Can YOU Help ME? Found a family tree hoping to break down my Speghe/Spiegell Brick wall.

Found this Tree, however before I can include it in my tree I need to vette it.  Meaning I need support for it.  What do I mean by support?

Documentation of course.  What kinds, you ask?  Birth records, Baptismal-or similar records, school record, government record, as well Marriage records.

If you see flaws with this tree, please point them out.  Then I will work to resolve them.

This tree is of the Speghel family. That arrived in Bay City, Essex, Michigan 
The Tree is of a Belgian Family.

Wait A Minute

Copying information directly from Ancestry.com is Guess What?   It is not *vetted information.  Meaning that you must still do the leg work before you accept the hints etc... as a fact.

You need sources to prove your fact.                  

http://www.genealogyintime.com/records/newest-genealogy-records.html ...found n that site

What makes a "Fact" in genealogy.  A Fact is a piece of information that you have found at least 3 documents.  Yes I said 3 documents.

What is a Source Document in genealogy:  Birth record, Baptismal record, Confirmation record,  a religious event in which their parents gave the information,  School records,  a Marriage record.   Those are source Documents.

Document found at :https://familysearch.org/ 

  To make the work you do more valuable get your sources, get those documents, at least know where to send others to get the documents too.  


All other kinds of documents can only help you with finding where to get the source docement.  

State by State Records Do They Exist.

In doing family history and collecting family history data. Have you noticed the varied information from different states you can obtain?  Even the years when the first recoded Birth, Marriage, Death and property was recorded in the individual states.

Are you ever dumbstruck as to why you can’t get records from one state while another has all information for who ever ask for it?  

Then to think that New York was long established record keeping, but that was only in certain areas.   New York/New Amsterdam  was a active port almost 200 years before the first European descended settlement was made up in the northwest region of New York.  The North West areas where not settled until 20 plus years after the Revolution War.    Can you get records for your ancestors who lived in that area?  Was it a religious ceremony recorded or civil? 

I have several branches of ancestors that were in Upstate New York or in Ontario before expanding into Michigan.  Both of these places are large black holes for documents.   I just can’t figure out why it’s this way.   Canada has the Quebec records stretching back to 1600…  While Ontario I am hard pressed to find 1800 documents.  A lot of my research data collection for both New York & Ontario has been found  by doing a Google search.  Thank goodness other folks have asked similar questions or given answers about my family members.   Or I would still be unknowledgeable for those lines.

Of course a road trip is in order.   Before one sets off on a road trip for genealogy research its really best to know times of when one can get into that office.  As in small towns and villages.  When is the office open and its hours to conduct business, is it closed a certain day of the week etc…?   Planning ahead will make your visit to the location much more enjoyable.  You will also want to know if the local library has a genealogy section and its days and hours of availability.

The only answer I have for Why information varies state to state 1. Date it came into the Union. 2. When the State began to require recording of Birth, marriage, death & property transactions. 

If you have Massachusetts ancestors and have seen documents from the 1600’s  then jump off a bit future inland you might not see another document until 1840. 

Happy Doc Hunting

Reliability of Documents

Reliability of Documents 

A List of  1^st 2^nd & 3^rd source type documents

In doing genealogy many face documents that are not a 1st source document since for a time period many types of documentation do not exist or other extenuating circumstances.  Perhaps if it was not for The Great Depression and WWII caring and having documents may not be such a priority for us.

1^st Source Documents

I have many ancestors born after 1900 that having a birth certificate was not a priority for their family.   Many had to have a sworn document from parent/parents to swear as to the date of their Childs birth.  As you see here for my grandfather Clifford DuCap.  His mother Margaret DuCap had to go to the County to “Swear” of Clifford’s birth.  To me this is a rare sort of document.  It is a 1^st source document.

.   This as it would seem was children born at home.  For the most part up until the 1940 home birth was the common way.   Then of course birth at Hospitals was the common place.  Home birth became a novelty then.

But Why?   What makes it a 1st source document?  All first source documentation have certain elements to them. 

A]  The* people attending the birth have first hand knowledge of the Childs birth.  No reason to falsify the documentation.  [*parents, midwife, doctor, aunts, grandparents, and/or friends assisting in the birth process]

B] The fact that it had to have an official seal, also witnesses that could verify what was stated.  Again no reason to falsify the documentation.

Another source for a birth recording is Baptizmal record.  Of course this would be Infant Baptizim.  No reason to falsify

Because no one can remember their own birth we have to trust those who were there to report it correctly.  To report the correct date and year of our birth. 

1^st source document means 1^st hand knowledge of the birth of a child.

Recap 1^st source documents:

 1] Birth record from Hospital with Doctor/Midwife signature

            2] Signed affidavite of Mother/Father  to the birth

            3] Baptizmial Record in several cultures this would be the Birth source document.  ie… infant Baptizim

2^ND Source Documents

Include but limited to: 

School Records

 Church Records

Military records

Pension Records

Court Records

Probate Records

Insurance Records

Prayer Cards

Some might be inclined to include most if not all of my 2ndry source list as 1^st source.   My train of thought is about what document can stand on its own as to prove a birth.  With actual facts, first hand knowlede of an ancestors exentience. Where no misinformation can exestice. 

Why these are on my 2ndry list.

School Records:  Was a birth certificate provided in order to enroll in school.  If not then who provided correct date of birth for said child?  Not a 1^st source since there are variables.

 Church Records: In this case has to with familes who have moved from place of nativity.  When listing out the children and not providing birth records/baptizimal records.  If a child was born and continued living in the same church boundries, to me these records would be 1^st source.  But if its not the case then its 2^nd source.

Military records:  DO you know of any one that has told you a story of how they said that they were a year older so they could join up?  I do.  So then to me its means that birth records were not required to join in the Fight.  So defiently a 2^nd to 3^rd source document.  Don’t rely for actual birth info.

Pension Records:  Following up on Military Records  same goes 2^nd or 3^rd source documentation.

Court Records:  These records may place an ancestor in a paticular location at a paticular time and place.  Most likely will not include birth information.  A document to confirm you 1^st source.

Probate Records:  This is the department where Wills are filed. Perhaps land records too.  Great source if the Ancestors filed a Will.  Some wills reveal childrennames, other spouses, Aunts, Uncles etc…   Most defiently a 2^nd source.

Insurance Records:  With Life Insurance policies  dates of birth will be listed.  This is a rare 2^nd source document for Ancestors.  I had one Ancestor that had a insurance policy with the MacAbees.  Wow what a name!  Long historical name.  Which it appears to have been  a popular thing to do in the 19^th century to have religious significate names associates with Insurance groups.  Most incidents a 2^nd source document

Prayer Cards:  These are the Cards that are given out at Funerals/Viewings  

As you see here Therese R. Sylvester name birth & death date is listed.  But then the birth date is only as good the person providing the information.  No one requires a birth cert. to show the descendant birth date.  That being said it is a 2^nd source document.

3rd Source Document 

3rd Source Documents are those documents that back up your 1st and 2nd source documents.  many times you will find a 3rd source quite easily.  Whereas the 1st & 2nd ones will cost money or location unknown as to where to obtain the documents.

My 3rd Source List:

  Census records, State, Local or National

Any record that requires one or two other to connect them together.