Tips for
Researching in Neshoba County ...
I've gotten
numerous requests for guidance in researching ancestors in Neshoba.
The following list is where I'd begin my research:
Talk to everyone in
your family about what they know about the ancestors, keeping in
mind that memories can fade and that some of their information is
inaccurate. (Great Grandma was a full-blooded Indian or we came over
on the Mayflower are two examples of information that is said over &
over that is usually not true.) Write down what you've found out.
Buy or download a free genealogy program to organize your
information.
Brother's Keeper is shareware and can be downloaded for free.
This way all of your information is organized and can be emailed to
someone easily.
Explore "Resources".
In this section you will also find many links to great sites for
beginners.
Use ALL types of
spellings when you look for records. Many times the spelling changed
(Hawley to Holley) or the person writing down the information had
trouble deciphering the script. Sometimes names are spelled so
"screwy" that your best bet is just to go through the pages. The "s"
looks like "f" in some old script, so Smith could look like Fith to
a beginning transcriber.
Use the search
engine on this web and others to locate surnames.
Post a query on the
query board. There are a number of different query boards including
Surname Boards -Gen Forum & County Boards. (They're listed in
the Links section)
Join the email list
and ask questions about your ancestors there. (I also make
announcements to the list when I put new information on the Neshoba
Web.)
Check census
records in the county and in surrounding counties. The 1850 census
records begin listing all of the family members and where each was
born.
Check the Cemetery
records. There are quite a few on my Neshoba pages.
Check the funeral
home listings. Many times people did not have money to buy a
tombstone, but their remains were handled by an undertaker. You'll
have to write to the library to find this out.
Check the Neshoba
County library to see if they have any bibliographical information
on the family you are searching for.
Check the birth,
death and marriage records. Those may list parents names, etc. Get
copies of these records by ordering them from the appropriate
source.
Check the court
records. It is possible that the courthouse has an index. If you
find something of interest, try to order the record from the County
Clerk. Also know that they are short-staffed and may not be able to
fill your request. You may have to make a trip to Philadelphia or
hire a researcher to get the information for you.
Check the old
newspapers. You may need to write one of the libraries to see if
your family member's name is listed in the index.
If the ancestor was
in the Civil War, order the records! They have a great deal of
information in them! Also check the Civil War links and ask for a
lookup from
Tom Neely.
Don't take every
piece of information someone sends you as gospel! Ask for sources!
Verify information! Have an open mind! YOU could be mistaken!
CEMETERIES
OF NESHOBA COUNTY I have
a book OUR LINKS TO THE PAST 1833-1996 CEMETERIES OF NESHOBA COUNTY
MS. I am willing to do look-ups for people if they will give me as
much information as they can on the person they are looking for who
might be buried in Neshoba county MS 1833-1996; I
cannot send
them ALL the names of just one or more surnames. I do not have
pictures, just lists and approximate locations of the cemeteries.
Janet Deans
searcher333@hotmail.com |
