Genealogy Jottings

I keep getting nowhere in my effort to document the pedigree of my ancestor Lucy Snow (1760-1795) of Harwich, Massachusetts. Time again for some professional help.

Yesterday I registered for two webinars being hosted this month by American Ancestors. Perhaps they will help me uncover records that have eluded me so far.

1. Searching Databases on AmericanAncestors.org will run this afternoon. I have tried using this subscription site, but I find it overwhelming. Searches I attempt often return hundreds of results, most of them irrelevant to my Lucy Snow. In this webinar, the American Ancestors database coordinator will discuss the scope of the site and how to leverage search terms.
2. Creating a Research Plan for Cluster Research runs next week. I am familiar with cluster research where you include an ancestor’s extended family, associates, and neighbors to solve a genealogical mystery. So far, my attempts at using this technique have been unsuccessful for Lucy Snow or any of my other brick wall ancestors. I hope the Director of Research Services at American Ancestors can help me craft a research plan that works.

I am nearly 5 months into my search for Lucy and her forebears. I have her marriage record and her burial site. I have the names of her children with Gershom Hall. I have what may be her baptism record, if she is the daughter of Thomas Snow and Hannah of the Brewster, MA church.

But there were several Thomas Snows and several Lucy Snows who lived on Cape Cod during the second half of the 1700’s. How do I distinguish my Lucy and put her in the correct family? I need to find the records of each and untangle them to discover the thread of my Lucy’s pedigree.

If some education available from home can help me do that, sign me up!