8 Strategies to Find Ancestors’ Siblings & Enhance Your Genealogy Research
Identifying and researching ancestors’ siblings is crucial to genealogy research, since siblings can help break down our brick walls. If an ancestor died young, or left behind few records, shifting our research focus to a sibling could help identify unknown parents, or solve other mysteries. Siblings can also reveal a woman’s maiden name. Additionally, when researching a family with a common surname, identifying as many people as possible in the family helps ensure you are researching the correct family.
Here’s eight different strategies to try that can help reveal the identities of our ancestors’ siblings.
1. Optimize Your Census Research
Census research may seem obvious, or unhelpful if you’re working with an ancestor who was already an adult by 1850. But, are you fully utilizing the benefits of census research by finding all relevant records? Try these strategies:
- Look at the names of the people who lived near your ancestor. Neighbors with the same last name who were close to them in age could be siblings.
- Don’t just limit your research to direct ancestors. Also look for all the census records of each of their children. Unmarried or widowed people can often be found living with a niece or nephew.
My ancestor Martha Eliza Kennedy (Dill) has proved very mysterious. She was likely born between 1804-1808 and married years before the 1850 census was taken. The 1850 and 1860 censuses reveal 10 of her children: many avenues for additional research! In the 1865 New York State Census, the household of Martha’s son Robert included 64 year old David Dill, identified as Robert’s uncle. David was likely Martha’s older brother, and he’s now an additional research subject that could help me identify Martha’s parents.
Where to find census records
Digitized collections of surviving U.S. census records are available on Ancestry and FamilySearch.
2. Identify All Individuals on Marriage Records
A variety of marriage records may name individuals aside from the bride and groom. One of these people could be a sibling. For example, a marriage certificate from a church could be signed by witnesses.
A marriage bond is another type of marriage record that could include the brother of the bride or groom. As Judy Russell explained in her blog, The Legal Genealogist, a marriage bond “was a form of guarantee that there wasn’t any legal bar to the marriage.” These records are most commonly found in the southern and mid-Atlantic states, such as the 1831 marriage bond for my ancestors James Brackenridge and Mary Eddy from Delaware.
These bonds were signed by the groom and a bondsman. They promised to pay a bond if it was ever discovered that the marriage wasn’t legal. For example, if the bride or groom turned out to be married already. The bondsman who signed the record was usually a close relative, possibly a brother.
Where to find marriage records
Ancestry and FamilySearch have digitized collections of marriage records. If unable to find the record online, check the county courthouse or historical society where the marriage took place. Also ask relatives about family history record collections they may have.
3. Search for Newspaper Articles
Obituaries often listed the names of surviving family members, including siblings. However, these detailed obituaries did not typically appear in newspapers until the eartly 20th century.
Social columns also reported on local residents’ visits to or from their family members. You may also find reports of large family gatherings, such as family reunions, birthday or anniversary parties, that included names of the attendees. One of the people named in connection to your ancestor may be a brother or sister.
Where to find historical newspapers
Chronicling America and Fulton History are two free sources for newspaper research. Newspapers.com is a subscription site. A subscription can be purchased as an add-on with an Ancestry subscription. NewspaperArchive is another subscription site, but a subscription is included with membership to the National Genealogical Society.
4. Examine Land Records
Land records can reveal an ancestor’s FAN Club – family (or friends), associates, and neighbors. Closely examine an ancestor’s deeds to find these other individuals, any of whom could be a sibling:
- People with whom they co-owned property
- People from whom they were buying property
- People to whom they were selling property
- People who lived on the bordering properties
This 1856 deed, found using FamilySearch’s Full-Text search, reveals that my ancestor James Higgins co-owned property with a woman named Ann Crump. Further research identified Ann as an older sister of James.
Where to find land records
FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search is a good place to start. If the records have not been digitized, they are likely at the relevant state archives or county courthouse. For federal land patents, check the Bureau of Land Management’s website.
5. Scour Wills for Names
Any of the following people named in a will could be a sibling of the decedent or the decedent’s spouse:
- Heirs
- Executors
- People conducting the estate’s inventory
When reviewing wills, be sure to make note of each of these individuals. FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search is a great new tool for locating wills that mention an ancestor in any capacity.
This 1885 will of Sarah Graden named her brother James Brackenridge as an heir. She also appointed her brother-in-law, James Morgan, as executor of her estate, revealing herself to be the sister of James’s wife, Catherine.
Where to find wills
FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search is a good place to start. If the record is not digitized, check the county courthouse or historical society where the decedent lived during their lifetime.
6. Find Church Records
Like census records, try to locate church baptismal records for each of an ancestor’s children. These records sometimes identify sponsors, which could be an aunt or an uncle.
Church membership lists should be searched as well. If your ancestor is located on a membership list, look for other individuals with the same surname. This is a strong indicator of a family connection.
Where to find church records
Search catalogs on Ancestry, FamilySearch, or MyHeritage for church record collections. If the church is still in existence, try contacting the church directly to ask about surviving records. If the church no longer exists, contact the local historical society.
7. Locate and Review Military Pension Applications
The laws related to pension applications varied by conflict. Typically, the veteran applying for a pension had to prove certain things to obtain the pension. This could include military service, a disability, or birthdate. A widow may need to provide evidence that she was married to the veteran, or that she has not remarried since his death.
To prove these claims, the applicants would find witnesses to provide testimony on their behalf. These witnesses could be siblings. The pension application of my Civil War veteran ancestor Charles H. Ball includes statements from two of his siblings testifying to when he was born.
Where to find military pension applications
Fold3 holds digitized copies of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 pension applications. Some Civil War pension applications have been digitized, but many still need to be ordered from the National Archives.
8. Explore Passenger Lists for Family Connections
If researching an immigrant ancestor, they may have immigrated with a sibling. If you’re able to find them on a ship’s passenger list, look closely at the names of the people with whom they traveled. Even if they traveled alone, ship records created after the Immigration Act of 1891 typically asked for the name, relationship and address of the person that the immigrant was going to join once in the United States. Your ancestor may have planned to join a brother or sister in the United States.
Where to find passenger lists
Check the Immigration & Travel section on Ancestry. FamilySearch also has a collection entitled New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1925.
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