weird.
That is the puzzling part - she was born in the 1930's and is dead, so her records should be readily accessible. I cant find records of her birth, her marriages, the births of her children.............anything other than 2 census records, which is how I got her parents names. And I can't find them elsewhere either!! As far as I know, she was born & lived her entire life in Michigan, but just to be safe I looked nationwide - still nothing. Very weird.
That's not unusual at all. All researchers run into "brick walls", even in the 30s and 40s. I can track my grandparents from 1900 to 1930, but nowhere to be found in the 1940 Census, and I know from my father (born 1921) exactly where they should have showed up. After 10 years of searching, just recently found their marriage info, 200 miles from where family thought they were married.
As PA2UK said, BMD records are very hit and miss, even if you can get to all the county courthouses as needed.
That is the puzzling part - she was born in the 1930's and is dead, so her records should be readily accessible. I cant find records of her birth, her marriages, the births of her children.............anything other than 2 census records, which is how I got her parents names. And I can't find them elsewhere either!! As far as I know, she was born & lived her entire life in Michigan, but just to be safe I looked nationwide - still nothing. Very weird.
Again, just because someone is deceased does not necessarily mean their vital records are public. It's very likely her birth and death certificates are not available online - they may not be publicly available either. Have you checked with the state Department of Health or are you just looking at online genealogy sites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org? These sites are unlikely to have such recent BMD certificates.
A certified copy is printed on special security paper and contains a raised, embossed seal. Eligibility rules for certified copies of birth records under 100 years old and Affidavit of Parentage records apply. Death, marriage, divorce and birth records over 100 years old are not restricted. Michigan began official record keeping for birth, death and marriage events since 1867 and 1897 for divorce events. Affidavit of Parentage records are available from the Central Paternity Registry since June 1, 1997. Current, valid photo identification is required for restricted records (or alternative documents can be used) with supervisor approval.
So records less than 100 years old are NOT public.
There is an index of Michigan deaths up to 1996 but the full records aren't available.
For the time period you're searching in, it's not unusual that you have only found a few records of her. Because someone born in the 1930s could still be alive today, for privacy reasons, most records from her lifetime will not be publicly available.
Birth and death records got restrected when neferious people making a new identiy started looking for those who especially died as children to impersonate. It was very easy. So we need to prove that we are legit if we request a record now. I had to send a copy of my id to get a copy of my own birth certificate. Unforutnately there is a reason for it. But there are other references you can look for which are not official.
My dad didn't have a birth certificate, born 1911, and had a bible page copy of his birth he used.
I've searched for the date my grandparents were divorced and found zilch. But I know they were divorced. It wasn't until in the 1940 census it listed them that way and that they were divorced in 1935 that I was able to pinpoint it. I found a phone listing for 33 that had them both officially living at the same place so it left 34. Sometimes you have to be creative.
While the case with your grandmother probably is due to something else other than poverty, there is a certain truth to traces left behind in the records and social/economic standing; without knowing the details I can only speculate but since you're talking about comparatively recent records it probably does not have to do so much with omission from vital records (though it might be a case of records being sealed: that used to be done in cases of adoption or an illegitimate birth).
I have been doing genealogical research for years and quite a few families have involved lines where it was evident the people in question were quite poor.
Generally speaking, yes, the poor tended to leave fewer records behind---and here is why (say we're talking about in the US, 1790 to 1890):
The majority of the sources we use for genealogical research are records which were created for some legal reason.
Many records were made as a result of the acquisition or sale of property like land and other taxable items. Wills were typically made when there was any significant property to be probated for their heirs. A lot of litigation is tied to property in one way or another.
Many times people could not vote if they did not own property (usually land).
So, if someone was poor and was not a land owner (or had other taxable property, like farm animals) then those records are of course not going to contain their name.
Before we had state vital records, occurrences of births, marriages and deaths were generally kept with a church.
Those sometimes do, sometimes do not survive. If the person was too poor to afford a tombstone (which was common in the 1800s), then really any other record of their death will often be just a church burial record...and that is if it has survived to study. Obituaries or some note of death were typically only published in newspapers if the person was prominent in the community or sometimes if the circumstances of death were unusual or noteworthy (like the victim of a murder or accident).
Also, since this person was poor and did not own land, there is a good chance they moved often, typically where work could be found. So, that can become an issue when tracking them through Census.
It also means they might have had less vested interest in the community if they moved often, also thereby leaving less of a record at any one place, such as complied county histories and genealogies...if they moved often their children would have less chance of marrying into local families at one spot, which also can make research more difficult and confusing. That is just the basics of it.
Do you think people from lower income or lower social status leave fewer records? I'm researching my daughter's paternal tree and am having a great deal of difficulty with her paternal Grandmother who was, for want of a better phrase, total white trash. I know the names and dates she used, but still can find only a few records. I hate to sound snobbish, but her family's social status is the only cause I can think of for this.
Well, I wouldn't put it quite as crudely, but yes, if someone is lower in social status you are less likely to find records. My grandfather on my mother's side was born in a cabin in Arkansas and there are very few records, no birth certificate for sure. My grandmother (who married him), exact opposite. Lots of records, different social status, different area.
Unless complete black sheep with a criminal records & accompanying newspaper notices, it is more difficult to trace people without means. Property ownership and leadership in civic & religious groups typically took means to accomplish. City directories did not necessarily list short term residents.
Sometimes women can be traced by locating the records of their children--marriage, birth, church, school, death, obit, & military draft may mention their mother-- her married name & residence.
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