I have a question for all you geneology buffs

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Is there a way I can find out my grandmothers full name?

I have forgotten her maiden name and cannot remember much else about her family and now there is no one else to ask because my mom is dead. My dad is about to turn 81 and I dont know if he would remember either. I am not even sure if what I think her first name is, is really her first name or if that is just what they called her. I always knew her as Mae Scott but Im really not sure if that was really her name or not. I know when she died.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I don't know how to do geneaology the modern way but I do have alot of experience with the old fashioned method. So...the only
easy way I can suggest is to get a copy of your parents birth certificate which often has the complete name of the biological
parents, their date of birth or age, and often their occupation.
You can order copies from the county of birth.

With the internet...lol...maybe you can just Ask Jeeves! DDD
 

WhymeMom?

No real answers to life..
The more information you know the easier it is to narrow down. Some states have marriage licenses online. What I would do is sit down and write out or better yet record your earliest memories about family stories. As I was working on my genealogy a couple of years ago I remembered that my dad talked about his great grandmother Jane and how she was six feet tall. So sit down with your dad and just talk about the family....don't make it an interview, but just Hey, dad do you remember how gramma Mae used to make those sugar cookies???? You don't?, Well what do you remember about her? Once you get him going I bet he would remember more than you think....

If you know when, where she died or was buried you can also find information. Ancestry.com is a place to start or rootsweb.com

Google genealogy to find other resources. Also do a search in quotes on her married name, it might lead to other info. How long ago did she pass? Obits give alot of info, if you can check newspapers that might have carried her obituary....

Sorry if this is more than you wanted to know.....
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
There was no obit when she died. She died in my moms home and my mom didnt have an obit put in anywhere. I know she died in april of 88. Maybe I could search the social security death index.

See...my grandmother was in a weird situation...or maybe not so weird for her generation. Her mom died when she was quite young. She was born in 1903 I think...or maybe it 1905. One of those two years. I think it was 03 because she was 86 when she died and she must not have had her birthday yet. Ok....well she had several siblings...both girls and boys. Her father farmed the girls out to families in the greater boston area because he couldnt care for them after the mother died. The boys stayed with him. I have no idea whatever happened to them or what their names were. I only vaguely remember one of her sisters except for one older unmarried aunt who lived with her after my grandfather died. I think I remember visiting one sister in an apt in boston when I was very young. Whatever happened to her I dont know. I dont even know what my aunt who lived with my grandmothers last name was...lol...I only knew her as my aunt neenie...lol. She died when I was a teen. I guess it never occurred to me that she ought to have a last name.

I guess maybe having grandkids is making me nostalgic or something.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh...and my grandmother isnt buried...she resides on my shelf in a box next to the box containing my mom until we can figure out what to do with them! I inherited my grandmother when I moved my mom in with me when she got alzheimers...lmao.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
We've got father in law on the shelf too. I think he's very happy there.

Suggestion - death certificate anywhere? Lodged with officialdom somewhere? other things to check - local church records (membership lists, past records of who did what - even if it was just arranging the flowers or baking cakes). Other local organisations or competitions. Family bible or equivalent. Old photos (check the back of them). Your parents' birth certificates and marriage certificates. You can then uses those to do more digging. The crematorium who produced the ashes.

I'll ask husband, he's the one doing most work on the family tree. He may have more ideas. Do you have a good genealogy program? The best ones come from Utah (it figures).

Marg
 

WhymeMom?

No real answers to life..
Forgot to tell you about census records....they list members of the household so you might be able to find out who she lived with in Boston. The problem there is it really helps if you know the county where she lived.

The social security listing would be a good place to start. It would have her last name and you could narrow this down by knowing when she died.

You might find some interesting stories along the way....

Good luck.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
LOL, I was just getting ready to post about census records!

The search can be fun but it is not a "quickie" hobby. It's like
peeling off thin layers of an onion...very gently. It often leads to copies of old wills that are interesting and funny. You
can visit gravesites to get info etc.

It might be a terrific hobby for you. DDD
 
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