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Portfolio & Research Examples
Kathleen Hinckley, Certified Genealogist, has over twenty years experience researching family stories such as these:
Hair Samples Braided and Tied onto Pages of a Civil War Book
A client wanted a mystery solved. He had a Civil War book owned by his great-grandmother that had hair samples from several individuals, each one braided differently and tied onto the pages of the book. Handwritten beneath each braid was the name of the individual. The client did not know if the names were family members or friends. The family detective identified every name in the book and proved that they were all related to the client. Records used included census, cemetery, marriage records, newspaper obituaries, military records, and court records.
Unraveling Odd Form of Identity Theft
The grandfather of a client often talked about his attendance at the Colorado School of Mines and how his parents had donated the land where the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave is located in Golden, Colorado. The client hired the Family Detective to prove these stories; however, a record of attendance could not be found at the School of Mines and thorough research of land records did not locate any appropriate deeds. A marriage record was located for the grandfather—a first marriage that the family did not know about. Further research into the family of the first wife revealed that her brother had attended the Colorado School of Mines and her parents had donated the land for the Buffalo Bill Museum. Although the client's grandfather had not changed his name, he had assumed the identity of his ex-brother-in-law. The true history of this grandfather is still unknown. He covered his tracks well.
Criminal History a Family Skeleton
The death date and other details of a client's grandfather were unknown and was the focus of the research project. The Family Detective examined cemetery records in the area where the grandfather last resided and found his burial. Follow-up research in the newspapers revealed that the grandfather had hung himself while in the state penitentiary. The news that the grandfather had served time in prison was completely unknown to the family, let alone that he had committed suicide. Although this news was initially upsetting to the family, they were glad to know the truth. Additional research into court and penitentiary records gave the family a broader picture of the circumstances surrounding the imprisonment and death, and helped them understand why their grandmother would not answer questions about her husband.
Whole Family Research Reveals Risk of Suicide
"Whole Family Research" means not only researching the direct family line (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.) but also including the collateral lines (aunts, uncles, etc.). Whole family research is ideal and recommended for a scholarly well-documented family history. While researching four generations of an Irish family, a pattern of suicide began to emerge that was unknown to the family. Out of 94 persons in four generations, five adult males between ages 25-55 committed a violent suicide. The national average for violent suicides in the United States is 5.8 out of 100,000 persons. Because the five family members who committed suicide were distant cousins to one another, the family was unaware of the seriousness of depression and suicide risk.
City Directory Proves Name Change
Immigrants often changed their surname without formal court action and it can be difficult to document. City directory research proved the name change of a Jewish family. The original surname was recorded in the city directory that listed the names of the husband and wife, home address, and occupation. The following year and all subsequent years listed the family at the exact same address and occupation, but with the Americanized surname.
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