The following beginning genealogy article was written by Bryan L. Mulcahy, of the Fort Myers Regional Library. reprinted here with permission…
It has been said that genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the United States. This popularity cuts across all age and ethnic groups. Research “brick walls” become unique challenges that inspire determination.
One of the most common issues involves looking for an ancestor or family that is supposed to be in a specific locality. This can be especially interesting if the person or family lived near a county boundary line.
When searching for ancestors, always begin the process in the place of residence where the facts indicate the individual was supposed to be. If they don’t appear in the area, the next step involves widening the search area. Boundary lines of towns, cities, and counties have changed throughout time. Limiting the geographical extent of the search for records can be a mistake. This applies to research throughout the world, thus making the use of historical maps and gazetteers for localities of research so important.
Given the limited transportation options historically in many areas, it may initially surprise us if we discover that a family attended a church, school, or worked on a farm or factory 5-10 miles from their home, or met their spouse in an adjacent county. Depending on the roads existing at the time, legal documents such as deeds, wills, tax payments, etc., may have been submitted at courthouses in an adjacent county. People generally went to the easiest courthouse to access and that was perfectly legal in historical terms.
Keep in mind that in the early years of settlement in a new area or region, the population may have been so small that a single minister or priest served multiple congregations in a large geographical setting. This results in records for a wide geographical region appearing in one setting which may or may not correspond with the given place of residence for the ancestors. These scenarios are very common for most areas before the coming of urbanization.
The 25-50-75 concept is one used by many genealogists to overcome this challenge. If the ancestor or family doesn’t appear in the area where the facts say they should be, draw a circle 25 miles in every direction, including any counties in an adjacent state. Search any counties that appear in the circle. Repeat the process if needed for the 50 and 75 miles radius. If the search involves Canada, the British Isles, or Europe, you would use kilometers. The good news is that in most cases, this solves the challenge. If the ancestor doesn’t show up in this type of search strategy, you may need to go back and examine the facts again.
I’ve used this method for years going back to the CD versions of IGI. I wish there was an easy way to automate such a locality search tool. I haven’t seen one that has worked very well. It would be nice if the main genealogical database sites could figure it out or if tree sites like Rootsfinder, or an app creator could put a tool out using a good location database and a map.