\n<\/span><\/p>\nThis week we discuss the alphabet looking for clues to ancestral brick walls. The
\nlist is meant to get you thinking about your own genealogy problems.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA is for Alphabetize\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nHave you created an alphabetical list of all the names in your database
\nand all the locations your families lived? Typographical errors and
\nspelling variants can easily be seen using this approach. Sometimes
\nlists that are alphabetical (such as the occasional tax or census) can
\nhide significant clues.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nB is for Biography<\/strong><\/p>\nCreating an ancestor’s biography might help you determine where there
\nare gaps in your research. Determining possible motivations for his
\nactions (based upon reasonable expectations) may provide you with new
\nareas to research.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nC is for Chronology<\/strong><\/p>\nPutting in chronological order all the events in your ancestor’s life
\nand all the documents on which his name appears is an excellent way to
\norganize the information you have. This is a favorite analytical tool
\nof several\u00a0Ancestry Daily News<\/em>\u00a0columnists.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nD is for Deeds<\/strong><\/p>\nA land transaction will not provide extended generations of your
\nancestry, but it could help you connect a person to a location or show
\nthat two people with the same last name engaged in a transaction.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nE is for Extended Family<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you are only researching your direct line there is a good chance you
\nare overlooking records and information. Siblings, cousins, and in-laws
\nof your ancestor may give enough clues to extend your direct family
\nline into earlier generations.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nF is for Finances<\/strong><\/p>\nDid your ancestor’s financial situation impact the records he left
\nbehind? Typically the less money your ancestor had the fewer records he
\ncreated. Or did a financial crisis cause him to move quickly and leave
\nlittle evidence of where he settled?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nG is for Guardianships\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nA guardianship record might have been created whenever a minor owned
\nproperty, usually through an inheritance. Even with a living parent, a
\nguardian could be appointed, particularly if the surviving parent was a
\nfemale during that time when women’s legal rights were extremely
\nlimited (read nonexistent).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nH is for Hearing<\/strong><\/p>\nThink of how your ancestor heard the questions he was being asked by
\nthe records clerk. Think of how the census taker heard what your
\nancestor said. How we hear affects how we answer or how we record an
\nanswer.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI is for Incorrect<\/strong><\/p>\nIs it possible that an “official” record contains incorrect
\ninformation? While most records are reasonably correct, there is always
\nthe chance that a name, place, or date listed on a record is not quite
\nexact. Ask yourself how it would change your research if one “fact”
\nsuddenly was not true?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJ is for Job<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat was your ancestor’s likely occupation? Is there evidence of that
\noccupation in census or probate records? Would that occupation have
\nmade it relatively easy for your ancestor to move from one place to
\nanother? Or did technology make your ancestor’s job obsolete before he
\nwas ready for retirement?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nK is for Kook<\/strong><\/p>\nWas your ancestor just a little bit different from his neighbors? Did
\nhe live life outside cultural norms for his area. If he did,
\ninterpreting and understanding the records of his actions may be
\ndifficult. Not all of our ancestors were straight-laced and like their
\nneighbors. That is what makes them interesting (and difficult to
\ntrace).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nL is for Lines<\/strong><\/p>\nDo you know where all the lines are on the map of your ancestor’s
\nneighborhood? Property lines, county lines, state lines, they all play
\na role in your family history research. These lines change over time as
\nnew territories are created, county lines are debated and finalized,
\nand as your ancestor buys and sells property. Getting your ancestor’s
\nmaps all “lined” up may help solve your problem.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nM is for Money<\/strong><\/p>\nHave you followed the money in an estate settlement to see how it is
\ndisbursed? Clues as to relationships may abound. These records of the
\naccountings of how a deceased person’s property is allocated to their
\nheirs may help you to pinpoint the exact relationships involved.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nN is for Neighbors<\/strong><\/p>\nHave you looked at your ancestor’s neighbors? Were they acquaintances
\nfrom an earlier area of residence? Were they neighbors? Were they both?
