Beginner Genealogy -- Collateral Lines

As promised, this post will cover what genealogists call "Collateral Lines." In a nutshell, a collateral relative is a blood relative who is not in your pedigree, or your direct line. An example of a collateral relative would be an aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, or even your siblings. In genealogical research, these collateral relatives are often many times removed from you, for example you may be searching for a great-great-great-grand uncle. Collateral lines are the lineages of these relatives. When you start researching people who were born several generations back, sometimes your direct ancestors have less of a paper trail than their siblings or other relatives.

It is important to remember that even if you are researching a line that is 2, 3, or more generations removed, eventually a common ancestor will be shared. Then, all of the previous generations before that ancestor are shared for that line. For example, if you research a cousin who shares a 3rd great-grandparent with you, then the 4th great grandparents and generations beyond them are also shared. So, working on collateral lines can lead to excellent genealogical breakthroughs.

Where to start searching for collateral relatives 

U.S. Federal Census
Any source that indicates family relationships is worth looking at. Depending on the year in which you are searching, a US Federal Census record will usually begin by listing the head of household and follow with any other person living at the residence and their relationship to the head of household.

Obituaries
Obits are hit-or-miss when looking for genealogical information. They can be wealth of birth, marriage, and death dates along with maiden names, parents' names, sisters, brothers, children, spouses, etc. They can also be a few sentences regarding funeral arrangements.

Probate records
If a person left a will or an estate, it never hurts to search through the paperwork. When a will is probated, all living individuals who may have a claim to the estate are listed along with their relationships to the deceased.

Marriage license applications
Depending on the year and the state in which the application was filed, public health information was collected from both the bride and groom when they filled out a marriage application.

Family trees
Search Ancestry, Family Search, or other sites the find related family trees. Maybe someone has information on their direct ancestors who are your collateral ones. Many people have family pictures, stories, and even records that may be indirectly related to your family.

Family Bibles
It used to be common practice to keep vital information stored in family bibles--and lots of people kept track this way for generations, creating many possible collateral lines for a descendant to search.

Death certificates
If you are looking for an ancestor's parents, try searching for records related to your ancestor's siblings. If a death record exists and parents names are listed, you will at least have a starting place for research.