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Solving Tough Research Problems—Overcoming Brick Walls (view source)
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1. '''''Start with the most likely records.''''' Always use sources with the best odds of success first. If those do not solve the problem, turn to less likely ideas. Keep searching even the least promising possibilities. | 1. '''''Start with the most likely records.''''' Always use sources with the best odds of success first. If those do not solve the problem, turn to less likely ideas. Keep searching even the least promising possibilities. | ||
2. '''''Go from the known to the unknown.''''' Find recent events first | 2. '''''Go from the known to the unknown.''''' Find recent events first, then work back to earlier events. | ||
3. '''''Focus on one question at a time.''''' Pick ONE event (for example, John Doe’s birth) and search until you find it. Stick with it. Gather anything you find on the family and associates, but concentrate on the event you selected. Do not change focus until you either find it or exhaust '''all''' possibilities trying. | 3. '''''Focus on one question at a time.''''' Pick ONE event (for example, John Doe’s birth) and search until you find it. Stick with it. Gather anything you find on the family and associates, but concentrate on the event you selected. Do not change focus until you either find it or exhaust '''all''' possibilities trying. | ||
4. '''''Look for alternate spellings and nicknames.''''' Some ancestors are listed by nicknames (Polly for Mary, Bob for Robert), by a middle name, or by initials. See [[Guessing a Name Variation]]. Also search for alternate spellings. Clerks misspell names all the time, and indexers have difficulty reading them. Think phonetically. For lists of possible spelling substitutes see pages 331 and 336 of Kory L. Meyerink, ed., ''Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records''. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998). ({{FHL|719674|item|disp=FHL book 016.9293 P96m}}). Failure to find | 4. '''''Look for alternate spellings and nicknames.''''' Some ancestors are listed by nicknames (Polly for Mary, Bob for Robert), by a middle name, or by initials. See [[Guessing a Name Variation]]. Also search for alternate spellings. Clerks misspell names all the time, and indexers have difficulty reading them. Think phonetically. For lists of possible spelling substitutes see pages 331 and 336 of Kory L. Meyerink, ed., ''Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records''. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998). ({{FHL|719674|item|disp=FHL book 016.9293 P96m}}). Failure to find some quirky versions of the individual's name is a red flag that you probably are not being imaginative enough during your searches. | ||
5. '''''Do not trust indexes''''' ''(that do not answer the main question)''. If he '''should be''' in the index but '''is not''', search the record page-by-page until you find him. Even if you do find him in the index, thumb through the records for places they missed him in the index until you answer the research question.<ref>Elizabeth Shown Mills, "Land Records" (lecture in Course 4 Advanced Methodology Evidence, Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University, Birmingham, Ala., 15 June 2005).</ref> | 5. '''''Do not trust indexes''''' ''(that do not answer the main question)''. If he '''should be''' in the index but '''is not''', search the record page-by-page until you find him. Even if you do find him in the index, thumb through the records for places they missed him in the index until you answer the research question.<ref>Elizabeth Shown Mills, "Land Records" (lecture in Course 4 Advanced Methodology Evidence, Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University, Birmingham, Ala., 15 June 2005).</ref> | ||
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6. '''''Do not trust copies selected by someone else.''''' If possible, look at the original with your own eyes. | 6. '''''Do not trust copies selected by someone else.''''' If possible, look at the original with your own eyes. | ||
7. '''''Make friends with the librarians and archivists.''''' Being nice to the staff at a library or archives often pays big dividends. CAUTION: It is '''not''' always to your advantage to be considered a genealogist. | 7. '''''Make friends with the librarians and archivists.''''' Being nice to the staff at a library or archives often pays big dividends. CAUTION: It is '''not''' always to your advantage to be considered a genealogist. | ||
== '''B. Fundamentals''' == | == '''B. Fundamentals''' == | ||