Writing Techniques to Analyze, Advance, and Ultimately Solve your Genealogical Roadblocks

Follow these five steps before listening to the recorded session or after attending the session. If you cannot do it before, it is ok to do it afterwards and practice with what you learned. All of the referenced documents are linked within this webpage and available for you in a pdf viewer or as downloads.

A. Syllabus - download and review the syllabus handout.

B. Documents - Access each of the records for the Sarah Noggle case through these links:

     Records #1 - #4 are covered in the NGS presentation.

          1. 1835 Marriage Record of George Hile and Sarah Noggle

          2. 1919 Death Certificate for Elizabeth Moore

          3. 1850 Federal Census for George Hile and Sarah

          4. 1840 Federal Census for John Noggle

     Records #5 - #9 are additional documents for you to practice the technique.

          5. 1860 Federal Census Record for George Hile

          6. 1855 Marriage Record of George Hile and Margaret Staver

          7. Negative Searches and Findings for Headstones, Memorials, and Cemeteries

               (This is a document with images and some negative searches and negative findings.)

          8. 1920 Death Certificate of Wilson HIle

          9. 1846 Deed from William Noggle to George Hile

C. Apply the Technique - Use the following steps taught in the course to practice:

          1. Start with a record.

          2. Write out all the information in the record. 

                   - Question

                   - Observe

                   - Conclude

          3. Develop ideas using action-oriented verbs to guide you.

D. Compare Your Writing - After you work through each document and practice the technique, then compare it to these samples:

          #1 - 1835 Marriage of George Hile and Sarah Noggle

          #2 - 1919 Death of Elizabeth Moore

          #3 - 1850 Census for the George Hile Household

          #4 - 1840 Census for George Hile

          #5 - 1860 Census for George Hile

          #6 - 1855 Marriage of George Hile and Margaret Staver

          #7 - Negative Searches and Negative Findings

          #8 - 1920 Death of Wilson Hile

          #9 - 1846 Deed to George Hile

E. Read all Written Records in Chronological Sequence

          Records #1 - #9 Combined Chronologically