TIPS TO HELP YOU GET OVER THE BRICK WALL by Liz Lieber, Genealogy.com Every genealogist, at one time or another, has encountered a brick wall in his or her research. When you hit a brick wall it is a good thing to remember that every research challenge allows you the opportunity to grow as a family historian. Every time you get over a brick wall, you've learned a new research technique that you may be able to apply later. Here are some tips to help you along: o Check for Misspellings. It is always a good idea to remember that generations ago, name spellings weren't standardized and people often spelled their own names many different ways. Also, since lots of people couldn't write, they had other people write things down for them. This, too, resulted in multiple spellings. Even official documents (for example, a census, marriage record, or immigration document) may contain misspellings. In the end, remember to check many different spellings of a name you are having trouble finding record of. o Take a Break, Then Review What You Already Have. Sometimes putting your research away for a little while will help you see things in a new light when you come back to it. You'll often find new clues or hidden significance in your existing research when you take a step back and reevaluate your sources or reexamine any assumptions that you have made. o Look for the Person, Not the Name. Sometimes you'll hit a brick wall when you find two people with the same name living in the same area. In this case, only further research will help you determine which one is yours. One way to identify an individual is to expand your research to include his extended family. Why not look for record of your ancestor in documents relating to his siblings or his wife's family? Try to determine if friends or associates mentioned him in their wills or deeds. Perhaps he was active in his community and may be mentioned in a local history. By making your ancestors more than just a name, you not only spice up your family history but also make it easier to trace. o Make an Educated Guess. When absolutely no records exist, you can often make an educated guess to help further your research along. For example, to determine someone's age when there are no birth or census records available, you may wish to estimate based on that person's marriage date. Generally, in colonial times, girls were married for the first time between the ages of 17 and 21 and boys were married for the first time between the ages of 18 and 21. You'll want to do a little research to determine what the general rule was in your case but you can see how an understanding of some historical demographics can sometimes help you get past a brick wall. o Ask Your Fellow Researchers for Help. Genealogists are often willing to help each other out and you might be surprised by the amount of assistance you'll receive. Posting a query, for example at www.genforum.com, is a great way to get in contact with other researchers who may be researching the same family lines as you. * * * * * Written by Liz Lieber, Genealogy.com. Previously published by RootsWeb.com, Inc., RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 3, No. 30, 26 July 2000. RootsWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/ -- Michelle Tucker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ukraine WorldGenWeb - Ivano-Frankivs'ka Oblast: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ukrwgw/ivano/index.html OKGenWeb County Coordinator: Cherokee Co.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okchero2/index.htm OKGenWeb Archives: Adair Co.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/adair/adair.html Sequoyah Co.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/sequoyah/sequoyah.html Michelle's Home Page: http://members.home.net/famhist/shell.htm Countiss Connections: http://members.home.net/famhist/countiss.htm Woodbridge, NJ Amateur Radio Club http://members.home.net/famhist/k2odp/