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| 1. | Do a census history on all heads of the household. |
| 2. | Track down all of the wives/mates and the children by each. |
| 3. | Check the Mortality Schedules from 1850 through 1880. |
| 4. | Check all the variations on the spelling. |
| 5. | Review the data taken from the census schedules and see if it is consistent. Weigh the evidence. |
| 6. | Try to get counties with all of your events. Once you have them, check to see what boundary/border changes have come about. Maybe the data that you are seeking is not in the county that you have listed for the individual. |
| | - (A good source for this is: Map Guide To The U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920. William Thorndale and William Dollarhide. This gives you the maps so that you can see what towns were included in the counties, and just how and when they changed.
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| 7. | Compile information about each ancestor by time period and place. Figure out what records would be available to document and verify what you have. - Federal: U.S. Census Records
- State: Census data generated at the state level, also death records.
- County: Marriages, land and probate records
- City/Towns: Directories and Histories
- Repositories: Church records stored in repositories.
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| 8. | Funeral Homes and Church Cemeteries |
| 9. | African-American Universities, Colleges, Institutes, etc. |
| 10. | Military Records |
| 11. | Social Security Death Index |
| 12. | College and University Libraries |
| 13. | Give each person a birth, marriage, and death date even if you have to do an estimate. |
| 14. | Find a "Genealogy Buddy" and go over your information and have them play the "devil’s advocate". |