Sometimes family trees look like the one in my front yard after the utility crew came through recently. One side is nice and round and bushy, but after the kid with the wild chainsaw pulled out.... Well, we now call our tree “Garfield.” It looks like the cartoon cat with a gaping mouth getting ready to take a gigantic bite of a telephone wire sandwich.
If you’ve got a “Great-uncle Arnold” dangling alone and barren on one side of the family tree, it’s probably because you came up against a brick wall in your research rather than met up with a wide-eyed chainsaw trainee. But brick walls can be frustrating to bust through, so I’ve come up with seven tricks to help you get around the brick wall and even out the family tree.
Trick # 1
Don’t be Snookered by Census Records: In the United States, census records have been kept since 1790 (31 years before England began using the census). The problem is that census takers weren’t always accurate. They sometimes relied on second hand information about a hard-to-catch neighbor. Additionally they often had sloppy handwriting and spelling errors. If you think your family member was in an area, and it doesn’t show on census records, you could be right...just keep looking. Ancestry.com has created one of the largest Census databases available. Take the time to research them thoroughly, you might be surprised who you find.
Trick # 2
Don’t Overlook Military Records: Surprisingly three out of four families have a member who served in the military. The good news is that the military LOVES paper and record trails! Remember that not everyone who served in the military served during war time, and don’t forget the National Guard. Ancestry.com has a large collection of Military records available through the internet. Be sure to take advantage of all that history.
Trick # 3
Churches keep Records Too: In fact, many churches began keeping records of christenings, marriages, baptisms and deaths before civil records were kept. You might search through obituaries, diaries, family Bibles and letters for a clue to church affiliations.
Trick # 4
Telephone Directories?: Okay, telephone directories are a modern invention, but hold on. The telephone directory is a descendant of the city directories that alphabetically listed residents and businesses. In fact, they even identified widows and their deceased spouse in city directories.
Trick # 5
Newspapers Tell Tales: This tip is pretty basic, but have you searched the gossip columns as well as the obituaries? Don’t forget to scan the photos or peruse the legal announcements. You’d be surprised at the juicy tidbits that can be overlooked. Ancestry.com has thousands of newpapers and periodicals for you to research. Be sure to sign-on and uncover those family tales for yourself.
Trick # 6
Check out Court Records: Hey, we all have a few black sheep in the family who might’ve spent some time in a cell. On the other hand, court records can tell us a lot more than that. Adoptions, bankruptcies, divorces, guardianships, mortgages, and property disputes are all recorded there.
Trick # 7
Join a Genealogy Forum or message board: Genealogy forums and message boards are great places to find motivation, to get fresh new ideas, to hear about the latest publications, to find some how-to tips, and heck, even to just cry on someone’s shoulder in frustration. The difference between forums and societies is that you can meet on your schedule and there are no membership fees.
