Finding Original Forms in Genealogy Research

The goal of genealogy research is to find your family. You find your family in the records that you research. Whether those records are vital records, census records, family records, newspapers, directories, or other sources of information, each available record provides valuable information that not only identify those in your family, but can also help tell the story of their lives. One of the most important sources of information that is available are forms and applications that your ancestor has filled out themselves. This not only provides you with a tangible piece of information that they provided themselves, it also shows how much information they would have known, or were willing to share, about themselves and their family. Below are several different records that I have found that were completed and/or signed by several ancestors I have found over the years.

The first example is the U.S. Penitentiary Form for McNeil Island for Sherman E. Dodge (also known as F.E. Dodge). He signed this form on December 27, 1909, after being received at McNeil Island (sadly, there is no mugshot available for him, as many of the mugshots of the prisoners from this time have been lost). The form is double-sided, and contains information such as: his year and place of birth, his occupation, age, height, weight, and information on his father. Below is a copy of both pages of this form, which he signed.

He states that he was born in Gardiner, Maine in 1875. He worked as a Restaurant Man and Machinist. He was able to read and write. He states that his parents were living, and on the back identifies his father as N.T. Dodge, who resided as Buena Vista, Colorado, along with his mother, brothers & sisters His states that he is a widower. Through previous research, we know this information is incorrect. He was divorced from his wife in 1903. It is likely that he lied about this information as divorce was frowned upon at that time and would have added to his already questionable character as a prisoner.

The next example is the World War One Draft Card for John Edward Dodge from September 12, 1918. He gives his date of birth as January 28, 1882. He worked in Teaming, which meant that he worked with horses. He lists his parents as Nat Dodge and Fannie Dodge and states that they, as well as he, resided at Buena Vista, Colorado. Below is the front of the World War One Draft Card showing this information.

The next example (below) is from the marriage record between Goodwin O'Grady and Clara Belle (Dodge) Morgan from Saskatchewan, Canada from June of 1929. Clara lists her age as 40 (she would have been 45 in 1929). She stated that she was a widow (as her first husband had abandoned her and she did not know at that time that he was still alive). She lists her place of birth as Beuna Vista (Buena Vista, Colorado), with the place of birth being spelled out as it is commonly pronounced. She lists her father as Nathaniel Dodge and her mother as Fanny Stevens. Even though her name is spelled Clara Bell Morgan on the marriage record, she signed her name as Clara Belle Morgan.

The next example is the Social Security Application for Rachel Elizabeth (Dodge) Newitt from April 25, 1972. At the time Rachel applied for a Social Security Number, she was 85 years old. However, the information she provided is 100% accurate. She lists her date of birth as January 6, [18]87, and place of birth as Buena Vista, Colorado. She gives the complete names of her parents: Fannie Harris Stevens & Nathaniel Toothaker Dodge. As a side note, until I had a copy of this SSN Application, the spelling of her father's middle name was up to debate. The SSN Application is below.

The last example is the Application for Benefits for James Robert Dodge that was completed in 1923. This form was part of his VA Claims File, which I received in June of 2022. Out of the examples I have given, this one is the best example of information provided by an ancestor as this form was filled out by him. He lists information on himself, including date and place of birth (although his year of birth should be 1894 instead of 1893), information on his military service, and listing the names of his parents (N.T. Dodge and Fannie H. Dodge). The completed form (three pages) is shown below.

These are just some of the examples where ancestors have either completed forms or provided information for different forms to be completed, and signing that the information provided is true and correct. Finding any form that an ancestor has completed and signed is always a jewel of a find because it shows what information they have provided, or are willing to provide.