Genealogy Research Journal #6, Entry #6 I knew that the city of San Francisco would not have a copy of the marriage record as they were destroyed in 1906. I also knew that the state of California did not begin recording vital records until after 1905. I didn’t know what church they were married at…
The Beauty of Newspaper Indexes in Resolving the San Francisco Records Gap
Genealogy Research Journal #4, Entry #5 With death date in hand, I was ready to search for my great great grandmother. I still knew very little about her. I needed to figure out what sources would replace the death documents that were destroyed in 1906. Newspaper Indexes Help the San Francisco Records Gap By chance,…
Tip Toe through the Cemetery
Genealogy Research Journal #5, Entry #4 I needed to know more about Thomas, Margaret, and their children. I spent some time searching for obituaries for the Jones family. I learned that Josephine married Joseph Pohley, Alice married William Bourne, and Gertrude married John Burke. Most of the family was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in…
Did Margaret Kelly Die Before or After 1906?
Genealogy Research Journal #5, Entry #3 My next step was to find out when Margaret (Kelly) Jones died. If she died before 1906, there were no indexes to refer to. Women were not listed in city directories before 1910 unless they were widowed or single. I’d have to put on my genealogy thinking cap to…
Getting Some Surnames from the Irish Side of the Family
Genealogy Research Journal #5, Entry 2 I knew that my great grandmother was Marguerite or Margaret (Jones) Jackson (the Marguerite or Margaret depending on who you were talking to). Her parents were Thomas and Margaret Jones according to my grandma. Since my grandmother got confused sometimes and I wanted to make sure that she didn’t…