Documenting Difficult Cases
Summary: An SAR practical research guide covering pre-1850 records, the full federal census series, vital records, church and cemetery records, city directories, and other sources useful for difficult lineage problems.
Sources: raw/difficultcases.md (edited by Genealogist General Jim Faulkinbury, 30 March 2020)
Last updated: 2026-04-20
Overview
This guide is SAR-specific, authored by the Genealogist General. It is the most practical research-focused source in the wiki, aimed at applicants who have exhausted obvious sources. It covers where to find records, what each record type contains, and how to annotate copies for submission.
Key topics are expanded in their respective wiki pages:
- Census detail → [[acceptable-sources]]
- FamilySearch Catalog navigation, city directories, fraternal records → [[research-strategies]]
- Document annotation (red underline, generation numbers) → [[application-requirements]]
- Long-form vital records → [[acceptable-sources]]
Pre-1850 Records Overview
When census records are unavailable or insufficient, the following record types are the primary tools:
Deeds: Document land transfers. May show chain of inheritance, nominal family-sale prices (essentially bequests before death), or intra-family loans. Even when no family relationship is stated, a deed documents a name, location, and proof of life. Can serve as circumstantial evidence of a family relationship.
Probate files: Copy of will + filing date. Generally names the spouse (if living), all living children, and sometimes grandchildren, siblings, nieces, or nephews. A disinherited child may appear in another relative's will. Original files are at the county level; abstracts and microfilm are often more accessible.
Court/intestate records: Cover persons who died without a will, orphaned minors, or contested wills. Letters of administration may name who was appointed to settle the estate and how it was divided among heirs.
Tax records: Can document whether a person was living or deceased ("for the estate of") and their location at the time. Older records are primarily property tax records.
Tombstone inscription lists: Many recorded in the 1930s; useful for family cemeteries that no longer exist. Misreading of names and dates is common — do not rely solely on this resource.
Federal Census Series (1790–1940)
See [[acceptable-sources]] for full detail. Summary:
| Years | Content |
|---|---|
| 1790–1840 | Head of household only |
| 1850–1870 | All family members named; indexed |
| 1880 | All family members + relationship to head; indexed only for households with a child under 10 |
| 1890 | Mostly destroyed by fire; scattered state/county fragments remain |
| 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 | All family members + relationship to head; most indexed |
Mortality schedules (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880): Separate enumeration of persons who died in the year preceding the census. Contain name, age, sex, race, marital status, occupation, birthplace, parents' birthplace, month of death, cause of death, and attending physician. Do not exist for all jurisdictions.
State censuses: Many states conducted censuses between federal censuses. These provide comparable information and are often overlooked. Available on microfilm at federal branch archives, larger genealogical libraries, and increasingly online.
Vital Records
For the long-form vs. short-form distinction and state-level access, see [[acceptable-sources]].
Death certificates are particularly useful: may contain date and place of death, date and place of birth, spouse or children's names, and parents' names and birthplaces.
Church, Cemetery, and Funeral Director Records
Often provide name, date, place, and relationship information spanning three or more generations. Families frequently used the same church and funeral parlor across generations, creating dense multi-generational records.
Published Family Histories
Available at genealogical/historical libraries, the SAR Genealogical Research Library (Louisville, KY), college and public libraries, and via archive.org (searchable digitized out-of-print volumes).
Acceptable only if the published volume contains source references. Unsourced information can still be used as a research lead. Always submit the title page and publication date alongside the relevant pages.
IGI, Ancestry.com, and User-Submitted Sources
The LDS International Genealogical Index (IGI), Ancestry.com family trees, and similar databases are user-submitted and contain errors from unsupported family traditions, transcription mistakes, and swapped data. They are not acceptable documentation. They are useful as research leads to admissible records. See [[inadmissible-sources]].
SAR Genealogical Research Library
Located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Provides access to major genealogical databases (Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, FamilySearch.org) and thousands of family histories and other records. Available to members for research assistance.
Related pages
- [[acceptable-sources]]
- [[research-strategies]]
- [[application-requirements]]
- [[inadmissible-sources]]
- [[lineage-proof]]
- [[source-citation-format]]