I was hoping to find help on piecing together dates for ancestors Peterson and Cochran?

Question

My great grandmother Dorothy is on find a grave. However, I am not seeing her siblings on there. Same with my great grandfather Jack. I know he is related to the actor Jimmy Stewart. They were cousins but I am unsure through who.

If anybody is interested in helping me find them I would be very appreciative. Or any pointers on finding them would be greatly appreciated as well.

I also have no leads on my grandfather Van Goebel's side of the family. He and I don't have a way to contact one another and I never have heard a peep about his family from my family.

 Thank you so much for your patience and help!

Answer 1

Looking for census records would probably be a good next step, if you haven't already located them. So for example, since it looks like you know John Jackson Cochran's birthplace (Washington County, Pennsylvania) in 1911 and his parents' names, I'd look for his parents and siblings in the 1910 and 1920 census records in Washington County, Pennsylvania - the family should be listed together. That should give you at least a birth year and birth place (usually just the state). That information may help you locate their birth, marriage and death records and/or obituaries. Census records and a lot of other records are available for free on familysearch.org. Good luck!