Surprisingly, perhaps, so can the federal census. Family rumors old letters (an “Alcatraz” postmark is a dead giveaway) newspaper clippings and documents such as old legal bills, release papers and pardon certificates can offer clues, as can old newspapers. Indeed, the very reason you keep running into a “brick wall” in your hunt for a particular ancestor could be his time spent behind the well-guarded walls of a jail or prison. Related to an infamous outlaw? Other genealogists may have done genealogical research on him, as they have for the members of the Dalton Gang.īecause non-genealogists in families tend not to talk about “black sheep,” you may have to do some digging to uncover an ancestor’s criminal past. In addition, there’s a Blacksheep Ancestors blog and to help you research forebears the rest of the family would rather not discuss.ĭepending on the nature of your ancestor’s wrongdoing, you can commingle with fellow descendants of Wild West outlawsor fly a skull-and-crossbones pennant from your family tree. Heck, entire organizations are devoted to those with “black sheep” kin-the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists, for one. So there’s not necessarily a lot of shame associated with having a “criminal” in your pedigree. “Crimes” including sacrilege, fishing in somebody else’s pond and a “secret marriage” could get Britons shipped to the Colonies or Australia (see box, below), as could thefts of as little as a shilling. Vagrancy was a common charge, and being unable to pay your debts could get you locked up. Keep in mind that way back when, folks went to jail-or were transported halfway around the world to prison colonies-for offenses that today would barely warrant a slap on the wrist. So you see, the only shame in having an ancestor on the left side of the law would be ignoring the windfall of family history resources we’re about to describe.
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By writing NARA’s Southeast Regional office for the file or hunting down trial records, you could learn Adams’ details about genealogy and penchant for “passing paper.” At the National Archives’ and Records Administration’s (NARA) online index to Atlanta Federal Penitentiary inmate case files, you’ll discover he was 27 years old at his sentencing in New Bern, NC. Great-grandpa Norwood Adams, for example, turns out to have been a counterfeiter. Not to mention the potential to unlock a wealth of genealogical data denied to those whose ancestors stayed on the straight and narrow. And we’re always looking for familial links to royalty or Colonial governors, not for ancestors those esteemed officials sentenced to hanging.īut look on the bright side: An ancestor with a criminal past adds a colorful character to your family history. After all, genealogists love to brag that their ancestors came over on the Mayflower, not on a prisoner-transport ship. Williams, age 29 Thomas Warden, 39 Jacob Williams, 28 William Lewis, 28 and so on? A little squinting at the fine print reveals Great-grandpa’s “relationship” to these fellas: They’re all inmates at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.Īt first, finding a felon or other ancestor with a criminal past in your family tree may be a bit disconcerting. But what’s he doing in Fulton County, Ga.? And why does his “family” seem to consist entirely of men-Will C. So you’re hunting for your great-grandpa Norwood Adams, born about 1883 in North Carolina, and you’re thrilled to finally find him in the 1910 census. Family Tree Templates and Relationship Charts.
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How to Find Your Ancestor’s US Military Records.
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