Timelines are great ways to keep track of details in an ancestor’s life. They can help you learn where they lived when and reveal what you do know and what you might want to find out.
Timelines are easy to create. The census is a great place to start looking for names, dates, and locations of your relatives. We’ll go through an example of a timeline with the Szucs family.
In the 1930 census record below, we find the Szucs family’s residence on April 1, 1930 (the official census date). The town is listed at the top of the census page, and the street address is in the first two columns. Add the residence information to the timeline, and we have a starting place to trace their family history. If you’re creating a timeline with paper instead of electronically, leave space above and between your entries for dates you may find later.
This is what the timeline would look like so far:
- April 1, 1930: Szucs residence is 4623 West 47th Place, 9th Ward, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Taking that same census information, subtract the ages of everyone in the family from the year 1930 to estimate the dates of birth. Add their birth places and your estimated birth dates to your timeline.
This is how the timeline would look now:
- c. 1880: John Szucs is born in Czechoslovakia.
- c. 1882: Theresa Szucs is born in Czechoslovakia.
- c. 1908: Stephen Szucs is born in Ohio.
- c. 1914: Irene Szucs is born in Ohio.
- April 1, 1930: Szucs residence is 4623 West 47th Place, 9th Ward, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Now, use John and Theresa’s ages when they were married to estimate the year they married. For John, this is 1880 + 24 = 1904; for Theresa, it’s 1882 + 22 = 1904. Add their marriage year to the timeline as 1904.
The census also lists the years John and Theresa immigrated. Compare their immigration dates to their marriage date to figure out whether they married before or after they immigrated. Since their marriage date is later, we know that John and Theresa were married in the United States.
This is how the timeline would look now:
- c. 1880: John Szucs is born in Czechoslovakia.
- c. 1882: Theresa Szucs is born in Czechoslovakia.
- 1902: John Szucs immigrates to the U.S.
- 1903: Theresa Szucs immigrates to the U.S.
- c. 1904: John and Theresa are married in the U.S.
- c. 1908: Stephen Szucs is born in Ohio.
- c. 1914: Irene Szucs is born in Ohio.
- April 1, 1930: Szucs residence is 4623 West 47th Place, 9th Ward, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Overlaying historical events can lead to more discoveries. For example, World War I spanned from 1914 to 1918. In the United States, men born between 1872 and 1900 were required to register for the draft. Since John’s estimated birth date falls in that timeframe, it’s worth taking a look in the draft records for him.
John registered for the draft in Barton, Belmont County, Ohio, providing another residence entry for the timeline in September 1918. And since that’s only a few years after Irene was born, this would be a good place to start a search for her birth record. That birth record gives a more precise birth date for John as well, which means another update to the timeline.
The details from just two records can help you quickly learn a lot about a family and provide clues for further research. With the dates on the timeline, you could expand the search to birth records, John and Theresa’s marriage record, passenger arrivals for John and Theresa, and the 1910 and 1920 U.S. censuses.