“Alexander L. Froelich was born in Königsberg (Germany) and naturalized in the State of Ohio, Hamilton County on the – day of – A.D. 1859. He is Pensioner of the United States of America and his pension certificate bears the number 903071. The Deceased left a testament which will be opened by the court of justice on April 20th 1903."
There is much more information about Alexander Froelich to be discovered in State Department records. A future article in Der Kurier will delve deeply into Froelich’s life to learn why he was in Königsberg and the controversy that ensued regarding his estate in Cincinnati.
This exciting document is genealogical gold and on two levels. The first level is the most basic. It includes extensive data about Froelich's death, including the date and cause of death, and it is in a document format genealogists seek out, a formal death report. Look closer, however, and you discover a second level of information, one where you can use other facts in the document to locate additional information on Froelich.
Note how the death report confirms he was a pensioner and provides a pension certificate number. It also tells you he was a naturalized citizen, citing Hamilton County, Ohio as the site of the naturalization. Perhaps this indicates he was naturalized in a county court rather than a state or federal one. It tells you the operator of a boarding house in Königsberg had a claim to Froelich's estate, someone whom you might never have encountered in your research before. These three quick examples illustrate how a close reading of documents can help you discover important additional sources of information on your ancestor, namely a pension file, his naturalization record, and additional correspondence concerning his time in East Prussia.
At the upcoming MAGS workshop on April 11, the instructor will devote time to this often-overlooked research skill. Focusing on one person as a case study, you will learn techniques on how to look closely at documents to find clues leading to more of the person's story, including taking advantage of the 19th century's formal writing style to locate sources to enhance your ancestor's biography. When the workshop is over, you will be able to mine information in both levels of documents, enabling you to craft exceptional micro-biographies of your ancestors and flesh out your family's history.
Remember, the workshop is hybrid, meaning you do not have to be onsite at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland to participate. MAGS will host a video of the workshop on the Society's website for six weeks, so you can watch it later at your leisure. Consider attending. After all, because there is no comprehensive name-searchable index to all records, learning how to tease out research clues in documents is an invaluable skill.
Click on the image to see the digitized document on the NARA website.
National Archives Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of StateSeries: Despatches from U.S. Consular OfficersFile Unit: Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Stettin, Germany, 1830-1906, Despatches: January 16, 1901 - August 2, 1906, image 255.
