Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Italian given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Alberta Alb. Alessandra Aless. Anna Ann. Antonella Anton. Antonio Ant. Augusta August. Bartolomeo Bart. Battista Batt. Beatrice Beatr. […]
Author: Kenneth R Marks
Kenneth R Marks was born and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area, receiving a BS in Mathematics in 1968. His career was in Information Technology; with the last 20 Years as a software executive with Boeing, Pearson, and NASA. His genealogy career began in 2004. He is an expert in newspaper research for genealogy, as well as additional genealogy topics. He regularly conducts webinars on the subject and has authored three genealogy books. See the About page for more details.
The Ancestor Hunt, founded in 2008, is focused on helping genealogy and family history researchers of all skill levels to achieve their goals, by providing links to free online genealogy collections, and search tips and techniques, largely via easy-to-understand Quick Reference Guides.
The middle name you find in an ancestor’s later records may not be the name they were given at birth—if they were given a middle name at all. The Myth When an ancestor appears in a record with a first, middle, and last name, it is easy to assume that all three names were given […]
On this website, the first set of free online links to U.S. historical newspapers was published in February 2014, with about 10,000 titles. There have been at least two updates published each year since then. This update adds another 3,615 titles. The total is 53,100 Historical American Newspapers that can be searched for Free Online. […]
An official record could identify your ancestor by a nickname, assumed name, middle name, or another name they commonly used—not necessarily the name they were given at birth. The Myth Official records seem like the place where we should expect to find a person’s “real” or legal name. A census, marriage record, deed, court document, […]
Are you doing Kentucky genealogy research and looking for Free Online Kentucky Genealogy Records? Click on a link for your desired category’s free collection links: NewspapersYearbooksBirthsMarriagesDeathsBMD RecordsAlumni RecordsCemetery RecordsChurch RecordsCoroner RecordsCriminal RecordsDigital ArchivesDirectoriesDivorce RecordsImmigration RecordsInstitutional RecordsMilitary RecordsMortuary RecordsNaturalizationsObituariesPhotosProbate and WillsSchool RecordsTax RecordsVoter Records Good Luck and Happy Hunting! Want All of Kentucky’s Genealogy Resources in […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common French given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Adélaïde Adél. Agnès Agn. Aimée Aim. Alexandre Alex. Alexandrine Alex. Amélie Amél. Angélique Ang. Anne A. Antoine Ant. […]
A woman recorded as a widow may have had a husband who was still very much alive. The Myth When a historical record identifies a woman as a widow, the obvious conclusion is that her husband had died. Usually, that may be exactly what the word meant. But in historical records, the description widow is […]
Are you doing Illinois genealogy research and looking for Free Online Illinois Genealogy Records? Click on a link for your desired category’s free collection links: NewspapersYearbooksBirthsMarriagesDeathsBMD RecordsAlumni RecordsCemetery RecordsChurch RecordsCoroner RecordsCriminal RecordsDigital ArchivesDirectoriesDivorce RecordsImmigration RecordsInstitutional RecordsMilitary RecordsMortuary RecordsNaturalizationsObituariesPhotosProbate and WillsSchool RecordsTax RecordsVoter Records Good Luck and Happy Hunting! Want All of Illinois’ Genealogy Resources in […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Dutch given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Abraham Ab Adam Ad Adelheid Adel Adriaan A Adriana Adr Adrianus Ad Albert Al Albertina Al Aleida A […]
Finding your ancestor in an orphanage record does not necessarily mean that both—or even either—of their parents had died. The Myth Today, the word orphan usually brings to mind a child whose mother and father have both died. When genealogists encounter an ancestor described as an orphan—or discover a child living in an orphan asylum—it […]