10 Tips to Break Through a Brick Wall in Genealogy

One of the most frustrating aspects of genealogy is the inevitable brick wall. Most of us have at least one, usually more than one, brick wall ancestor that we struggle with. If you haven't hit one yet, you probably will at some point in your genealogy research.

Recheck your sources

If you haven't looked back over the sources you have already found lately, take a fresh look. Sometimes at first glance information may not seem important, but after getting further into your genealogy research, you may realize the significance. Rechecking your work will allow you to ferret out the clues you missed on your first look.

Another reason to recheck your sources is that you may have inadvertently wrote down a date or location wrong. By rechecking your source, you can make sure your information is accurate.

Make sure you have the right person

Unless your ancestor has an unusual name, it is possible that there were others with the same name in the area. This is especially true of large families who named their children similarly.

Look to see if there is more than one person with your ancestor's name in the area. If there is, follow the other same-named individuals through records to make sure they are different and not actually the person you're searching for.

Don't make assumptions

Just because you think that someone lived in the same area their entire life doesn't mean that they actually did. It's possible that they visited friends or family in another area or left the area briefly for work.

The same applies to family members. A child might not necessarily be the child of the head of the household. They may be a step-child, adopted, another family member's orphaned child or even a grandchild.

Don't be exact

While exact searches can sometimes be handy in genealogy when you're trying to narrow down a large list of individuals, it is only successful if the individual's information in the record is the same as your search terms.

If you haven't been successful finding your brick wall ancestor with an exact search, open up your search to some variations. Spelling variations in surnames are common as the person filling out a record didn't always ask for the spelling. Dates are sometimes off.

Try variations of your ancestor's name. Your ancestor may have went by a nickname or even his middle name. The record may have his true name.

Even vital records aren't immune to errors. A person may have lied about their age to get around age restrictions on marriage or military service.

Check historical boundaries

Disappearing ancestors are sometimes a result of changing boundaries. This is especially true as your genealogy research moves further back in time. Your ancestor may have stayed in the same location through their entire life, but the area underwent various boundary changes.

West Virginia was once part of Virginia. The present-day states of Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota were part of the Dakota Territory. County boundaries frequently changed, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up following World War I into several separate countries.

Make sure you haven't overlooked sources

We all know to check vital records, cemeteries, census and military records. However, you may be missing out if you don't explore all possible records that could relate to your ancestor. Visit your local library and check The Source or Ancestry's Red Book to see what records are available from the area your ancestor lived in.

Tax lists, land bounties, wills, court records, etc may yield additional information on your brick wall. Don't forget to check books as well. Local histories often contain information on area families. Published genealogies are another option.

Try collateral research

If you haven't had success with genealogy research on an individual, look to the people around him. Records for siblings may show parents. Locating a spouse in earlier records may help point the way to your ancestor.

Don't forget about non-relatives. If an unknown name pops up frequently in records surrounding your ancestor, they might possibly be a relative or family friend. Neighbors may have migrated with your ancestor's family.

Look to the original

If you are having difficulty finding your brick wall ancestor in published transcriptions or indexes, go to the original. The transcriber or indexer may have made errors. Sometimes a line by line reading of a census or page by page look at a microfilm might be necessary to find the person you are looking for.

Search other family trees for clues

Online family trees get a bad rap, mostly because a lot of them are unsourced. However, they sometimes can offer clues. See if you can find sources to prove the relationships they show in their tree.

You might try sending the creator a message asking where they found their information. Some may say from another tree, but there may be a few that have sources but chose not to display them in the tree.

Ask for help

Use one of the genealogy message boards to post a query on your brick wall ancestor. Another researcher may be searching for the same person or have clues that you're not aware of. By pooling your information, you both have a better chance of finding the person you seek.