| Genealogy researchers are like marathon runners | | | | continue try the following: |
| and will normally hit the wall in every project that | | | | - Post questions on forums |
| they do. Family historians will like marathon | | | | - If you know the area where the person lived |
| runners need to learn to push pass, climb over or | | | | try the white pages |
| knock down that wall. The genealogy brick wall is | | | | - Check into and then subscribe to Google alerts |
| like a huge stop sign and when you come to a | | | | - Join RSS feeds from good strong genealogical |
| place in your research that you just can not | | | | sites |
| seem to get passed it, then we as people tend to | | | | - Put an ad in a newspaper, even overseas if |
| feel frustrated and sometimes will even give up | | | | need be |
| the search. Your motivation has to come within | | | | - Put up a website about your search |
| you; no one is raising a whip and pushing you | | | | - Put up a hubpage or Squidoo lens about your |
| through or helping you over the genealogy brick | | | | search |
| walls in your research. Dig deep and keep going, | | | | If you need to break down the genealogy brick |
| now is not the time to stop. | | | | walls try these 6 steps |
| I can not imagine that everyone that has ever | | | | - Write down everything that you know |
| searched for their family history has not come up | | | | - Do not assume that you wrote it all down |
| against a genealogy brick wall; my brick wall was | | | | before. Go through your notes |
| my Aunt Bea. By the time I tried to track her | | | | - Know exactly what it is you are looking for. If it |
| down through all the normal means that I knew | | | | is maiden names, birth, death, surnames, ports of |
| about I was ready to simply admit that she was | | | | entries then go and Google it. You may get ideas |
| an alien and truly never part of my family. | | | | from what comes up. |
| Let us just say you are facing that very problem; | | | | - Try different ways of spelling their names |
| you just can not seem to go anywhere or worse | | | | - Come at it from a different angle. Find a small |
| everywhere you go is a dead end with a huge | | | | bit of information that you are missing and follow |
| brick wall standing there. Do not give up, but draw | | | | the clue. |
| on some creative juices and look for the | | | | - What about the property they owned? Follow |
| alternatives. Do not just sit in front of Aunt Edna | | | | land deeds |
| with nothing to say, or in front of your computer | | | | If you still are behind that horrible genealogy brick |
| staring at a blank screen, make a move, try this | | | | wall and you believe you have searched every |
| or that and cover every avenue that comes into | | | | angle you can then my advice is to start over |
| your mind. | | | | and do it again until you are over the wall. |
| If you are stuck for some ideas and ways to | | | | |