Solving Tough Research Problems—Overcoming Brick Walls: Difference between revisions

| valign="middle" | Partially fill out logs BEFORE looking at each source. This includes each search’s goal (person and event you seek to document).<ref>G. David Dilts, "Research Logs: The Most Important Tool for Organizing Your Family History," [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2250993referer=brief_results ''Genealogical Journal''] 30 (2002): 10-11. [FS Library Book 973 D25gj v. 30 2002].</ref>

| valign="middle" | Document and organize AS YOU GO.<ref>Carol Harless, et. al., [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/82725149referer=brief_results ''PAF Documentation Guidelines''] (N.p.: Silicon Valley PAF Users Group, 1993), 1 [FS Library Book 005.3 H224].</ref>

4. '''''Look for alternate spellings and nicknames.'''''&nbsp; 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). ({{FSC|719674|item|disp=FS Catalog 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.  

    a. [[Copying Sources|Photocopy the new source document]].  

    b. Identify the source (footnote information) on the front of the photocopy.  

    c. Write your own document filing number on the back of each photocopy.  

    d. Log the new document number and summarize the events/people you found on all appropriate logs.  

    e. Transfer new family data from the source to appropriate family group records.  

    f. Enter new [[Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)|source footnotes]] for every piece of data on a source, even if that event already has a note.  

    g. Add a preliminary assessment of the data and its reliability to the end of each source footnote.<ref>Mills, “Dissecting the Research Problem.”</ref>  

    h. Print the updated family group record.  

    i. File the new family group and photocopy.  

13. '''''Local histories, biographies, and genealogies.'''''&nbsp; Town and county histories often have biographical information about citizens. Look in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog]. Use Place Search from the drop down put in STATE, or COUNTY&nbsp;–then use key word in drop down put in&nbsp; HISTORY for counties, or STATE, COUNTY, TOWN&nbsp;– HISTORY for town histories. Repeat for the topic BIOGRAPHY and again for GENEALOGY.  

22. '''''Try an exhaustive preliminary survey.''''' Look in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list ''International Genealogical Index''], [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=trees ''Ancestral File''], and [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=trees <u> </u>''Pedigree Resource File'']. Thoroughly search for John Doe’s family in ''every'' source in [[United States Compiled Genealogies]] and [[United States Biography|United States Biography]] and in Wiki article for John Doe’s state. Look up the family name in the appropriate “Regional Indexes” cited on pages 440-41 in the first edition of Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny’s {{FSC|226731|item|disp=''The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy''}} (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984). [FS Library book 973 D27ts].  

31. '''''Get an education.'''''&nbsp; '''Read''' how-to genealogy books for John Doe’s state and nation. Study histories of John Doe’s town, county, and state. Subscribe to periodicals of local genealogical societies where John Doe lived. Subscribe to Internet e-mail lists for the area where John Doe settled, his ethnic group, or religion.&nbsp; Read case studies in magazines like {{FSC|39597|item|disp=''National Genealogical Society Quarterly''}} to learn how to solve tough problems and give you hope. '''Take classes''', attend lectures, join in computer “chat” sessions, and go to [[Upcoming Conferences|genealogical conferences]] about the area where the family settled, their ethnic group and religion, and about genealogical research methods. '''Travel''' to the places where John Doe’s family lived to see cemeteries, neighbors, old folks, archives, libraries, churches, genealogical and historical societies, and learn about the local way of life.