In genealogy, the term “brick wall” is often used to refer to tough research problems, apparent dead-ends that after many hours of searching still yield no answers. 

We all think we know about brick walls because most of us have them….. or have had them in our family history research. Am I right? Ever considered that you might be your own brickwall??

A handout from FamilySearch identifies some common genealogical mistakes and offers strategies for overcoming them:

• GETTING STARTED
  • Talk to family!! Do not skip this step.
  • Realize that there is information beyond the Internet.
  • Realize that while online family trees are great CLUES, unless they are well documented, they are not to be taken as  gospel.
  • Get over the “if it’s not free, I don’t/can’t/want it.” (There is a cost associated with creating and maintaining websites, obtaining and organizing records, etc)
• THE RESEARCH PROCESS
  • Plan your research; don’t succumb to SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome)
  • Don’t start at the wrong end…. meaning start with today, document your ancestry from today on back …. and you’ll likely find clues to that end-of-line ancestor.
  • Focus on one family at a time… NOT an individual. Not one man or woman was totally alone but was surrounded by family, friends and neighbors. (In those olden times of the 1800s, where did an ailing old widow go? To live with her children or grandchildren! There was no Social Security.)
  • Be aware of spelling variations: Phillips, Philips, Phillipss, Filips, Flips, etc. are all the same surname (most likely, spoken by one who could not spell). 
• WORKING WITH RECORDS
  • Aim to access the “real” or bottom-line source, not a derivative source. Ask: where did she get that information as shown on her online tree????? SHE is not a source for you! 
  • Do you collect names and bits and pieces of likely-looking information in hopes of fitting the puzzle pieces together? Doesn’t work well, does it, and soon you have desk overflowing with papers! Take the time….. make the time… to analyze your findings. Take time to spread it out on a table and think how it might or does fit. 
  • It is most worthwhile to write up your idea, your analyzing, your thoughts. Just because you’ve gathered a bunch of facts about an individual or a family, do you have the right family and/or all the information? A school notebook is great; you’re not writing a novel but just jotting ideas. 😐

There are dozens of websites offering “Overcoming Brickwalls” and many YouTube videos of the same. Instead of giving up, or quitting when all the low-hanging fruit is picked, or succumbing to SOS, give yourself a shake and learn how to NOT be your own brick wall!