Tips to Help Hurdle Brick Walls in My Family Tree Research
Keep Track of Your Sources
You know your Great Grandma Harriet’s baptismal date, but, how did you get that info? Without the source, you can’t check what church she was baptized in, who here sponsors were. This can be a great resource for finding other names in your family tree.
Check Someone Else’s Source
If you got information about an ancestor from a sibling or cousin, where did they get that info from? They may be looking at a transcription and not an actual document. Transcriptions can have mistakes because the person that took the information from the document may have misspelled the ancestor’s name, for instance. Or they didn’t take all the info down because they thought it wasn’t relevant.
Use Primary and Secondary Sources
If you have a transcription, try to find the actual record. If you’re using a compiled family history, try to find the actual sources they used. Reason being, the more times information is copied, the further away you get from the actual primary and secondary information. There’s more of a chance for errors to be made and passed along.
Learn a New Language
You don’t have to become fluent in German, but, whatever countries your family originated in, whatever languages they spoke, learn to recognize important genealogical words in that language. Words like, born, baptized, married, died, buried, parents, godparents, from (where they lived), etc. If you know these keywords, it will be a great tool for deciphering family records more easily.
Keep a Cheat Sheet Handy
Keep a list of the above mentioned keywords nearby. If you’re doing online family research, keep your cheat sheet next to your computer. You might need to go to a cemetery to find an ancestor’s headstone. It won’t help if you leave your cheat sheet at home. Take it with you!
Look at Other Branches of Your Family Tree
It may be tempting to focus on your direct lineage, but, following sibling branches can be extremely helpful in connecting to cousins, close or distant. These can be rewarding discoveries, which can also yield a wealth of family history information. If you’ve been hitting a brick wall, sometimes the information you’re looking for that’s missing on your direct ancestor’s documents can be found on the documents for one of their siblings. This is a good way of overcoming genealogical brick walls.
Take Breaks
Family history research can be exhausting. It can be easy to call it quits. It’s good to walk away for a few hours, days, or even months. Doing so helps clear your mind and come back to genealogy with fresh eyes. Researching your family tree is not easy. If you want to hire a genealogist, please consider Mary to help discover your ancestors. Contact her here or order today to get started.
Tips for Discovering Your Family Tree