\nWhich neighbors appeared on documents with your ancestor?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nO is for Outhouse<\/strong><\/p>\nMost of us don’t use them any more, but outhouses are mentioned to
\nremind us of how much life has changed in the past one hundred years.
\nAre you making an assumption about your ancestor’s behavior based upon
\nlife in the twenty-first century? If so, that may be your brick wall
\nright there.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nP is for Patience<\/strong><\/p>\nMany genealogical problems cannot be solved instantly, even with access
\nto every database known to man. Some families are difficult to research
\nand require exhaustive searches of all available records and a detailed
\nanalysis of those materials. That takes time. Some of us have been
\nworking on the same problem for years. It can be frustrating but
\nfulfilling when the answer finally arrives.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nQ is for Questions<\/strong><\/p>\nPost queries on message boards and mailing lists. Ask questions of
\nother genealogists at monthly meetings, seminars, conferences and
\nworkshops. The answer to your question might not contain the name of
\nthat elusive ancestor, but unasked questions can leave us floundering
\nfor a very long time.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nR is for Read\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nRead about research methods and sources in your problem area. Learning
\nabout what materials are available and how other solved similar
\nproblems may help you get over your own hump.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nS is for Sneaky<\/strong><\/p>\nWas your ancestor sneaking away to avoid the law, a wife, or an
\nextremely mad neighbor? If so, he may have intentionally left behind
\nlittle tracks. There were times when our ancestor did not want to be
\nfound and consequently may have left behind few clues as to his origins.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nT is for Think<\/strong><\/p>\nThink about your conclusions. Do they make sense? Think about that
\ndocument you located? What caused it to be created? Think about where
\nyour ancestor lived? Why was he there? Think outside the box; most of
\nour brick wall ancestors thought outside the box. That’s what makes
\nthem brick walls in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nU is for Unimportant<\/strong><\/p>\nThat detail you think is unimportant could be crucial. That word whose
\nlegal meaning you are not quite certain of could be the key to
\nunderstanding the entire document. Make certain that what you have
\nassumed is trivial is actually trivial.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nV is for Verification<\/strong><\/p>\nHave you verified all those assumptions you hold? Have you verified
\nwhat the typed transcription of a record actually says? Verifying by
\nviewing the original may reveal errors in the transcription or
\nadditional information.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nW is for Watch<\/strong><\/p>\nKeep on the watch for new databases and finding aids as they are being
\ndeveloped. Perhaps the solution to your brick wall just has not been
\ncreated yet.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nX is for X-Amine<\/strong><\/p>\nWith the letter “x” we pay homage to all those clerks and census takers
\nwho made the occasional spelling error (it should be “examine” instead
\nof “x-amine.”) and also make an important genealogical point. Examine
\nclosely all the material you have already located. Is there an
\nunrecognized clue lurking in your files?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nY is for Yawning<\/strong><\/p>\nAre you getting tired of one specific family or ancestor? Perhaps it is
\ntime to take a break and work on another family. Too much focus on one
\nproblem can cause you to lose your perspective. The other tired is when
\nyou are researching at four in the morning with little sleep. You are
\nnot at your most productive then either and likely are going in circles
\nor making careless mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nZ is for Zipping<\/strong><\/p>\nAre you zipping through your research, trying to complete it as quickly
\nas possible as if it were a timed test in school? Slow down, take your
\ntime and make certain you aren’t being too hasty in your research and
\nin your conclusions.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe “tricks” to breaking brick walls could go on and on. In general though,
\nthe family historian is well served if he or she “reads and thinks in
\nan honest attempt to learn.” That attitude will solve many problems,
\nnot all of them family history related.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This article originally appeared in the Ancestry Daily News on 11 Jan 2006. It is copyrighted and requests for reprint\/redistribution can be directed to me at\u00a0mjnrootdig@gmail.com. This week we discuss the alphabet looking for clues to ancestral brick walls. The list is meant to get you thinking about your own genealogy problems. \u00a0 A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}