Field Notes: Where There's A Will

It had long puzzled me. The spelling on the transcribed abstract will. The will I strongly suspected belonged to my 5th great grandfather, but could never prove. The document that had been floating around Ancestry for years, being attached to far too many incorrect men. (Story for another day) I had given up all hope of finding the answer without a trip to Albany NY and a good digging in the archives there.

Well, the genealogy fairies smiled brightly upon me yesterday morning.

Taking another pass on Ancestry yesterday, I decided to wing a search with as many wildcards as it would let me.

Turns out that was a fine idea.

It brought me to the ACTUAL will papers. The ones actually signed by my 5th great grandfather when he was alive. Not the will alone (which is a 'copy' anyway), not the probate records - there are two separate 'copies' of those, by the way. Nope. Yesterday I was presented with the Holy Grail. The will AND the papers.

I can now, finally, connect the dots, put the family in order, and definitively declare I have found my 5th great grandfather!

I'll be writing this up later today with sources and photos. It's an interesting story. I'm so excited!

Never give up.