RLP 346: The Mystery of Claude "Dock" Harris' Nickname

Diana and Nicole explore the mystery of Diana's great-grandfather's nickname, Dock Harris. They discuss how his name was recorded as D.H., Dock H., or Dock in records, which was puzzling because it seemed like a nickname. They explain how this caused confusion for Diana's father, Bob, when he began researching the family history. Bob knew his grandfather as Grandpa Harris and had no other information to go on. The family bible even listed his name as Dock Harris.

The hosts talk about how further research revealed that Dock's actual first name was Claude. They share details from a World War II draft registration card where Claude Harris is listed with Dock's birthdate and other identifying information. The card was dated 25 April 1942 and listed his address as Diamond, Missouri, an unusual location for Dock. As the hosts explain, additional research into Dock's medical records revealed that he was briefly away from the state hospital in Vinita, Oklahoma, where he was living at the time. This allowed him to register for the draft under his given name of Claude. They consulted multiple AI models and the 1880 census to determine if "Dock" was a common nickname in Texas. The hosts found that "Dock" was used as an informal or affectionate name for men and was derived from "Doctor." They confirm that Dock was a common nickname in Texas and conclude that Claude Harris went by the nickname Dock. Listeners will learn how to research nicknames and discover the value of using AI and census records to learn more about their ancestors.

This summary was generated by Google Gemini.

Links

The Mystery of Claude "Dock" Harris' Nickname - https://familylocket.com/the-mystery-of-claude-dock-harris-nickname/

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Research Like a Pro Resources

Airtable Universe - Nicole's Airtable Templates - https://www.airtable.com/universe/creator/usrsBSDhwHyLNnP4O/nicole-dyer

Airtable Research Logs Quick Reference - by Nicole Dyer - https://familylocket.com/product-tag/airtable/

Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide book by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/2x0ku3d

14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge Workbook - digital - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-digital-only/ and spiral bound - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-spiral-bound/

Research Like a Pro Webinar Series - monthly case study webinars including documentary evidence and many with DNA evidence - https://familylocket.com/product-category/webinars/

Research Like a Pro eCourse - independent study course - https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-e-course/

RLP Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-study-group/

Research Like a Pro with DNA Resources

Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence book by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin - https://amzn.to/3gn0hKx

Research Like a Pro with DNA eCourse - independent study course - https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-ecourse/

RLP with DNA Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-study-group/

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