Alternate Records You May Never Have Considered

This webinar, “Alternate Records You May Never Have Considered,” explores how to break through brick walls by looking beyond the usual census, vital, and basic land records. Presenter George G. Morgan demonstrates how to place ancestors within their communities using context and the FAN principle—family, associates, and neighbors—to uncover clues in unexpected sources. From immigration notes buried in censuses to dog licenses, marks and brands, cemetery ledgers, and probate minutes, the session shows how these often-overlooked records can pinpoint residence, relationships, and life events when standard documents are missing or incomplete.

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• Thinking like an investigator, not just a record searcher
  The webinar encourages genealogists to begin with sharp questions: Who surrounded the ancestor? Where did interactions happen? Why did certain people appear together repeatedly? By examining neighbors, witnesses, church associates, and business partners—and tracking them across shifting boundaries and jurisdictions—researchers gain powerful leads on migration patterns, kinship networks, and the correct repository for surviving records.

• Alternate records as substitutes and corroborating evidence
  A wide array of underused sources is highlighted: immigration and naturalization details embedded in population schedules; church membership rolls, minutes, and histories; land conveyances, tax rolls, and plat maps; voter registrations with naturalization data; probate court minutes and files; and even pet licenses and livestock marks and brands. Each type is shown as a potential stand-in for missing censuses or vital records, and as corroboration that strengthens conclusions about identity, residence, and family structure.

• Cemeteries and courtrooms as data-rich research hubs
  Beyond tombstones and wills, the session showcases burial permits, transit permits, cemetery plot deeds, interment ledgers, and detailed probate packets that may include inventories, auctions, guardianship decisions, and court-ordered notices. These materials can reveal causes of death, financial conditions, guardians for minor children, and the daily realities of a family—adding texture and evidence that basic indexes never capture.

Genealogists who want to move past stalled research and uncover new avenues of proof are encouraged to view the full webinar. The complete presentation walks carefully through examples, images, and reasoning steps that demonstrate how to spot, locate, and interpret these unconventional sources. After watching, exploring the additional resources in the syllabus—covering checklists, record-type explanations, and repository suggestions—will help turn these ideas into a focused research plan tailored to specific ancestors and challenging problems.