|
Brick walls take work, time and perseverance to solve, but very few are unsolvable!
Sometimes these require a "think outside the box" attitude to tear them down. Often times, there are many more roads to be explored that could tear down your brick wall in an instant! As a genealogist only can uniquely know and understand, those are the moments that are most rewarding and fill us with joy inside!
Whatever you do, NEVER give up on your brick wall! There is ALWAYS more that can be found with a little creative thinking and search "know how". Here are some questions to ask yourself that may
lead to other resources you may want to try and find to help in your search:
- What Newspapers were in existence for the locations and time periods that your ancestor falls in?
Newspapers can provide vital clues to the life of your ancestor! Newspapers of old often reported on the daily comings and goings of the people in their communities, for instance: who visited who, arguments and disputes, who was sick, who traveled to where and why, stories and anecdotes of daily life, births, marriages, divorces, deaths, obituaries and of course, the normal news stories of the day. Newspapers are a greatly overlooked resource, but one of the most valuable!
Tip #1: Do a Google search in quotes of the name of the newspaper. This could very possibly bring you Internet sites that have scanned or transcribed information from these papers.
Tip #2: Call the newspaper in question if they are still in existence. Many times they will do back research, or can provide back issues themselves or information on microfilmed copies (or who has them).
What known hobbies, occupations, local groups, church or political affiliations did your ancestor engage in? (i.e. churches, political organizations, clubs, community organizations, etc.)? Are
there family stories that say they were involved in: Music? The arts? Hunting? Quilting? Sports? Active in the Church? Active in Public or Community Service? Did they work for an organization that may have had
an employees union or an overseeing professional organization? Any and every piece of information about the activities of the individual can lead to valuable information if researched with some focused
thought!
Tip #1: Do a Google search in quotes of the name of the organization.
This could very possibly bring you Internet sites that have scanned or transcribed information from these organizations, such as organization records (could possibly lead to baptism, birth & death announcements), photos, publications and public announcements they may have produced.
Tip #2: Call the organization in question if they are still in existence.
Many times they will do back research, or can provide information on where and how to tap into known records resources and publications.
Are there other public records that you should be searching out?
Many times there are other public records available that may or may not be online and if they are, they may be hard to find due to the scanning of actual documents as opposed to the text transcriptions. Sometimes these are available online through public library databases and sometimes you will need to visit the archives in person. Use the following tips that could lead to tax records, will and probate records, vital statistics, birth, marriage and death records and more.
Tip #1: Do a Google search in quotes of the name of the public record.
If that search produces few or no results, do the search without the quotes. This could very possibly bring you Internet sites that have scanned or transcribed information from these records.
Tip
#2: Call the County Court Houses and other County and State Agencies that apply to the location in question.
Many times government agencies have archives available that may or may not be available online but at any rate, they can tell you what information is out there and how it can be accessed
Tip #3: Call the Genealogy Societies that apply to the location in question.
Many times they will do actual research and can provide information on what public records may be available and who to contact about them.
Tip #4: Do a page by page reading of public records
transcriptions provided by Genealogy Societies! Another great resource that is greatly ignored here are the transcribed records books that they often sell. Maybe we've looked through the Indexes
only and sometimes these are lacking in indexes completely. Some only have certain names indexed (i.e. Head of Household in Census books, Bride and Groom in Marriage books, Mother & Father or just the
person it pertains to in Vital Records books, etc.) For instance, I was trying to get a clue to location on a particular ancestor and I consulted a Marriage book index with no luck in finding his
name. However, when I went through the book page by page, I found him as a witness to a wedding (the index only listed brides & grooms, not witnesses). This successfully placed him in a
particular location at a particular point in time to which prior to that, it was unknown where he was at all!
Check back, more tips for even more resources to help you tear down your brick walls will be added soon!
|
|
